Square Grand

[Richard Moody]

----- Original Message -----
From: <JWyatt1492@aol.com>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Friday, June 20, 2003 10:29 AM
Subject: Re: Square Grand


>
> Hello Joe,
>
>     Yes! some of us are interested, The
> Sq. pianos were the best available for
> many many years.  I know many people
> like to stroke their egos by condemning
>  and  bashing everything  except  the
> exalted  "D"  they last worked on.
>    This is regrettable as there is so much
> pure knowledge that is totally lost to these
> people.
>
> Jack Wyatt

And just one tid bit of that "pure knowledge lost"?

Sorry but square grands were a dead end as far as piano evolution
is concerned. Just leaning over the piano to tune them is the clue
for us moderns.  Ever pull an ivory off doing that?  And using the
double headed hammer on the oblong pins was a joy.   And after you
got done it sounded more like a banjo  than a piano but admiditly
compared to a 1904 upright which came long after squares were
obsolete.

I like to research the history of anything piano, but square
grands is on the back burner.   They -were- one of the earliest
forms, Zumpe I believe   put a hammer action into a clavichord  in
the 1760's.  Made a fortune, the forte piano replaced the
harpsichord in 20 years.  Perhaps more correct would be to state,
he designed a hammer striking keyboard in the shape of a
clavichord and the masses bought it.

After I bash something I have remorse, (believe it or not).  Come
to think of it square grands did have something noteable.   The
music rack . For a technical inovation I do like the "pull" on the
front rail.  Now why modern grands can't have this I have been
wondering for a long time.  Some had flange bushing screw
adjustments.  Why that went by the wayside I would like to know.
Just one look would show the modern tech an ingenious way to
controll exactly the friction in the flange bushing......
maybe....  I never serviced a sG  long enough to get involved with
this "feature", and I am glad.
>