Hi All,  "Why do the keys on that piano go up and down while on that
one they don't?"  This was a common question asked on tours of the
nickelodeon collection at Ashorne hall.

The only sensible, credible answer that I could give was that on
instruments where the pneumatic action is below the keyboard the keys
almost always went up and down because the pneumatic fingers would push
up on the underside of the keys in order to play the notes.

Where the pneumatic action was above the keys, as it was on most post
1916-ish players, the pneumatic fingers would operate direct onto the
piano action, thus by-passing the keys.  Keys that were weighted with
an almost neutral bias would twitter and hesitate up and down and more
often than not would have an obstructer rail under the front of the
keys which would be engaged with a lever.

If you're desperate to make your keys move, try attaching narrow strips
of cotton tape from the piano action to the keys with tiny blocks of
wood held in place with a small screw, make sure you leave just enough
slack to maintain the triggering clearances.  I have done this for one
or two customers in the past, they had to pump a little harder to
overcome the slight loss in repartition response.  Although some
experimentation with the addition of extra weight applied to the keys
just in front of the balance rail did improve the situation.  Be aware,
over reach of the half blow rail will cause the keys to drop en-mass.

While your at it, why not insert drawing pins into the piano hammer
faces -- they make a wonderful honky-tonk/rinky-tink/harpsichord
effect; it knocks hell out of the strings.  And if you really want to
go mad, place sensors under the keys and connect them to an electronic
organ or synthesizer; the sky's the limit!

All joking aside, if your keys move, Great!  If they don't, Tough!
Buy a player that does -- there's plenty out there.

Cheers for now.
Paul Camps, UK