"tinny"

[David Nereson]

    People use the word "tinny" a lot to refer to any
undesirable sound in a piano or in other instruments.  I don't
know why they pick this word -- I guess because they don't know
what other word to use and they have heard other people use it,
so they figure it's "correct" for describing any undesirable
sound in a piano.  But it almost never applies.
    What instruments commonly used today are made of tin?  I've
heard of a "tin horn" but have never seen one.   Tin drums
existed at one time -- probably as toys for kids.  And I suppose
certain types of whistles may have been made of tin once.  But
whistles, drums, and horns sound nothing like each other, and
none of them sound like even the worst piano tone.  And "tin"
cans and pans are no longer really tin -- they're some steel
alloy, I believe.
    Someone on the list was describing tuning unisons and
pulling one string above the desired pitch, at which point it
sounded "tinny," then backing it down to settle it on pitch.  So
is a "tinny" sound one that has fast beats?  Do instruments made
of tin make fast beats?  Is "tinny" synonymous with out-of-tune?
    I suppose people really mean to describe a sound as
"non-resonant," "not rich," "thin," perhaps "brassy," or
"metallic."
    I don't know why it grates on me so, but I wish people,
especially technicians, would not just use a term like "tinny"
automatically in describing, in this case, a unison that's not
beatless.  To me, the habit falls in the same category as
calling the hammers the "pads," and the plate the "harp."
        --David Nereson, RPT
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