String massage

[Farrell]

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Sorry, my previous post was sent before I finished it. Here is =
completed:

I had been thinking about dropping a post on this for some time. Sandy =
Whetherholt, RPT from our Southwest Florida chapter did a technical =
recently on just such a device. I have been using it with great sucess =
since then. It is just a brass rod with a little slot in the end that I =
stick into my combination handle.

I only use it on grands, because of the more difficult access to strings =
on the vertical. When the grand is only a bit flat, perhaps 10 to 15 =
cents flat, I massage or push down all plain wire strings. I don't do =
the bass - doesn't seem to matter there. It makes more difference in the =
upper treble. One is trying to raise the pitch of the backscale to the =
target string tension. When you pull a string up to pitch and hit it =
several times with the hammer (piano hammer, that is!), and it keeps =
going flat, it is likely that the backscale tension is less than the =
speaking length string tension. By pressing down on the speaking length, =
you increase the tension on the backscale. Then, when you raise the =
pitch of the speaking length, the backscale is already at a similar =
tension and you will not observe the tendency for the pitch of the =
speaking length to keep dropping - it will be much more stable.

I don't know that there is really any specific technique to doing this. =
In the high treble especially, try not to press down in one spot on the =
string - you will make a kink in it (I read that in a book somewhere). =
Do it in a sweeping motion running the tool across much of the length of =
the string. The string stretching tool made for restringing and sold by =
Schaff, etc. would likely work great for this also.

This really tends to produce rock-solid tunings when there is a small =
pitch raise involved. With a bigger pitch raise I find it produces a =
fairly solid tuning instead of one that wanders all over as your drive =
down the street to cash the piano owner's check!

Terry Farrell
Piano Tuning & Service
Tampa, Florida
mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com
  ----- Original Message -----=20
  From: Ola Andersson=20
  To: pianotech@ptg.org=20
  Sent: Sunday, February 18, 2001 5:24 PM
  Subject: String massage


  Hi gang!
  =20
  I got a reply from Ruud Billenkamp some months ago and now I'm going =
to pitch raise and tune one of those Rippens
  =20
  I made myself a string voicing tool of a brass rod that I can put into =
my regulatingscrewdriver.

  Can it help me to stabilise the pressure of the speaking and =
nonspeaking areas if I massage the string? Espessially in the last one =
and a half octave. Will it save me time and give me a more stabile =
result? I've tried it and noticed the string reacts alot to it.

  Do anybody have thougts about this?
  What part of the string do I start with and how much massage is =
needed?
  I've tried to use the archives but it want work today.
  I also seen this done by Jim Coleman on a Video but he used it for =
setting the string.


  Many Thanks=20
  =20
  Ola Andersson


  The Reply was
  >
  >> I had to pitch raise and tune a Rippen today!
  >> My question is:
  >> Because of the  long "non speaking" area of the string next to the =
pins.
  >>(Sorry for my bad explaination but I'm exhausted) you know what I =
mean. How
  >>is the best way of doing this on a Rippen (pitchraise + tune)? I =
suppose you
  >>done some?

  >My way, could be, pitch raise first, gentle of course, then press =
down? and
  >strike all the wire from the hitchpins to the tuningpins to loose all =
the
  >rusty points where the wire sticks to the pins and=20
  >Then press the sustain and BANGG all the keys to equal all the
  >tensionpartials.
  >Well I could do it this way i think.

  Rudyard,




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