Piano Designers are Sadists

[Jim Coleman, Sr.]

Hi Michael:

The one insurmountable problem in designing a piano that would stay in tune
in the Tenor section is the fact that as the strings get longer and longer
as you go down thru the Tenor section, the spacing on the bridge gets wider
and wider. With wider string spacing on the bridge, there is less 
downbearing pressure to hold the swelling soundboard in check when the
weather gets more humid. Conversely, when the weather gets drier, the
soundboard decreases its resistance to the string pressure and the tension
drops causing a lowering of pitch.

One might counter with this by saying, the Bass seems to hold very well.
Yes, we could have more wound strings in the Tenor, but then you bring in
impurities higher up into the scale, so it is a tradeoff.

Another contra idea might be that you could increase the string length in
the Tenor along with an increase in the string diameter and as a 
consequence have more downpressure on the board. The string lengths would
still cause wider spacing along the bridge in an exponential manner and
some of the same problems would still exist. And besides, all of this would
require a longer piano which would require longer keys etc.

Yes, I know that one of the keys to progress is to not believe that 
something cannot be done. Let's hear some more new ideas. The olde guarde 
has spoken.

Jim Coleman, Sr.