Even if you don't "play" the piano, developing piano touch is important. Not only for testing the responsiveness of the action as you mention but for voicing as well. You have to work at it and it should be part of your skill set. Forget chromatic scales, they are the most difficult. Play pentatonic scales or white note and black note scales to remove the differences inherent in the touch between those two and alternating to cover all the notes and create some greater sense of musicality to the sequence. If you are not a pianist, or even if you are, one finger scales are the most predictable and repeatable. Use a relaxed arm and wrist and support the back of whichever finger you like to use with your thumb to keep it from flexing randomly at the joint. Play slightly toward the pads, not directly on the tips of the fingers. Other than that, all you can do is regulate carefully, balance the actions as you have using graduated strike weights and uniform balance weights and pay close attention to friction. Most of the time, that will get you home safely. David Love www.davidlovepianos.com -----Original Message----- From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of Gene Nelson Sent: Monday, January 25, 2010 5:25 PM To: pianotech at ptg.org Subject: [pianotech] even touch to test ppp Just curious if anyone does more than rely on their hands to judge how evenly the entire piano responds at the softest possible playing. In an action that is well regulated and balanced with friction +/- 0.5g from key to key and hammer strike weights evenly graduated using a Stanwood curve - I do not have confidence in my touch while playing chromatic scales to judge ppp playing evenness. Sometimes a key will not hit the string and it is not consistent, it will vary across the piano so I blame my lack of even touch. I used Spurlock gram weights, set on key ends (like when measuring down weight) and let it free fall in a controlled manner, adding or taking away weight to zero in on a number that could mean something, like how many grams to get the hammer to contact the string. One gram less gets no sound. Did this with and without sustain pedal. Suprised to find discrepancies of up to 6 grams and the discrepancies stay about the same with or without the sustain pedal. Any opinions here - am I splitting hairs? Does the above sound like a valid test? Also, I am a bit puzzled about how to account for the discrepancies. As all pinning and key frictions are very close, it could only be a mass thing? Any thoughts on this. Gene
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