<html> <body> Hi  Wim,                 Bin thar done that, and bought the teeshirt. Have  even taught it.  Now It's a no no.  I know better. Tap the bridge pin with a pin punch, the friction of the slight movement of the pin, is more than enough to seat the string.    If you have to touch the string,  just press down with a very blunt screw driver, parallel to the bridge pin is all it takes.   A false beat caused by a bad notch, or a loose pin, will not be cleared up by tapping the string. No tapping strings,  it is bad for the health of the piano. All too frequently the beat is coming from the opposite termination point,  so lift the strings first to improve stability, Then burnish the string with a hammer shank at the bridge pins. My 2cents worth. Regards Roger <blockquote type=cite class=cite cite>Tapping strings should be done on an as needed basis. If you don't tap the strings, it will, as you point out, create false beats, and it weakens the tone. So why would you not tap the strings? As long as you use a brass rod of some sort on the strings, I don't think you're going to compromise the strings. Not only do I use a brass rod, I use a soft face hammer because I think It reduces the impact of the rod on the string. However, I was taught to always tap the strings on the bridge, not in front of the bridge. This reduces the notching of the bridge.   Wim Willem Blees, RPT Piano Technician School of Music University of Alabama</blockquote></body> </html>