> Date: Thu, 17 Apr 1997 08:23:39 -0700 > From: Horace Greeley <hgreeley@leland.Stanford.EDU> > Subject: Re: Seating/false beats > To: pianotech@byu.edu > Reply-to: pianotech@byu.edu It seems to me that the important thing is to aware of this possiblity and keep an eye/ear out for it. I never routinely tap at the bridge but if I hear fuzzy tone I will tap that unison and watch for the string's movement down. If I don't see physical movement I look elsewhere. There are times especially in Yamaha's where seating at the bridge can make a world of difference. Once again the important word is "tap"!!! It doesn't take much to seat the string if it needs it. An appropriate tool would be a hammer shank or brass drift. I have also just tapped the bridgepins themselves to see if the tone clears up. David ilvedson, RPT Pacifica, CA > Hi, > > I must admit that all of this talk about "seating" strings on bridges > bothers me somewhat. > > There is no question but what this is a necessary thing to do from time to > time, and under varying circumstances. On the other hand, I've seen > countless pianos with the strings driven halfway to Baltimore - literally > half the string diameter imbedded in the cap. > > Susan's questions speak to these issues. My thoughts: > > > >If, as seems possible, hard blows are enough to cause the strings to ride up > >on the bridge pins, and stay there, is it a good idea to reseat them? > > > > Yes, for reasons others have clearly stated. The string must maintain > _proper_ contact with the top of the bridge. Also, the more consistency we > can maintain in the piano, the less variation there will be. > > >Would it be better to consider who is going to play the piano next? > > Sometimes - for most situations, this is not a major issue. > > >What if > >the next performer is heavy handed, and will drive them right back up? > > Some may. But, if the piano is well maintained, the effect will be > minimal, if at all noticable. > > > Will > >a pianist's unseating them trash our unisons at the same time? > > Usually, while an individual pianist _may_ create this condition, our > unisons are much more likely to be trashed by poor hammer technique. > Joel's note about changes in a given piano during the course of _very_ > heavy use (in this case the Van Cliburn competetion, although, I have noted > other instances of similar conditions under similar use) makes this point. > > >When we do > >whole-hearted test blows, do we drive them back up ourselves? > > I seem to be, in yet again another way, a dinosaur here. I tune _very_ > hard. Very hard, indeed. Not everyone needs to, or should, perhaps, do > this. Since so much of my work has been in situations where breakage, > slipped unisons, etc, have been unacceptable, my own sense of this is that > I would much rather have something slip, break, knock, whatever, while I am > there, rather than to read about it in the next day's paper. Obviously, > this also has to do with my own ego - I hate going out on stage to "fix" > what "should" have been right to begin with. (read: "Hi, I'm Horace, and > I'm a piano tuner...) > > > What happens > >to the bridge top and pins when we seat -- unseat -- seat, over and over? > > > > My point, exactly. Unless _great_ care is taken, a good deal of damage can > be done very quickly. > > > More later. > > Best to all. > > 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 > > > > ilvey, RPT Pacifica, CA
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