Ron, Susan, and List, A codicile to the earlier testament: Ron's message brought out a few more thoughts. >I've been wondering myself if a hard blow CAN drive a string up a bridge >pin, or if it's exclusively a humidity swing thing. Everyone has >automatically assumed this to be the case, but is it? Nope. But, then, we all know why we should not "assume" anything. I have observed a dramatic drop in pitch with a hard blow as the string renders through the stagger, and a tuned string creeping sharp as it is pulled back through from the tail if it was pounded in too hard and not set well. It seems to me that a string rendering through the bridge would tend to seat itself by virtue of downbearing once the stagger friction is overcome and the string is sliding. The key phrase here is "not set well". One of the main reasons pianos go out of tune as quickly as so many seem to is that folks do not work assiduously to equalize the tension on the string from the tuning pin to the hitch pin. It does no good to pound the heck out of a string that has only been pulled up to pitch, there is still lower tension on the "back" side of the speaking length. You can pound a string flat (pitch <G>) and have it come back up somewhat (I've seen it in about octave 6, where all the weird stuff happens) without touching the tuning pin at all. If the string has moved THROUGH the bridge pins, wouldn't downbearing pull it down too? A good deal depends on the age and condition of the strings here, as well. If the instrument is a "serious" concert instrument, treble strings can need replacment in about 2 years of use. Also, how hard are the hammers? Often, in trying to get more "sound" out of a piano, a technician will misdiagnose strings that need replacement, and over harden the hammers. These, then, interact with the strings differently than a properly voiced hammer, and the piano actually produces not only less sound, but of inferior quality. (Further, in what seems to be an unconcious adaptation, folks seem to tune this strings more and more sharp, exacerbating the situation and accelerating the deterioration of the strings.) If a pianist CAN unseat strings it would pretty much have to trash the unison tuning. Hmmm... Interesting, Holmes. Got any solid evidence or deductive, inductive, reductive, whatever, musings either way? See the earlier post. Also, what Joel (and I) are describing is the condition of pianos operating in extremis - e.g., pushed to the limit at all levels, tuning, voicing, regulation - and then played by folks with everything to lose. 12 hours of that kind of treatment, and I suspect anyone's "unisons" would be trashed. Whee! Piano fun. Best. Horace Horace Greeley hgreeley@leland.stanford.edu "Always forgive your enemies, nothing annoys them so much. - Oscar Wilde LiNCS voice: 725-4627 Stanford University fax: 725-9942
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