bars.

[jolly roger]

Hi Charles,
                  The rod is a tensioning rod, and is not under
compression. same principle as the thin cross slats that go between the beams.
Roger



At 01:08 PM 2/1/01 -0600, you wrote:
>Hi Ed,
>
>The first time I found that one of our students had removed a strut 
>(diagonal bar) from a D I flew into an apoplectic rage.  Much to my 
>surprise, however, it just slipped back in.  Since then, I have 
>routinely removed this bar for damper work, etc. on several D's 
>without the least resistance or consequence.
>
>My understanding is that the bar is not there to bear compressive 
>tension from the strings, but to support the plate at a weak point 
>when the piano is on its side, being moved.  It was described to me 
>as a design enhancement to prevent plate fracturing during moving, 
>especially if the piano is dropped on the spine side.  Otherwise, in 
>my experience, it would appear to be a useless appendage.
>
>My approach here at UT has been to treat extended techniques and 
>prepared piano performance as a valid and legitimate endeavor, and to 
>support it by helping to train the students and faculty in "safe" 
>techniques.  I like to say that it is more important to "prepare" the 
>pianist, than the piano.  The dampers are the most vulnerable system, 
>especially when there is strumming in the heat of a performance. 
>Make sure that the performer is careful to avoid that area.
>
>BTW, Ed, a piano faculty member is performing the Goldberg Variations 
>this weekend on harpsichord and piano, with the hps tuned unequally. 
>I will give a brief talk about the differences.  I chose to use the 
>Kirnberger temperament, because (1) he was a student of Bach, (2) it 
>has just intervals in the basic key of the piece, (3) it has big 
>color contrasts, (4) the name sounds somewhat like a sandwich.
>
>
>Warm regards,
>
>Charles
>
>
>
>
>>Greetings,
>>    Crumb has come to Vanderbilt, and the head of the music department is
>>telling me that the plate strut needs to come out of one of the concert
>>pianos, so the strings can be "strummed" for a student performance. 
>>    This looks like some peril, and a lot of retuning.  I do know that
one of
>>these bars will not go back in unless the tension is dropped a WHOLE lot. 
>>Anybody got any info that will help me convince them it would be cheaper to
>>move one of our B's in, instead of destabilizing the concert pianos?
>>Regards,
>>Ed Foote RPT
>
>-- 
>Charles Ball, RPT
>School of Music
>University of Texas at Austin
>ckball@mail.utexas.edu
>