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Australasian Piano Tuners
and Technicians Association
Brisbane October 2023
via Zoom
The Stanwood New
Action Protocol (SNAP) for Grand Pianos
by
David Stanwood
This
simple calculation free workbench approach defines “best
practice” for balancing grand piano actions and addresses
the underlying and overriding effect of playing
inertia. Presetting
scaled key front weights with digital scale accuracy let’s
the action tell you the best choice of hammer strike weight
scale for your desired inertial playing quality.
Smooth scaling
hammer and key weighting produces significant improvement to
tone and touch.
David Stanwood BIO:
Early
in his career David Stanwood realized that the traditional
method for setting key weights to make a specified down
weight produces unpredictable results, especially when
putting new parts in old pianos. His pioneering
research in the early
1990s led him to discover the Equation of Balance and opened
the field of Touch Weight Metrology. His signature
trademark
product - Precision Touch Design - produces any
desired inertial playing quality by matching hammer weight
and ratio levels
combined with smooth scaling of hammer strike weights and
key front weights to produce the highest standard of touch
quality.
In recognition for his important work David
was inducted into the Piano Technicians Guild Hall of
Fame 2019. He also
received the Distinguished Alumni Award from the North
Bennet Street School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA 2007.
He lives
and works on the Island of Martha’s Vineyard off the
North East coast of the United States.
Read his piano journal articles at http://www.stanwoodpiano.com/articles.htm
Midwest Regional Conference PTG
November 11-13, 2022
Class I
The Stanwood New Action Protocol for
Grand Pianos by David Stanwood
Also known as the SNAP method, this
calculation free approach for controlling
Inertia by normalizing Key Front Weights lets the
action simply and clearly tell
you the correct Hammer Strike Weight level for the desired
DownWt/BalanceWt/UpWt
level and inertial playing quality in the finished action
Class II
Dolge’s Dilemma by David Stanwood
Alfred Dolge is the father of the modern
piano hammer press which stretches wool felt
for high tension at the crown. In his book Pianos and
Their Makers Dolge describes the
ideal piano hammer as “graduating in softness and elasticity
toward the top surface”.
How can these two qualities exist in the same hammer?
Some historical sleuthing into
his “Blue Felt Hammer” leads to deeper understanding of how
to voice modern hammers
for the best possible tone color.
EuroPiano Congress 2022 in Warsaw Poland - Sept 2-4
Paper published in EuroPiano Journal #1 2023
By David Stanwood
of his trademark product - Precision Touch Design. For 3 decades he has practiced and taught his methods for scaling
Hammer Strike Weights and Key Front Weights. His work produces the intended Inertial Playing Quality with the smoothest
possible touch response from key to key. David was inducted into the Piano Technicians Guild Hall of Fame 2019. The
Precision Touch Design Academy Europe was founded on his method in 2008. He received the Distinguished Alumni Award
from the North Bennet Street School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA 2007. He lives and works on the Island of Martha’s
Vineyard off the North East coast of the United States.
action even though the association proves to be unreliable. A well voiced and regulated piano with a medium down weight
can sometimes feel heavy or light. The underlying and overriding factor is the “Inertia” of the leveraged hammer weights.
The normal range of Leverage Ratio and Hammer Weight levels in grand pianos varies widely and finding the correct match
is key to producing a desired playing quality. When Ratio and Hammer Weight levels are paired for specified Inertial types
the amount of weight needed to balance the keys to a specified Down and Up Weight is always similar. This leads to a simple
and practical approach. A handful of “Marker” keysticks are tipped onto a digital scale and the weights set on top to mock
up a normalized front weight associated with the desired inertia according to reference tables. Hammer weights are adjusted
on the markers to find the weight scale that produces the specified Touch Weight. Once the correct Hammer Weight scale is
established and the action balanced the desired quality of Inertia will result.
February 8, 2022 7pm via Zoom
Long Island/Nassau County PTG Monthly Meeting.
for information contact Michael Slavin: slavinpiano@aol.com
The Stanwood New Action Protocol
Join David at his workbench, with sleeves rolled up, to walk us through his new simplified and
calculation free method for setting up and weight calibrating new parts to a desired Inertial Playing
Quality on a c1937 Steinway S action.
Bio:
David Stanwood pioneered the field of Touch Weight Metrology. For 3 decades he has practiced and
taught his Precision Touch Design methods for scaling Hammer Strike Weights and Key Front Weights
to create a desired level of Touch Weight and Playing Inertia with the smoothest possible touch response
from key to key. In 2007 David received the North Bennet St. School's Distinguished Alumni Award
and in 2019 he was inducted into the PTG Hall of Fame.
