removing cross beam on a D

[Horace Greeley]

Wim,

Fred is absolutely right.  String and strut layout is a real problem on the 
larger instruments.  I think Crumm actually even specifies use of an "L" - 
although, now that I have typed that, it may be that I saw notes written 
into music that he used in performance that may not be published elsewhere.

Either way, on a reasonably healthy instrument, pulling the strut on a "D" 
will have minimal effect...if it's stuck...as Conrad notes, "it might 
actually be doing something."

I am not sure if, from a design-only standpoint, it can rightly be 
called "vestgial", however.  I am pretty sure that, had sufficiently cost-
effective casting technology been available, this piece would have been 
cast in place long ago.  Folks who know more about casting probably know 
better.

Best.

Horace


Quoting Fred Sturm <fssturm@unm.edu>:

> Wim,
> 	If it will come out, having it out for a while won't cause any 
problems,
> 
> IMO (though this has been a subject of discussion before, and there were
> 
> contrary opinions). But really she should use a Steinway L or M for
> Crumb. 
> Crumb pieces rarely work well on D's (or B's or A's, for that matter) due
> 
> to layout of strings and struts. Reaching to get second partials
> (touching 
> nodes half way down the string, as you are describing) is a lot easier on
> a 
> shorter piano. Crumb wrote at his piano in his studio. I have been told
> it 
> was an L. (There's more discussion along these lines in the archives).
> Regards,
> Fred Sturm
> University of New Mexico
> 
> --On Monday, March 1, 2004 6:19 PM -0500 Wimblees@aol.com wrote:
> 
> >
> > One of our piano faculty is practicing a George Crumm piece that
> requires
> > her to strum and pluck strings, and dampen half way with her fingers.
> She
> > asked me if I could remove the cross beam so she can get to the
> strings
> > easier. She said a friend of hers does this kind of music a lot, and
> > remove this bar herself.
> > Has anyone ever done this? What effect does it have on stability,
> tuning,
> > stress loads, etc.? If it doesn't have any effect, why is it there?
> > Wim
> > Willem Blees, RPT
> > Piano tuner/technician
> > School of Music
> > University of Alabama
> 
> 
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