Inharmonicity - so what?

[Ron Nossaman]

Del,


>2)    False beats are not a function of inharmonicity or of the strings
>vibration patterns.  And they have little to do with how the strings seat
on the
>bridges or against the bridge pins.  Certain pianos have a propensity toward
>false beats and others do not.  Regardless of the condition of their bridges.
>If a piano has a propensity toward false beats, no amount of string seating,
>etc., is going to make it go away.  At least not for long.  This work will only
>change it.  As I have gone into repeatedly and at length in my various classes,
>false beats are primarily a function of soundboard design.  It must be
solved at
>the design stage.


Aw now, there you go again. More pot stirring. I'm going to have to attempt
to interpret this one a little for those of us in the cheap seats. When the
mere act of touching the bridge pin terminating a beating string clears up
the beat, it ain't the soundboard design, or is it? The reason the board is
flat enough to make the bearing light enough for this to happen in the first
place is, indeed, a soundboard design problem. So it is a soundboard design
problem at root. From a service standpoint, it's probably a loose pin that
never would have manifested any noticeable symptoms if the bearing was
adequate, assuming it was set within reasonable limits in the first place
and the soundboard was doing it's job. Since most techs aren't likely to
correct basic soundboard design problems in a service situation, or even in
the rebuild shop, it has to be dealt with from the wrong end. We usually
have to deal with the cause that's closest to the symptom. CA the pin and go
home. Years from now, as the pending Soundboard Design Revolution (SDR)
gains momentum, newbies will have to suffer the old f***'s (that's us) war
stories about dealing with false beats, when anyone who tunes decent modern
pianos doesn't even acknowledge the possibility and can look down their re
designed aristocratic noses at them that do. %-) 

They'll be using different glues too.     





>So, with my flame suit close at hand, I leave for two "wonderful" days of
>sanding and varnishing.
>
>Regards,
>
>Del
>


Serves you right, troublemaker. Did you get your head working? <Evil Grin>

 Ron