Piano Rims (rambling post)

Ron Nossaman RNossaman@KSCABLE.com
Sun, 30 Dec 2001 10:28:09 -0600


>Why do you think having a very flexible support
>would 'dissipate' energy? 

Did you ever hear a mantle clock with a loose chime? Where a solidly
mounted chime will donnnnnngggggggg, a loose one will donk. It will still
make noise, but if you want sustain and clarity, you need either a solid
mount, or a self contained balanced dynamic system like the tines of a
tuning fork of tone bar. In the tuning fork and tone bar, the energy
reservoir is the tines, or body of the bar. In a piano, the energy
reservoir is the string plane, and if all the initial string energy is
being spent waving the rim about, not much is cycling back to the strings
to sustain the mutual feedback process. Like the clock chime that goes
donk, the energy is quickly absorbed by the system. In physics, work is
described as the product of force and distance. If the force is spent in
movement that isn't partially used to replenish the energy storage
reservoir (strings), it's gone. The work is done and the energy spent.
Motion that doesn't support sound production or the energy feedback cycle
is wasted motion, and drains the system. 

Ron N


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