May 24-26 2021
North Bennet Street School - Piano Technology Conference
for North Bennet Street School Students and Alumni
Contact the Alumni office for information
Class title: "Dolge's Dilemma - Wool in the Modern Piano Hammer" by David Stanwood
March 15, 2021 7 pm PST
Pomona Valley PTG Chapeter Monthly Meeting
Dolge's Dilemma
David
Stanwood - Boston Chapter
The piano
hammer of the late romantic period (1840s) inspired the
creation of great works by Frédéric Chopin.
Those hammers were lightweight, springy soft on the outer
surface, with progressively denser layers of felt or
leather
in towards the wood molding core. The outer layers
produced sweet rich pianissimo tone. The dense core drove
out a beautiful singing forte tone. In between those
extremes the pianist could pick from a wide palette of
tone
colors. How do these inspiring characteristics carry
forward to present day pianos with much heavier hammers?
March 8, 2021 3pm EST
New Hampshire PTG Chapter monthly meeting
Dolge's Dilemma
David
Stanwood - Boston Chapter
The piano
hammer of the late romantic period (1840s) inspired the
creation of great works by Frédéric Chopin.
Those hammers were lightweight, springy soft on the outer
surface, with progressively denser layers of felt or
leather
in towards the wood molding core. The outer layers
produced sweet rich pianissimo tone. The dense core drove
out a beautiful singing forte tone. In between those
extremes the pianist could pick from a wide palette of
tone
colors. How do these inspiring characteristics carry
forward to present day pianos with much heavier hammers?
February 16, 2021 7pm EST
Monthly PTG meeting Boston Chapter
Tone and Touch are as important to the pianist as Tuning
and Regulation. Together online we will look into
my views
on the relationship of hammer weight
to voicing and inertia. Learn how the tone of
light weight Chopin era hammers
inspired the creation of great
compositions. The modern day hammer is much
heavier and those inspiring qualities
are easily lost. Deeper
understanding of the unique properties of wool felt lead
to voicing methods that add tone color
and expand tonal range into the
pianissimo. As for touch the underlying and
overriding factor is the “Inertia” of the
leveraged hammer weights.
Leverage Ratio and Hammer Weight levels vary
widely and finding the correct match is
key to producing a desired playing
quality. Learn how to let the action speak for
itself to get the right inertia with my
straight forward calculation free
approach.
Monthly PTG meeting Central North Carolina Chapter
Tone and Touch are as important to
the pianist as Tuning and Regulation. Together online
we will look into my views
on the relationship of hammer
weight to voicing and inertia. Learn how the tone of
light weight Chopin era hammers
inspired the creation of great
compositions. The modern day hammer is much heavier
and those inspiring qualities
are easily lost. Deeper
understanding of the unique properties of wool felt lead to
voicing methods that add tone color
and expand tonal range into the
pianissimo. As for touch the underlying and
overriding factor is the “Inertia” of the
leveraged hammer weights.
Leverage Ratio and Hammer Weight levels vary widely
and finding the correct match is
key to producing a desired playing
quality. Learn how to let the action speak for itself
to get the right inertia with my
straight forward calculation free
approach.
December 11, 2020 2pm EST
The 1st Online Piano Industry Convention
https://www.pianotechniciansmasterclass.com/convention2020
on the relationship of hammer weight to voicing and inertia. Learn how the tone of light weight Chopin era hammers
inspired the creation of great compositions. The modern day hammer is much heavier and those inspiring qualities
are easily lost. Deeper understanding of the unique properties of wool felt lead to voicing methods that add tone color
and expand tonal range into the pianissimo. As for touch the underlying and overriding factor is the “Inertia” of the
leveraged hammer weights. Leverage Ratio and Hammer Weight levels vary widely and finding the correct match is
key to producing a desired playing quality. Learn how to let the action speak for itself to get the right inertia with my
straight forward calculation free approach.
November 2, 2019
One Day seminar at Ithaca College
Southern Tier Chapter
Stanwood New Action Protocol
Learn the basic
method for replacing grand hammers and balancing the
action to a medium
inertial playing quality using the Stanwood New Action
Protocol also known as SNAP! The
SNAP! method is a calculation free work bench approach for
matching hammer weight and
action ratios to produce specific inertial playing types.
The SNAP! method simply combines
pre-calculated scaled Front Weights with matching Scaled
Hammer Strike Weights to produce
a desired level of Balance Weight and a predictable
inertial quality in the finished action.
The demonstration
covers:
1. Drama free key
leading with friction free digital scale accuracy
2. Letting the
action show you what hammer weight level to order from
your supplier.
3. Scaling and fine
tuning the weight of the hammers by custom tapering the
hammers.
