I was also just recently informed that Pamela Frank has read my blog - specifically, the chapter about piano technique. And she agreed with me 100%.

I caused a whole fury of fire with that post it seems, particularly amongst the religious poets for pianists out there. It just struck me again today in Piano Topics class. We took apart a piano, and one key has over 100 moving parts to it, every time you hit a note. When you hit a note, it triggers another piece of wood that triggers another piece of wood that lifts a damper, triggering another piece of wood that hits a piece of metal, unlocking another piece of wood, and finally, lifting a hammer that hits a string.

A friend commented to me (in response to this blog post) that what I was saying could not be possible - "just try" she said. "Try and hit your finger against a piece of wood in a harsh way, then try it agian in a fatter way. You'll hear a difference."

In response to her: Yes, you're right. But when you hit a piece of wood with your finger, you have direct contact with the instrument that is producing noise, much unlike a piano where you must go through 100 intermediary steps before the noise is even produced. Not only that, but once you hit the hammer, you have no control of it - whether you like it or not, that hammer goes back down immediately, no matter what touch you use.