Piano Hammer Blow Distance
Piano Hammer blow distance is the distance between the piano hammer at rest and the piano strings. As the piano hammer strikes the strings, the hammer felt compresses, increasing the distance between the piano hammer at rest, and the strings. To remedy this, the hammer rest rail is shorn up with felt which shortens the distance between the piano hammers and the piano strings. Now the hammer is at the prescribed distance from the string.
If your hammers are double hitting the strings, there’s a good chance this is one of the reasons why.
what is the right distance – is it the same for all pianos or varied depending on individual? And how do you measure – the website doesnt mention this?
Comment by Edward Tagg — November 15, 2010 @ 1:47 am
It does depend on the piano. Usually it’s around 50mm. It also depends on the wear the piano has endured. You can measure with a small ruler though most technicians have a measuring device just for the hammer blow distance. I wouldn’t suggest changing the blow distance without consulting a technician first as there may be other factors that might need to be assessed.
Comment by Joshua Richardson — December 19, 2010 @ 5:23 pm