Pure Tone Strings

[Richard Brekne]

Ok you guys... you got me confused a bit here... Perhaps I misread .... On the
one hand it is stated that Inharmonicity is a function of the stiffness of the
wire which is a function of length and tension, then on the other hand it is
stated that a change of stiffness of up to 50 % will have a neglible effect on
inharmonicity... explain this a bit if you may ???

Btw.. another claim made on this phone call was that the inharmonicity was
more predicitable. Ie conforms better to the inharmonicity formulas out there.
He might have just been throwing me a bit of a sales line here.. but well...
comments ?

Stephen Birkett wrote:

> Newton wrote:
> > Inharmonicity is a function of the stiffness of the wire which is a
> > function of length and tension.  A change in wire formulation will
> > not have an appreciable effect on Inh.  It may be measurable but no
> > one could hear the difference.
> >
> Absolutely true. Even a change in stiffness of 50%, e.g. going from iron
> to yellow brass, has a negligible effect on inharmonicity (aurally
> speaking). This can also be seen in the formula for B in terms of the
> various parameters that influence it.
>
> > We would not use antique style wire to string a modern piano.
> >
> Agreed, it would break with modern scaling.
>
> > The reverse is done, out of ignorance of wire quality, but the tone
> > does change in this instance because the tensile strength is
> > substantially lower.
> >
> Whoa Newton....
> Stiffness, a function of alloy composition (and some other less
> influential factors) is a _critical_ factor in tone, something that is
> demonstrably true (although your assessment above that these tonal
> changes are not related to inharmonicity is quite true). Modern wire on
> early pianos sounds awful. Even the so-called modern reproduction iron
> wire (e.g. Rose) is _not_ historical, really mild steel. Stiffness is
> lower than high C steel wire, but not as low as old iron. It is still a
> compromise. No one is making (yet) genuine historical iron wire.
>
> In fact the very high stiffness (young's modulus) of modern high carbon
> steel, or indeed iron with any appreciable carbon content, is one of the
> primary reasons why it is so unpleasant on early pianos. Indeed I would go
> so far as to say that the use of modern steel piano wire on modern pianos
> is a huge Faustian compromise that the piano industry ought to re-examine.
> Perhaps this could be done at the same time as someone finally gets around
> to re-designing the modern piano, instead of simply making it according to
> stagnant tradition.
>
> But of course there is no more piano R&D any more so this is unlikely to
> happen....
>
> Stephen
>
> Stephen Birkett Fortepianos
> Authentic Reproductions of 18th and 19th Century Pianos
> 464 Winchester Drive
> Waterloo, Ontario
> Canada N2T 1K5
> tel: 519-885-2228
> mailto: birketts@wright.aps.uoguelph.ca

--
Richard Brekne
Associate PTG, N.P.T.F.
Bergen, Norway