Flexy S&S D Keys

[David Love]

We should just stipulate that when anyone says "improvement" you read it as
"change" so we can stop hearing you drone on on this point every time
someone offers some insight or suggestions about improvement, yes
improvement, based on their own research and experience.  Further, how can
you categorically state that "there are probably at least if not 10 times as
many who would not (see it as an improvement).  What evidence do you have
for that?

That being said, and for those actually interested in the phenomenon, overly
flexible keys are easy to demonstrate by both holding the back of the key
and flexing it down toward the front rail as well as empirically when the
upper end of the dynamic range hits a ceiling beyond which the pianist
cannot achieve a louder fortissimo in spite of an increase in key
acceleration (referred to as action saturation in the articles).  It's
particularly a problem on D's with accelerated action bearings because of
the length of the key and the reduction in key height reducing the stiffness
(as we know from our rib discussions) by a factor of ^3.  Once you stiffen
the key, that false ceiling disappears.    


David Love
davidlovepianos at comcast.net 
www.davidlovepianos.com

-----Original Message-----
From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf
Of Richard Brekne
Sent: Friday, May 02, 2008 2:30 AM
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Subject: Flexy S&S D Keys

Hi Del and Terry,

Terry, how did you ascertain that there was <<too much>> flex in the 
keys ?  Del,  what is wrong with calling a spade a spade ?  Honestly 
folks... any <<improvement>> in an actions performance is wholly a 
result of the users reaction to the change.  There is no inherent 
improvment.... only a change in configuration.

Thing is that for every person that would equate this change with an 
<<improvement>> there are probably at least that many if not 10 times as 
many who would not. You make the action stiffer when you make it 
stiffer... goes without saying...  if thats a good thing for the pianist 
in question fine... if its not...what ...are we going to get all down on 
the guy and snub our noses at him ?

Why not just call a change a change and leave it at that .... along with 
making it clear to the customer what the change will do... pros and 
cons. Because there is always pros and cons.

I'd like to know what the criteria for judging these particular keys to 
have to much flex are ?  Terry ?

Cheers
RicB


    Have him or her go back to the August and December 1996 Journals and
    read the
    two articles I wrote about energy losses in piano actions. In one of
    those
    articles I described how to improve (I realize the idea of
    "improving" anything
    to do with the piano is subjective so perhaps I should just say
    "change") these
    keys.
     
    Basically I removed the so-called Accelerated Action "rockers" and
    replaced them
    with normal thin felt punchings. I then used the space gained to
    accommodate
    maple plates of equal thickness (4 mm comes to mind but you should
    check) glued
    to the bottom of the keys. Did wonders to "change" the performance
    of the action
    and the piano.
     
    Del