Stringing Braid and the perception of doing it right

Richard Brekne Richard.Brekne@grieg.uib.no
Wed, 28 May 2003 18:38:07 +0200


Phol Bindy wrote:

> >This last re-string has further convinced me of my conviction of the
> >following:
> >
> >Stringing Braid is not necessarily necessary.

Why not ?

> >
> >There was alot of stringing braid that came off of this
> >Baldwin(#17907..circa 1911)..the bass bridge wire was braided, and the low
> >tenor to about A4 was braided. That's over 1/2 of the instrument being
> >braided.
> >
> >Why?

The manufacturer decided it was best for these back lengths to be quieted by the
braid ???

> >Is there some musical significance to stringing braid? If there is, I'm not
> >hearing it.

Take a Grotrian and mute off all the backlengths. I'm sure you will notice a
difference. Or take your next Steinway or Yamaha, Yang Chung or similiarily
equipped grand and put your finger on the front length between the capo and the
bearing whilst banging away at the same note. Then listen with the finger off. It
is sounds like this some dont want to hear, and others find musical. Take your
pick.>

> >I am of the belief that a wire on a piano should be allowed to speak freely
> >without any restrictions. The piano is the only stringed instrument that I
> >can think of that uses a dampening agent(?) on its waste area for the
> >purpose of...........

To each their own on this one, as in so many other such things. I am not
particularilly a fan of all those unmuted backlengths.

> >
> >That's my question: What is the purpose of stringing braid? If its purpose
> >is to dampen overtones, aren't the overtones necessary in the production of
> >sound? If the purpose of stringing braid is to 'pretty up' the piano, then
> >I'm guilty of not wanting to pretty it up in that fashion, because I'm not
> >hearing anything that requires it to be 'prettier'.

All these back lengths have their own frequencies. Some of them dont really sound
all that great when beating against some of the higher fundementals and 2nd
partials of treble notes. Then too they together create this sort of swishing
background noise that easily can contribute to much to the overall sound.... at
least to much for some of us.

Course tastes vary on this, and so you see all sorts of configurations... tuned and
untuned, short and long, muted, braided, free, and muffed. Thats what makes the
world go round.... diversity !!

RIcB


>
> >
> >I'm looking forward to the responses.
> >
> >-Phil Bondi (Fl.)
> >phil@philbondi.com
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >_______________________________________________
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>
> _______________________________________________
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--
Richard Brekne
RPT, N.P.T.F.
UiB, Bergen, Norway
mailto:rbrekne@broadpark.no
http://home.broadpark.no/~rbrekne/ricmain.html
http://www.hf.uib.no/grieg/personer/cv_RB.html



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