The definitive DA test roll is an idea which has been mulled over in UK
circles. If one could be produced, I am sure it would be most welcome.
Picking up on some ideas - Bernt Damm's suggestion of testing each
individual note with pedal off and on for accompaniment zero setting is
a good idea - it can actually be done using an ordinary 88-note test
roll and manually operating the pedal. As well as testing the piano
action, this tests the bleed/leakage of each note. If notes cannot be
made to play consistently in this test, there is absolutely no hope
whatsoever of anything else working, as the leakiest note will limit the
performance of each chord!
Tim Baxter suggested testing various sized chords for play/not play at
different levels. Again, this mainly tests of the amount of air
entering the stack through bleeds and leakage as the notes play, and
hence the amount the suction in the stack drops. Are original test
rolls consistent in what size chords should or should not play at
different levels? Perhaps the first step would be to find all the
original rolls and tabulate what they do. I am sure MMDers can help
with this.
It strikes me that a list of simple mechanical tests to perform before
running the test roll would also be useful. These often show problems
much more clearly than a test roll. The sort of things I mean are, with
a blank piece of paper covering the tracker bar:
1) Turn on motor. How far do the two regulator pneumatics rise? Do they
rise almost the same distance, with the theme rising just slightly
further?
2) Pull down the accordions by hand. Do the regulators continue to rise
throughout the whole range of accordion movement? Do both regulators
rise the same distance at level 15?
3) Release the accordions. Do the regulators drop back to the same zero
position?
... and so on. With a suction gauge you can have even more fun!
Julian Dyer
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