[pianotech] What is bloom,

[David M. Porritt]

At some risk of being flamed again, let me propose one other physical
possibility for the "bloom", "unexplained-swell," or whatever we're calling
it today, of sounds on some pianos.  

In the inner ear the Stapedius muscle is on guard to protect our cochlea
from damage from loud sounds.  It is connected directly to the stapes right
at the cochlear window.  When a loud sound enters the ear the Stapedius
muscle contracts to restrict the energy that would otherwise go to the
cochlea.  It's not a big muscle and doesn't contract long.  It's entirely
possible that the Stapedius contracts on the impact of hammer to string, and
as it releases within a second or two, it results in our perceiving an
increase in the volume.  On a lesser piano without the good sustain, by the
time the Stapedius lets go, the sound has decayed sufficiently that we don't
perceive that phenomenon.  

dp


-----Original Message-----
From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf
Of John Delacour
Sent: Saturday, March 19, 2011 1:11 PM
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Subject: Re: [pianotech] What is bloom,

At 10:25 -0700 19/03/2011, David Love wrote:


>Are we mixing up our terms?  It's gone back and forth and is becoming hard
>to keep track so for clarification I'll call the JD damper phenomenon
>"bloom" and "swell" the effect following hammer string contact.  Anyway,
>that's how I'll comment on it.

Well I suggest you stick to bloom because I already complained you 
were hi-jacking my original bloom to talk of something different and 
started a new thread titled "SWELL   was What is bloom", now just 
"SWELL" for discussing the original phenomenon.  You lot keep 'bloom' 
and leave SWELL to me, Ron Nossaman and others who are sticking to 
the subject.!

JD