Piano Firing Missiles at Church Congregation

[Brian Lawson]

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As the piano is miked, close the lid as I guess its just open for visual =
effect.
Raise hammer line, lower let-off  and adjust all the rest of it to make =
it work with less power, turn up the volume of the moniter speaker, have =
it stand next to pianist's ear.

Some of the above may work, some you can laugh at

Brian Lawson, RPT
Johannesburg, South Africa

TEXOMA CHAPTER
http://texoma.int.chapter.tripod.com

  ----- Original Message -----=20
  From: Billbrpt@AOL.COM=20
  To: pianotech@ptg.org=20
  Sent: Saturday, January 27, 2001 7:12 PM
  Subject: Piano Firing Missiles at Church Congregation


  List,=20

  Yes, it's true and I need some opinions on what to do about it.  It is =
a=20
  Young Chang Grand model G-185, only a few years old.  It is =
meticulously=20
  cared for but early in it's service, the pianist at this, shall we =
say,=20
  "spirit filled" church complained of bass strings breaking and =
shooting out=20
  of the piano.=20

  I have tried all of the usual.  I filed the hammers.  A monitor feeds =
back=20
  sound to the pianist.  When I explained to the church directors that =
it is=20
  the "vigorous" style of playing that sometimes causes strings to =
break, the=20
  pianist resigned.  Things were OK for a while but now there is a young =
lady=20
  who is firing scuds at the congregation faster than I can get there to =

  collect them, get them duplicated and replace them.=20

  She is quite upset and beside herself.  She refuses to believe that it =
is the=20
  *way* the piano is played that is causing this.  She claims that she =
has=20
  played the piano "all her life" and has never seen or even heard of =
this=20
  happening.  The piano has a string cover which she yanks out and =
throws in=20
  the corner.  She also says she has never played a piano with a =
"blanket" in=20
  it and just "couldn't" play with it in there.  I have firmly insisted =
that at=20
  this point, it is a matter of public safety and won't have any effect =
on the=20
  sound.=20

  I am thinking that these wound strings must have particularly high =
tension.  =20
  Does anyone know if this is so?  Over the years I have heard of other =
such=20
  instances that were cured by replacing the wound strings with a set of =

  lighter gauged, "happy" strings.  It would seem to me that a lower =
tension=20
  would solve the problem but in reading the recent post about =
"replacement=20
  strings", I am confused.  Some of these strings have been breaking at =
the=20
  bass bridge termination point rather than the agraffe.  That seems =
very=20
  unusual to me.=20

  Should the manufacturer supply a new set of wound strings and if so, =
should=20
  they be a set designed for lower tension?  I presume that heavier =
gauged,=20
  higher tension strings provide a bigger, bolder sound.  What effect =
would=20
  lower tension have?  Just as a theoretical question, would tuning the=20
  instrument to a lower pitch, say 100 cents lower prevent this from =
happening=20
  (with the same gauge but a *new* set of strings)?  (I do not view this =
as an=20
  option, just a possibility that might work in some other =
circumstance).  (I=20
  also would not even consider altering the regulation to deliberately =
produce=20
  less power).=20

  It is also interesting to note that to date, only wound strings have =
broken,=20
  no plain wire.=20

  Bill Bremmer RPT=20
  Madison, Wisconsin=20

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