[pianotech] Sound from strings

[Richard Brekne]

Hi Renee

As I read your post(s) the only conclusion I can make is that you are 
talking about damper whoosh. It will vary from piano to piano and there 
is no reason why any old piano should not reveal less whoosh then a 
newer one. Actually, come to think about it I'd guess that older dampers 
that have been more or less compressed over time might have a tendency 
towards less whoosh all other factors being equal... but thats just 
speculating.

Regardless, there are only two things one can do here (assuming it IS 
damper whoosh we are talking about).  Trim the dampers adequately... 
which is a job that does require a bit of skill to get that beautiful 
result you want,  and/or dealing with microphone placement.... which of 
course is the sound technicians responsibility.

Damper whoosh is as several have stated caused by damper felt brushing 
to severely the strings as they are lifted when depressing the pedal. 
This prerequisites two conditions.  1--> enough damper felt sticking 
between the strings to actually brush the strings to begin with, and 2 
--> the condition of that felt is soft and brushed enough to actually 
interact with the strings as they are lifted.

One other thing that can cause noise as the damper pedal is depressed is 
the actual mechanisms that lift the pedal themselves. Once the dampers 
are disengaged, any thump, bump, or other such event can couple with the 
rest of the system the piano is and excite the strings.  You should hear 
some kind of a appropriate noise and this should happen after the 
dampers have cleared the strings as opposed to while they clear the 
strings.  Tho as I said... it sounds to me like you are talking about 
damper whoosh and you need to proceed as previously mentioned.

Cheers
RicB


    I wrote some days ago about the sound coming from the strings in a 
    grand piano, after the sustain pedal is depressed. The question
    came  from a customer in one of the studios where I tune. I have
    heard, from  a very good technician here that putting microphones
    under the grand  can be a solution but that is another subject...  I
    have noticed that the amount of sound coming from any instrument 
    varies in this respect and there can be a substantial amount of
    noise  coming from new instruments.  I tuned a new grand the other
    day and  there was more sound coming from the strings, when the
    pedal is  lifted, than from an old grand, for example. So I am
    wondering what  the cause of this could be.  Any suggestions are
    welcome.

    In the latest Journal, there were some really good articles on
    aural  tuning. I especially liked the mention of creativity, being
    in contact  with the piano and 'coloring'. Over the years and tuning
    all sorts of  pianos, it's really a matter of trying to 'conceal' or
    cover up the  inconsistencies and making the best possible result.