PTG ANNUAL CONVENTION & TECHNICAL INSTITUTE
http://my.ptg.org/2019convention/home
of Inertia produced by Ratio, Hammer Weights, Key Lead Weights, and the resulting
Balance Weights. These relationships are clearly seen and understood when organized
into rows and columns in a form not unlike chemistry's Table of the Elements.
for all to a perfect scale in shop or factory. Hammer weights are then scaled evenly to
produce the desired level of Down and Up Weight. A computer free alternative to the
unreliable down weight method.
May 2-5, 2019
New England, Eastern Canada PTG Seminar
http://www.neecso.com
of Inertia produced by Ratio, Hammer Weights, Key Lead Weights, and the resulting
Balance Weights. These relationships are clearly seen and understood when organized
into rows and columns in a form not unlike chemistry's Table of the Elements.
for all to a perfect scale in shop or factory. Hammer weights are then scaled evenly to
produce the desired level of Down and Up Weight. A computer free alternative to the
unreliable down weight method.
April 8, 2019
DC PTG Monthly Meeting
Jordan Kitt's Music
11726 Parklawn Drive
Rockville MD
Food 5pm -6pm
Business Meeting 6-7pm
Technical 7-8:30pm
The New World Model for Key Balancing aka Stanwood New Action Protocol aka SNAP!tm
David Stanwood - Stanwood Piano Innovations
Reliable high quality touch results from installing in-factory or aftermarket hammers in
combination with key weights that are fixed once and for all to a scaled design. The hammer
weight scale that balances the action to the desired firm medium or light dynamic inertial
playing type is then determined by sampling just a few notes in the center of the piano.
Action quality is brought into focus by adding or subtracting weight from each individual
hammer. A simple and computer/calculation free approach that takes the drama out of key balancing.
February 19, 2019
Slosberg Music Center - Brandeis University
Boston PTG Monthly meeting
6:00 PM Gather Converse Eat
7:00 PM Chapter Business Meeting
7:30 PM Technical Presentation
Stanwood New Action Protocol aka SNAP!
by David Stanwood
This new world model for balancing touch combines Key Front Weight and Hammer
Strike Weight scales to create any desired Dynamic Inertial Playing Type. Simple and
computer-free. Addresses the enigma of matching hammer weight and action ratio
using the equivalent combinations of Front Weight and Balance Weights. Eliminates
the drama of dealing with key leads.Will talk about the newly created SNAP! Touch
Design Selection Guide as well as new developments for prepping hammer weights
and a peek at the Stanwood’s new methods which eliminate the use of lead for action
balancing.
October 20-21, 2018
Stanwood SNAP!™ - The New World Model for Balancing Grand Piano Actions
Two Day Retreat/Seminar at Lake Arrowhead, in the San Bernardino Mountains, Southern California
Stanwood has reverse engineered 25
years of experience. The result it’s the most simple,
comprehensive & time saving computer free system for
creating reliably perfect touch
when installing grand piano hammers. Finally a
worthy and welcome approach that
supersedes the unreliable old world model of just setting
downweights with key leads.
Retreat/Seminar cost is $1600.00 & includes:
Sat/Sun training with Lodging for
Fri/Sat/Sun and meals from Friday dinner to Sunday Lunch
or contact Catherine Lee at 909 553 7055/clee561@yahoo.com
September 15, 2018
Introduction to Stanwood SNAP! method
2 Hour Webinar
for info and registration go to:
https://www.pianotechniciansmasterclass.com/david-stanwood
Southern California mini convention March 18-19, 2017
To be held in Riverside, CA
https://socalptg.com
Two Classes by David Stanwood
Class I - Balancing Hammer Weights for a more Perfect Action
of piano action design - matching Hammer Weight with Action Ratio.
The subject can seem daunting. The message is clear: Most of what
the pianist feels when playing goes into moving weight of the hammer.
It’s time to face the music! New insights will show that you can meet
the challenge and balance actions more perfectly - simply, directly,
and without a computer.
Class II - Essential Elements of Touch and Tone.
Stanwood shares his insights from 40 years of pushing the envelope and
striving to make it easier for pianists to draw magic from pianos.
February 21, 2017
Boston Massachusetts
Boston Chapter Monthly Meeting
Brandeis University, Waltham, MA
http://www.bostonptg.org/home.htm
Matching Hammer Weight with Action Ratio by Presetting Key Weights.
By David Stanwood PTG Brandeis Feb. 2017
Stanwood will present a simplified approach for balancing
actions that automatically creates a match between hammer
weights with action ratio. By this method one may create a
desired dynamic touch without complicated measurements.
No computer needed. Key weights are set once and for all
using the digital scale method. Final balancing of the keys is
accomplished by weighing off the hammers to standardized
specifications. This class gives new meaning to the old adage:
“Don’t touch those weights in the keys. They were installed
in the factory!”