more bridge design

[Dave Nereson]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Don" <pianotuna@accesscomm.ca>
To: "Pianotech" <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Wednesday, March 26, 2003 8:18 AM
Subject: Re: more bridge design


> Hi David,
> 
> I would not call 30 pounds of downbearing a humungeous burden. The "holes"
> in a violin bridge are there to "filter" the sound. Downbearing on a fiddle
> is almost as much as that on a piano.
> 
> 
> At 02:42 AM 3/26/2003 -0700, you wrote:
> >                 &          in it as possible.             
> 
> Regards,
> Don Rose, B.Mus., A.M.U.S., A.MUS., R.M.T., R.P.T.
> 
> mailto:pianotuna@accesscomm.ca
> http://us.geocities.com/drpt1948/
> 
> 3004 Grant Rd.
> REGINA, SK
> S4S 5G7
> 306-352-3620 or 1-888-29t-uner
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> 
Really?  I read or heard somewhere that the total downward pressure of all the strings on the soundboard is about 1000, maybe 1500 lbs, divided by 200 some odd strings equals roughly 4 to maybe 7 lbs. per string.  
    You mean if you were to put 30 lbs. distributed across both bridges of an unstrung piano, it would push the soundboard down to where it would be if strung and up to pitch?  I doubt it.  Or do you mean 30 pounds per string?  Then the total downward force on the board would be 3 tons!!!    I could see where the total downward force on the bridge of a violin or cello might be 30 pounds, maybe twice that, but probably less than a hundred.  
    In any case, I just meant that if anything keeps the soundboard from being free to vibrate like a drum head, it's the downward pressure of all those strings, and not the mass of the bass bridge, holes or no holes.
    --David Nereson, RPT