harpsichord and piano forte help

Dave Doremus algiers_piano@bellsouth.net
Sat, 15 Sep 2001 08:04:16 -0500


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At 11:29 AM -0400 9/14/01, Wimblees@AOL.COM wrote:
>
>The bass strings are "brass" and are the ones, for the most part, 
>that are breaking. One thought I had on this is that there are three 
>notes with .025 brass strings. I don't have any more of that size, 
>but I do have .024 in steel. Would that be a good substitute, or 
>does the timbre change too much?


Sorry, I came in late to this thread but I would like to add my own 2 
cents. Steel does not substitute for brass. In fact, depending on the 
make of the instruments you may not have any steel at all, but low 
tensile iron. And the top bass may not be brass but phosphor bronze, 
strong but not a pretty sound IMHO. Do not get brass and steel from 
Schaff. Zuckerman or Hubbard or The Instrument Workshop will be happy 
to supply appropriate wire. Find the makers and contact them for the 
stringing schedule. New brass strings do not sound as good as they 
will, it takes a while for the tone to develop. Thin wire often 
breaks at the end of the loop winding if it was overly stressed 
during twisting, if it was not held tight enough the loop will pull 
out. Get a basic Harpsichord or Fortepiano reference book and learn 
something about the instruments, dont assume that modern piano 
knowledge will transfer. Practice those historical temperaments!
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