String breakage (was Re: I Raise the pitch...) <Pine.PMDF.3.91.970409222816.543878311A-100000-100000-100000@ubvms.cc.buffalo.edu>

[Jim]

To Mr. Kuang and List:

It has been my considerable experience that strings break more often in
raising the pitch than in lowering, But much more often from hard playing.
While working at ASU for 15 years,  I believe there were only 3 strings
that broke while I was tuning, but every week on Monday, I would repair
or replace from 3 to 7 strings broken by extreme heavy playing over the
weekend.  Some students would practice all day long on Saturday or Sunday
to make up for lack of practice earlier in the week, and they seemed to
hope that playing louder would make up for missed hours during the week.

Jim Coleman, Sr.

On Thu, 10 Apr 1997, KUANG wrote:

>
>
> On Wed, 9 Apr 1997 MHoffman11@aol.com wrote:
>
> > In a message dated 97-04-08 19:31:16 EDT, you write:
> >
> > <<
> >  I have heard this method mentioned many times in my years of tuning pianos,
> >  tuning the pin flat before going up in pitch as a means of reducing string
> >  breakage.  I was wondering if any others also have personal experience or
>
> without doing this procedure (tuning flat), the string will only break if
> there's alot (e.g. lots of rust) of friction at V bar.  I think it's very
> unlikely though.  A very experienced tuner can probably answer this
> question.
>
> >  knowledge concerning this procedure as really being beneficial, or is this
> >  possibly one of those proverbial "wives' tales" handed down through the
> >  ages.  Don't have a clue myself.
> >   Sincerely,
> >  Keith A. McGavern >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
> > >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>
> Hi Keith and everyone else:
> 	Here's a little story I'd like to share:  Last year Deputete
> (forgive me, I really forgot how to spell his name, he's a famouse french
> pianist living in New York)  gave a solo recital at my university.
> Everything went very well except a string broke during the first half of
> the concert.  Someone told me that he's not coming back because of that.
>
> 	I can conform that tuning pin flat before going up in pitch means
> alot of string breakage.  But on the other hand, it is less likely that
> any string would break when someone is playing the piano.  Of course it's
> not the tuners fault if a string breaks.  But maybe it's a good idea if
> we (as tuners) break the strings before anyone else do!  As a pianist
> myself, nothing is more annoying than playing on a piano with broken
> string.  however, if you wish to make more money (here's another 10
> grands a week ad on internet ;p ), make sure all the strings are ready to
> break after you leave your customer's house so you can charge more next
> time you come back.
> 	Besides this, I think there's another good reason why this
> procedure is important.  Stability.  Imagine a string in 3 sections (a V
> bar between section 1 & 2, and a bridge between section 2 & 3, of course
> there are bridge pins and more but let's forget about those for a
> moment.).  Initially the string is flat because the piano hasn't been
> tuned for a year and all 3 section have the same tension.  Now if someone
> raise the pitch without tuning flat initially, it is very likely that
> section 3 would have the same low tension before the pitch raise because
> of (static) friction at the bridge.  The click you hear is the sound the
> string makes when the torque of your tuning lever overcomes static
> friction at V bar.  This is a very brief explaination (there's alot of
> mechanical physics in this).  At this opportunity, I'd like to point out
> something.  Based on theory, this effect is very minimum if section 3 is
> very short _relative_ to section 2 (unless the string is not flexible).
> So if section 3 is longer then section 2, then this effect should never be
> ignored (now, only if someone who has all the time in the world would do
> an experiment and prove my prediction...).  In summary, if you ignore the
> procedure and section 3 happens to stay at low tension, then at some point
> (let's say a kid like me bang on the piano) when all three section achieve
> mechanical equilibrium, the note is gonna be flat (wait, isn't that what
> they call a "settling period" after a pitch raise? :p ).
> 	There's a reason why strings are more likely to break if it's
> tuned flat before going up in pitch but I guess I shouldn't waste more
> bandwidth on that subject (I'm sure some of you already know the reason).
> After all, experience is what counts because nothing is absolute.
> regards
> Kuang
>
> >
> > Hello Keith & Listees:
> >
> .
> [skipped]
> .
> .
> >
> >
> > Stay Tuned!
>
> Let's hope so.
>
> >
> > Mike Hoffman, RPT
> > Marquette, MI
> >
>