[CAUT] Flight of the Broken Bass Sting? (was:: Adams 1/4 tone sharp piano)

[stranges at Oswego.EDU]

I'll be honest and admit I might no read alot of these posts.
I do NOT like it when strings break and half the reason is because the
sound of it scares me out of my mind, body and soul.

okokok- yeah you'll all see me in Rochester to poke fun at, but I'm
*thinking* I have no shame in mentioning that in the past I have been
known to uhhhh..

:(

Getalittelcholkedupwhenthathappens.

I think it sounds like a gunshot- so it's no "girlie" thing here.

(Perhaps a career in organ tuning would be more up my alley??)

:)
Stranges











> I've broken a lot of grand piano bass strings -- always the string and/or
> piano's fault, I assure you! -- and must confess to never having observed
> them flying free of the piano.  I remember one snapping back in my general
> direction once when the hitch loop snapped, but it never quite made it to
> my face, strinking (I think) the top of the partly opened lid before that.
>
> On the theory that confession's good for the soul, I suppose I should also
> admit that I have trouble visualizing a bass string flying free in the
> manner that seems to hold such terror on this list.  Seems like there's a
> fair number of obstacles to doing that, and I'm not sure that a bass
> string possesses the kind of mass/elastic energy -- or whatever
> physics/technical term applies -- to achieve such flight in any case.
>
> But as someone who humbly bows before simple empirical fact, at least when
> one slaps me in the face, I would certainly defer to those who've
> personally witnessed a bass string take majestic flight from a grand
> piano.  Any chance someone here might describe such an event?  (I've got
> an old grand I'm seriously considering popping some strings on for
> experimental purposes.)
>
> Best,
>
> Jeff
>   ----- Original Message -----
>   From: Andrew Anderson
>   To: College and University Technicians
>   Sent: Friday, March 24, 2006 3:21 PM
>   Subject: Re: [CAUT] Adams 1/4 tone sharp piano
>
>
>   Jeff,
>   I was thinking that if I got stuck with one of these jobs I'd run truck
> straps over the piano to restrain any flying strings and than seriously
> suggest leaving them there. ;-)
>
>   Andrew Anderson
>
>   At 11:23 AM 3/24/2006, you wrote:
>
>
>     On Mar 24, 2006, at 11:10 AM, Wolfley, Eric ((wolfleel)) wrote:
>
>
>       Alan, in answer to your question about how sharp I would tune I
> would say 50 cents! It wouldn't make any sense to de-tune more...a
> semitone is just a transposition. Any less or more than a
> quarter-tone (sharp or flat) would diminish the effect.
>
>
>
>     Ok, here's a suggestion that sounds like a dumb southerner might
> suggest, that should reduce risk of all this.
>
>     How about LOWERING the pitch 50 cents and transposing 1/2 step sharp?
>
>     Jeff
>
>