-- What is touch?
A lot of folks try to make touch an enigma just like they do tone. Touch is a perception of when we hear the tone made by the pianoforte with the depression of the key with the finger. Touch has absolutely nothing to do with the distance down the key travels from rest to the bottom of the keybed. The distance to the bottom of the keybed is the same in either a light or hard touch!
My definition of touch is simply timing. Touch is the point in time when the key is being depressed at which we hear the tone which translates from our ears to our fingertips the quality of lightness or stiffness in the action. That simple -- touch is timing.
In a light touch, the action/hammers are adjusted to strike the strings earlier in the keystroke. In a stiffer or harder feeling touch, the action/hammers are adjusted to strike the string later in the keystroke near the bottom of the keybed. The hammer hits the string as hard either way, but the timing, thus the perception of light or hard touch can change by the timing of the tone in the distance of the keystroke. Wasn't that simple? Touch can be changed to suit by changing settings on the 88 keys. It's not an easy task, but it's not impossible either by someone who knows how.
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