[CAUT] Steinway B breaking strings

[Fred Sturm]

Hi Jeff,
	I'd say the overwhelming probability is it is the pianist's  
technique. I've seen it so often: new prof or student comes, strings  
start popping. Student or prof leaves, problem solves itself.
	As for solution, I'm going to suggest a different tack. You _could_  
advise the prof to get lessons in playing, rather than banging the  
piano, but that would probably be counterproductive. The technique  
problem, however, is likely a very common one. Pianist is told  
repeatedly to bring out the melody. This keeps getting hammered in  
(pun intended). A better teacher would say, "You're melody is about  
right. Drop everything else down." This is a lot harder to learn to  
do, but it is a large part of the secret of fine pianism.
	Problem being, of course, the ancient problem of balance between  
killer octaves and the rest, and that what is wanted is for the  
killer octave to stand out against the background of the rest. And  
the rest is much more powerful by nature. What we have going for us  
is the fact that our ears hear that pitch range a bit louder than it  
is, and a lot of design factors which work to bring attention to  
those notes. But if the pianist plays with fairly equal intensity  
with both hands, the right hand, and especially its pinky (which is  
usually trying to carry the melody) will be drowned out.
	The solution I suggest, not having access to the pianist's brain, is  
to voice down the bottom half of the piano, say G4 to A0. Make it  
easier for the mid treble to stand out. Make the piano do what the  
pianist should be doing. You don't want to go overboard, and make it  
mush. Just take a good bit of edge off.
	I think this is good overall voicing advice. That once we establish  
a good killer octaves level, we balance the tenor and bass a bit  
below it. Far better than trying, like the ham-handed pianist, to  
bring up the mid treble, until it is more lacquer than felt. It kind  
of goes against the grain, as it means taking those lower areas below  
where they sound their best, but it is a good compromise, and might  
well help solve the breakage problem.
Regards,
Fred Sturm
University of New Mexico
fssturm@unm.edu



On Feb 13, 2006, at 1:20 PM, Jeff Tanner wrote:

> Ok, so I'm bringing this back up again.
>
> Our heavy handed pianist's 10-year-old B has experienced over an  
> octave of broken strings in the 6th and into the 7th octaves.
snip
>
> We are going to swap the pianos in her studio to see how the up  
> until now less played piano behaves.
>
> But in the meantime, do you suggest I let down the tension and  
> "shoeshine" the capo to see if that helps?  Any other suggestions?
>
> I realize piano technicians know nothing of piano technique, and  
> all the foremost authorities of string breakage are PERFORMING  
> ARTISTS and not technicians, physicists or engineers.  But at what  
> point can we say that fortissimo is pushing the machine past its  
> design limitations?
>
> Thanks.  I'm off to change two more strings in her studio.  And no,  
> this piano is never in tune anymore.
>
> Jeff
>
>
>
> Jeff Tanner, RPT
> University of South Carolina