Hot dog, this string leveling discussion is starting to heat up....Darn, just when I was heading out of town for the weekend.
A couple of thoughts. There seems to be general confusion on this subject, that it may be one in the same with the work we do to get freshly installed wire to leave its bearing points (front duplexes, aggraphes, etc.) in straight paths. In my part of the the country Chris Robinson and Wally Brooks have been talking about this for years. (Wally taps whole section of wire on either side of the capo with a maple block-that is, block heald on strings, hammer hits block. Chris of course has (or had) his Straight-Mate, the levered iron pry bar.) Certainly this is string leveling and is part of finishing a stringing.
Del is more accurate in his use of the word ³hammer-fitting² and I hope will will follow him in this distinction. Because the subject at hand is insuring that when the hammer meets string (in a bichord or trichord), that it contacts all strings with equal force (as presumably that happens because the contact is simultaneous.) This means no less than a square (across the top) hammer strike point and three strings level in a line parallel to the hammerıs strike surface. Whatever the above mentioned ³string leveling² may do for straightening string paths, it wonıt provide the ³leveling² required for good hammer-string fit. Thatıs because it only takes a few mils to make the fit a poor one, and regardless of how straight wire may leave the entrance to the speaking length, it doesnıt take too much of a distance from there to the actual strike point to develope a few milsı disagreement in the height of the strings. (Try checking the hammer fit with the bass keyblock in and the treble block out.) Dial indicator is one thing, but you donıt need anything more accurate than the pluck-pluck-pluck.
Whoıs been keeping the secret all this time? Is this a hoax? The Steinway basement considers it very important. Anyone from there giving a class (Franz, Ron, Ludwig, Scott) has always mentioned it. Indeed, itıs most obvious in string-by-string voicing, which is another thing that Steinway C&A is big on. Need an example? Find a note known to have a poor hammer-string fit, and listen to each string (being careful that as you mute out the ither two, you donıt upset the string level). Hear that nasal sound in the high string? What kind of needle-work (shoulder or crown) would you do to do get that string sounding full? Would you really resort to acupuncture, knowing that right off the bat, the high string is getting hit mezzo when the others are getting hit forte.
I agree with Del. I think string phase is to simple an explanation (or more to the point, an inductive rather than deductive one), and that the behavior of strings is far more complex than what we could ever imagine. Barney Ricca describes that during the course of one noteıs sound, the kind of impedance coupling between string and board is constantly changing, and at any given instant may different for different partials. But I would also respect the hearing and experience of Ed Footeıs recording engineers. In fact they may hold a key to this matter.
Hammer fitting the be-all and end-all of voicing? Certainly not, but for me itıs a starting point. Del says heıs heard pianos sound fine with strings certified to be unleveled, and ugly sounds in pianos with leveled strings. I wonıt argue with his experience (and anytime, he wants to sit down at the keyboard, Iıll be there curled up at his feet like a kid listening to Grampaıs tales). But thatıs like the contribution of a 1/16² drop to deep repetition. Itıs certainly only one part of what gets you deep repetition, but I wouldnıt leave it at 1/4², because it alone didnıt do the whole trick.
Iım supposed to be outta here. Weıre all hear to learn, as I certainly have in all the posts thus far on this thread. I look forward to more by the end of the weekend.
Bill Ballard RPT
NH Chapter
"We mustn't underestimate the power of teamwork"
Boib Davis RPT
Bill Ballard
yardbird@sover.net
"Round here we don't talk unless we can improve in the silence."
Ron Rude, local Public Radio Commentator.
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