Introduction, and Bridges with Agraffes

[David Boyce]

Hello folks,

As this is my first mailing to the list, can I introduce myself?  My name's
David Boyce, and I'm a tuner/technician in the West of Scotland (UK). 
Barrie told me about the list some weeks ago, and I subscribed and have
been very much enjoying the digest ever since.  
I wanted to pick up on a recent thread - about thinner bridges.  Barrie
suggested a bridge with agraffes.  There is in fact such a piano.  It's a
very beautiful large grand built by Mr Wayne Stuart of Australia and it's
in the concert hall of Newcastle University, New South Wales.  The Dean of
the Faculty of Music was so very kind as to send me some information and a
video of three short news programmes featuring this piano.  There are some
CD recordings available, on the australian Tall Poppies label - I have one
called "Mere Bagatelles", which is of short piano pieces by contemporary
Australian composers. (CD number TP080)
One of Mr. Stuart's design innovations is to address the manner in which
the strings pass over the bridge.  He uses  specially designed agraffes
which limit the plane of vibration of the string to the vertical.  A
slow-motion video shows that when the string is first struck it of course
displaces vertically, but as the note decays, this changes to a circular
movement.  Wayne Stuart's agraffes keep the motion to the vertical, which
affects the duration and the harmonic content of the note.  He maintains
that it's possible to hear the individual notes of a chord more clearly on
his piano than on others, and listening to the CD I'm inclined to agree.  I
would love to hear this instrument in more familiar repertoire.  The piano
also has four pedals, whose precise function I've forgotten, as I've
temporarily loaned the information material to a client.  The whole thing
is a fascinating project, and I believe another piano is well under
construction.

Folks, we get 'dog-in-piano' hoax callers here too!  Had one a couple of
years ago, and once I cottoned on to what was happening, I suggested he
needed a vet, not a piano tuner!  At which point he swore, and hung up.  

Best wishes to all,

David.
David@bouncer.force9.net