Hi List, Here is my laundry list of small technical questions I've meant to ask: 1) String Seating - A few weeks back I received my "false beat reducer" from Schaff. I had read piles of literature on proper string termination at the bridge... I am still mystified by massiness/spongyness... and had never achieved noticeable results from applying side or downward leverage with a driver blade or wood dowel. Not so with the false beat reducer... Right away I was settling those false beats and it was/is glorious, I had come to think my unisons were unclean due to tuning inadequacies (though why should single string beats be my fault?), and this has given me a whole new perspective. My method is to start at the hitch pin as recommended in the Fern Henry article of the Technical Exam source book, and work to the tuning pin (rear duplex, duplex bridge pin, speaking bridge pin, agraffe or V bar (string hook), front duplex). She recommends a brass dowel and a hammer. I had never got the results from striking that I get from pressing. I try not to move more than an inch from the bridge pin when pressing, and I apply a good deal of downward pressure (never side pressure since I seem to resonate with the argument that if the string is as down against the bridge as it can be it must be equally against the pin, and too much side pressure just compromises the pins stability without increasing termination). Sometimes a string will be unaffected by even the most zealous of seating, but for the most part I can't believe the results. I now take out the beat reducer with my mutes for every tuning, and use it at least a few times on every tuning. It makes for cleaner unisons, octaves, and I feel better walking out of a tuning.... I am cautious of being overly zealous however, especially on the concert instruments I service. How much danger is there of warping the string in the speaking length? How often do you all seat strings? Every tuning? If a tuning isn't clean until a little seating is performed why does seating seem always to be placed in the "voicing" category instead of being made a big integral part of tuning 101? (Digression - the tip in this month's journal about placing wedge mutes in such a manner as to move the muted string away from the hammer (up in grands, down in uprights) has also been a great eye opener for me, the results are subtle but undeniable and have helped me quickly switch between level strings and unlevel strings so as to better identify which tuning problems are string leveling related) 2) Damper Felt Noise- When the spanking new dampers lift with sustain pedal on a few grands the great sponginess seems to rub the strings as they lift quite noisily to the point of distraction. Does anyone know a remedy that won't compromise damper function? Why is this sound more prevalent in certain instances than others? 3) Steinway Bostons - The college purchased a few new Boston baby grands 3 years ago and they are all very unstable. Even the brand new loaner Kawais hang on longer than these guys. I have seated strings some but could do more. Has anyone experienced instability problems with recent Boston babygrands? thanks! Greg Arnold Whitman College www.welltemperedtuning.com __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: https://www.moypiano.com/ptg/caut.php/attachments/20071105/0e4aebd2/attachment-0001.html
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