Stephen...Two Remedies to correct a light action

[RicB]

In both cases, upright and grand, adjusting the dampers to lift at 
nearly the beginning of key stroke is the wrong way of going about 
things. This stuff is all interactive   -- interelated.  Dampers are 
supposed to engage halfway through the key stroke for some very good 
regulation reasons.  Travel distance comes immediately to mind, along 
with the regulation of the pedals relative to damper lift. But the list 
is longer. In an upright you are likely going to jam the damper wire 
into the stoprail and the same basics apply to the pedal relationship to 
damper lift.

If you need more weight to your touch, there are easy and quick ways of 
going about it that do not compromise reasonably standard regulation.  
True, you can fudge a little with damper timing.  But that window is 
very much smaller then what seems to be described below.  There is 
nothing beautiful about the touch created in an action which has damper 
timing set at the very beginning of the keystroke.  It wont take long 
before pianists start making pertainant
 remarks about it me thinks. Stick to basic regulation specs and solve 
your weight problems in appropriate fashions.  JALPOA.

RicB


    Greetings,

             I must admit, back in the days when I was not a piano tech,
    I took
    my upright piano apart and taped nuts to the rear of all the key
    sticks. That
    increased the weight. When I got home from tuning school I removed
    them,
    because I learned that adjusting the spoons can accomplish a heavire
    touch.. But now
    I am trying to find the time to adjust the spoons to make a heavier
    touch.
    Your felt thing is a really good idea!  It sort of does the same
    thing a spoon
    adjustment does only it can be undone easier than readjusting all
    the spoons.

    Julia
    Reading, PA

    In a message dated 11/16/2006 4:59:44 PM Eastern Standard Time,
    spapaste at comcast.net writes:
    2) I elected instead to tape a piece of thin felt (from a sheet with
    adhesive backing costing .99/sheet in any crafts store), in the back
    of each
    key, on the damper lever key cushion, (at the point where it raises the
    dampers), in a way that the dampers are lifted almost immediately as one
    presses the key, thus giving a beautiful firm touch to the action,
    by using
    the weight of the dampers thus increasing the resistance and
    resulting in a
    heavier touch.