[pianotech] Advantages/Disadvantages of muting techniques

[Ron Nossaman]

Brian Wilson wrote:

> Some common complaints against temperament strips:
> 
> Strings move, no good for dampers, not hearing the real 3 strings, they 
> are for amateurs, some piano owners think they are part of their piano,
>------------------------------- 
> Some common bad points for single mutes:
> 
> Inaccurate temperament, ruining damper felts.

Earlier this spring, I tuned for a pair touring with a couple 
of NY Steinway Ds. One of them was reported to have damping 
problems - the piano, that is. I found that someone previously 
had pulled the ends off the trichord dampers by improper 
muting, and I had to clear out the detritus and do some 
trimming to get the dampers to seat again. It's amazing to me 
that I still occasionally talk to people who have never heard 
of such a thing as lifting dampers before inserting 
temperament strips. Yours is the first mention, other than the 
times I've asked and not gotten responses, of the damage done 
with single mutes. Tuners I've watched using single mutes have 
inserted mutes with the dampers down, with no apparent concern 
or even awareness of the potential for damage to the dampers, 
while they'd be horrified to see someone strip the same 
section with the dampers down.

Ron N