Hammer shank weight

WEIGHING OFF THE GRAND ACTION – Part 7

How do we become professionally conversant with the things we think we know? Experience will prove or disprove many details over time but without a concerted effort (and a bunch of time) these are hard to consolidate into an overall and useful understanding. Over and over, I have observed the action tradeoff between distance and weight, but how clear am I on the full implications and applications of this relationship? A simple model might help.
Continue reading
WEIGHING OFF THE GRAND ACTION - Part 6

WEIGHING OFF THE GRAND ACTION - Part 6

Levers: Hammer weights and travel parameters get amplified or de-emphasized depending on the geometry between keytop and hammer crown. Generally, weight reduction at the key equals loss of hammer rise, and each of the three main levers contributes to this as a give and take. Their relative impact varies, of course, so we benefit by having a well-observed hierarchy in mind as we decide what to try.
Continue reading