Pitch Raise Experiment

[Stephen Airy]

Sounds interesting.  I had a few strings on my Ricca
break at or within 20 cents below pitch. :)

I'd like to see someone try an experiment on a model D
Steinway, raising the pitch as a whole 1/8 step (25
cents) at a time, until the plate cracks.  How high
can that piano be tuned before that happens?

--- Farrell <mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com> wrote:
> This post is perhaps most directed toward those
> having questions regarding
> the feasibility of raising a one hundred year old
> very flat piano up to
> standard pitch.
> 
> My 12 year old son needed to do a science experiment
> and chose to
> investigate the breaking strength of assorted sizes
> of piano strings.
> Several sizes were installed at A4 and tightened
> until they broke, while
> measuring pitch with the AccuTuner.
> 
> The subject piano was a 1901 Everett grand that was
> clearly all original
> strings and was 250 cents flat. All strings had
> quite a bit of surface
> corrosion visible.
> 
> The original A4 was tested first. It was brought up
> to 440 hertz, and then
> up 100 cents, up another 100, up, up, up until it
> went to 75 cents sharp of
> D5 before it broke! This old puppy went 560 cents
> sharp before breaking! New
> strings were installed at the same location and went
> about 100 cents more
> sharp before breaking.
> 
> Believe me, I have had plenty of strings break on
> old pianos - and clearly
> the strings on a very few old pianos will simply not
> hold the tension of
> standard pitch. The point here is that old strings
> clearly have the
> potential of holding standard pitch - and then some
> - and presumably many
> will hold standard pitch just fine. I think we
> needn't be shy about
> attempting to raise the pitch of an older (and
> otherwise sound) instrument
> to standard pitch.
> 
> Terry Farrell
> 
> 


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