Piano Firing Missiles at Church Congregation

[Greg Newell]

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Is this a Pramberger series? Inquiring minds want to know.

Greg

Billbrpt@AOL.COM wrote:

> List,
>
> Yes, it's true and I need some opinions on what to do about it.  It is
> a
> Young Chang Grand model G-185, only a few years old.  It is
> meticulously
> cared for but early in it's service, the pianist at this, shall we
> say,
> "spirit filled" church complained of bass strings breaking and
> shooting out
> of the piano.
>
> I have tried all of the usual.  I filed the hammers.  A monitor feeds
> back
> sound to the pianist.  When I explained to the church directors that
> it is
> the "vigorous" style of playing that sometimes causes strings to
> break, the
> pianist resigned.  Things were OK for a while but now there is a young
> lady
> who is firing scuds at the congregation faster than I can get there to
>
> collect them, get them duplicated and replace them.
>
> She is quite upset and beside herself.  She refuses to believe that it
> is the
> *way* the piano is played that is causing this.  She claims that she
> has
> played the piano "all her life" and has never seen or even heard of
> this
> happening.  The piano has a string cover which she yanks out and
> throws in
> the corner.  She also says she has never played a piano with a
> "blanket" in
> it and just "couldn't" play with it in there.  I have firmly insisted
> that at
> this point, it is a matter of public safety and won't have any effect
> on the
> sound.
>
> I am thinking that these wound strings must have particularly high
> tension.
> Does anyone know if this is so?  Over the years I have heard of other
> such
> 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
> would solve the problem but in reading the recent post about
> "replacement
> strings", I am confused.  Some of these strings have been breaking at
> the
> bass bridge termination point rather than the agraffe.  That seems
> very
> unusual to me.
>
> Should the manufacturer supply a new set of wound strings and if so,
> should
> they be a set designed for lower tension?  I presume that heavier
> gauged,
> higher tension strings provide a bigger, bolder sound.  What effect
> would
> lower tension have?  Just as a theoretical question, would tuning the
> instrument to a lower pitch, say 100 cents lower prevent this from
> happening
> (with the same gauge but a *new* set of strings)?  (I do not view this
> as an
> option, just a possibility that might work in some other
> circumstance).  (I
> also would not even consider altering the regulation to deliberately
> produce
> less power).
>
> It is also interesting to note that to date, only wound strings have
> broken,
> no plain wire.
>
> Bill Bremmer RPT
> Madison, Wisconsin

--
Greg Newell
Greg's Piano Fort=E9
19270 Harlon Ave.
Lakewood, Ohio 44107
216-226-3791
mailto:gnewell@ameritech.net


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