terminology (long and dull, sorry)

[Susan Kline]

Hi, John --

Have you considered the variations in "agraffe" we've seen in the past few
months? <g> 

Knowing that I'm unreasonably picky about such things, I try to ignore them.
I refuse to look for a correlation between the spelling of part names and
the technical merit of suggestions.

Still, wouldn't it be ... fun? ... if we knew what to call things, and how
to write the names?

I believe that the Journal uses the book by Merle Mason ("Piano Parts and
Their Functions") to standardize usage. The Guild has just reprinted it.
It's an absolute gold mine. I have yet to look up something that wasn't
listed. (What do you call the thingummy that holds the wire in a Mason &
Hamlin screw-stringer? page 40, diagram on page 41: "screw-stringer elbow".)
It has a glossary that alone is worth the (modest) price of admission: 

"Enharmonic Diesis: The difference between three conjunct major thirds and
an octave (ratio 125:128)."  

and here I guessed it would be the difference between Eb and D#! Oh, NO,
that would be the Didymean Comma, or would it? So I look up "Comma" in the
Glossary, and there they are: Comma of Didymus (yes, it was)(24 cents??
that's HUGE), syntonic comma, comma of Pythagoras (ditonic comma) 

... why wonder if you can find out?

<@> <@> <@> <@> <@> <@> <@> <@> <@> <@> <@> <@> <@> <@> <@> <@> <@> <@> 

"Winking: A visual and tactual regulation procedure to obtain proper
positioning of a number of different parts of a piano action. See _Winking_
in the appendix to this glossary, section I."

and there it is:

"Glossary Appendix 
I. Winking
By Stephen S. Jellen (Technical Advisor to Pratt, Read & Co.) and Edwin W. Wood"

contains a discussion of winking the jacks, winking the spoons, winking the
dampers, and winking the bridle tapes ...
_______________________________________________________________
^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^
"Aliquot: A part of a number that divides the number without a remainder.
Musical wire vibrates in aliquot units. _Duplex scales_ (q.v.)* are of
aliquot construction."

"Duplex scales: <snip> some piano manufacturers have divided off the rear
waste ends of the strings in lengths representing an _aliquot_ (q.v.) part
of the speaking length of those strings. <snip>"

To me, "aliquots" have been the little brass doohickeys that need to be slid
around when you restring, in order for the back duplex to be in tune and to
do its job. I knew (don't ask how, please) that if you throw them out by
mistake you have to sift through the trash can contents until you find every
last one, since you can't retrieve them with a magnet. 

I never had any idea that their "funny name" had anything to do with
mathematical division! I thought it might be "funny" because it came from
Arabic, like "algebra" or "algorithm", but no, it is Latin, and there's
another related word, "aliquant" that just means our old, familiar
"remainder" in long division.  

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

* Note before the Glossary Appendix: "Please note that _q.v._ after numerous
words in the Glossary Appendix stands for the Latin _quod vide_ 
= which see, meaning: Look up the words in question in the main Glossary."

Yes, boss, you bet I will!

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Sorry if I put anyone (everyone?) to sleep ...
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Susan

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>James:
>I'm positive that those things are called "wippens" rather than
>"wippons".  Hope I don't get a "whiping" for the correction.  At least it
>wasn't as bad as the "wharehouse" that appeared this morning.  By the
>way, have you noticed someone spelling bass as base on the list?  Seems
>that in our profession we should at least have a good command over how to
>spell the various parts of the instrument that we work with.  What do you
>think?
>
> John Fortiner
>                                                                   
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Susan Kline 
P.O. Box 1651
Philomath, OR 97370
skline@proaxis.com

"Enormous amounts of information are availabble, including, however, very
little reliable data on what it all means."
			-- Ashleigh Brilliant