Mechanical Music Digest  Archives
You Are Not Logged In Login/Get New Account
Please Log In. Accounts are free!
Logged In users are granted additional features including a more current version of the Archives and a simplified process for submitting articles.
Home Archives Calendar Gallery Store Links Info

End-of-Year Fundraising Drive In Progress. Please visit our home page to see this and other announcements: https://www.mmdigest.com     Thank you. --Jody

MMD > Archives > July 2005 > 2005.07.13 > 12Prev  Next


Player Piano Keys Don't Move
By D. L. Bullock

If the keys do not move, I suspect you got a hold of an English-made
standard player.  For some reason the English seemed to think that
seeing the keys move when a player piano plays is ill-mannered or just
not proper.  So there seem to be very few, if any, English-made players
whose keys drop.

I have had some very upset customers when they learned this was the
case.  In fact, I had to go in and remove most of the weights normally
found at the back end of the keys.  This allowed the keys to drop and
lightened the touch.  On American players the keyboards are weighted in
the front.  This may be why many pianists notice the light touch found
if playing on old players, besides the fact that the old action is
loose and floppy until it is restored.  That is another reason to
replace most of the piano action: to heavy-up the touch.

In fact, when regulating the front-weighted player keys to get the
capstan regulation correct, I must set a keyweight on the back end of
the key before I test for lost motion between jack and butt.  Otherwise
the keyboard will have minor variations in key level, and that is after
I leveled with no action but keyweights only in place.

D.L. Bullock    St. Louis
www.pianoworld.us 


(Message sent Wed 13 Jul 2005, 13:55:16 GMT, from time zone GMT-0500.)

Key Words in Subject:  Don't, Keys, Move, Piano, Player

Home    Archives    Calendar    Gallery    Store    Links    Info   


Enter text below to search the MMD Website with Google



CONTACT FORM: Click HERE to write to the editor, or to post a message about Mechanical Musical Instruments to the MMD

Unless otherwise noted, all opinions are those of the individual authors and may not represent those of the editors. Compilation copyright 1995-2024 by Jody Kravitz.

Please read our Republication Policy before copying information from or creating links to this web site.

Click HERE to contact the webmaster regarding problems with the website.

Please support publication of the MMD by donating online

Please Support Publication of the MMD with your Generous Donation

Pay via PayPal

No PayPal account required

                                     
Translate This Page