[CAUT] string leveling

[Fred Sturm]

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Hi Wim and all,
    Here's another way of getting at the strings next to the struts. I got
the idea from Terry Otake, a Shigeru Kawai MPA, who had a similar string
level. His used solid metal (aluminum?), rectangular in cross section, as
its upright, with a wider, heavier metal block at the base, and with the
level mounted to the top of the upright facing forward (rather than on top
like mine). I tried to duplicate that, but wasn't able to with materials on
hand, so I came up with the pictured tool. The base is two short sections of
3/8" square brass stock (one wasn't heavy enough). Two lengths of 1/8" brass
rod are inserted into holes. The level is cut from a cheap pocket level (the
kind that clips into your pocket like a pen), mounted on a piece of wood.
Once I had made the first one (ie, had gone down several blind alleys while
coming up with a workable design), it took half an hour to make a second
one. 
    Another thing I learned from Otake (at the Shigeru Kawai session this
past April): plucking the strings is much more sensitive using a piece of
music wire with a kink at the end. He uses his string hook, which is just
music wire wrapped on a dowel (wrapped around twice and tied in a German
knot, extending at a right angle from the dowel about 3 inches, with a sharp
bend at the end of the wire to serve as a hook). Using the bent over hook
end of this wire as the plucker, working it from the dowel handle, you get a
much more consistent and subtle pluck than using a sharpened hammer shank,
guitar pick, fingernail, or whatever. It really shows up fine detail when
blocking the hammer on the string to check for mating. Also very efficient
in that you have in your hand the tool to correct the problem, and you have
your hand in a nice ergonomically appropriate position - resting on the
plate strut for the most part. Joe Goss' string lifting tool could be used
this way as well.
Regards,
Fred Sturm
University of New Mexico



On 6/29/05 4:00 PM, "wimblees@aol.com" <wimblees@aol.com> wrote:

> I might have discovered another, more efficient way to level strings. Perhaps
> someone has done this in the past, but I don't think I've ever heard it
> before. 
>  
> I use Mother Goose's string level gauge. At the Steinway factory, we were told
> to set it sideways for the notes next to the struts, since the gauge doesn't
> fit on this strings the regular way.  Although this methods assures that the
> strings are all on one plane, it doesn't assure that the strings are straight
> across. 
>  
> Today, as I was leveling the strings on a Steinway, I got to thinking how I
> could make sure those strings are level, and I came up with a way, to not only
> make sure those strings are level, but can also be used to do all the strings.
>  
> To tap strings, I use a key tail brass clamping bar. If any of you know how to
> attach ivory tails, you'll know what I mean. It's a brass bar, 4" x 1/2" x
> 3/16", and perfectly straight.
>  
> What I did was lay that bar across the strings, behind the dampers, and put it
> across the note next to the strut. When I played the note, I could tell right
> away if one of the strings was lower than the other. I did this on all four
> notes next to struts. I found that I could not only tell if one or two strings
> was not level, but I found some, where all three strings were not on the same
> plane as the notes next to it.
>  
> I had a little difficulty, because there wasn't enough weight on the brass bar
> to give me a good reading. So I put just a little pressure on the bar. But it
> was a little awkward to put pressure on the bar, and pluck the string, while
> holding down the note. (I did use the sostonuto bar a little later). As I was
> retuning those notes, I was thinking what I could use to add a little weight,
> when it hit me: use the dampers as weight.
>  
> So here is the tip of the day. To level strings, take a key tail clamp bar,
> and put it under the back of a group of dampers. Play the note you want to
> work on, and you'll hear if the strings needs to be leveled. Pluck the
> strings, and you'll discover which one. Sometimes you'll discover that all
> three strings have to be raised. (In case you don't want to do that, use the
> bubble gauge to see if the strings are level, even though the three strings
> are not on the same plane as the rest of the strings, and leave them alone).
>  
> Wim
> 


stringlevel.JPG



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