Beginner Student and String Breakage

[Don]

Hi Laura,

Take heart! Breaking strings do happen.

The most common reason for string breakage with an inexperience tuners is
being on the wrong pin. Don't be discouraged! It happens some times even to
very careful and competitent tuners. The other reason is the same reason
that most strings break. Metal fatigue. There is nothing a tuner can do
about damage that has already occurred. So far as I know there is no way to
"anneal" steel to turn back the clock on work hardening of the strings from
the simple act of playing.

At 04:10 PM 2/22/02 +0100, you wrote:
>I am a beginner student with the Randy Potter School of Piano Technology
>Home Study Course.  I am embarrassed to say that after only three days of
>practice I already broke a string.  This is my own piano, but discourages me
>quite a bit, and I wonder if experienced tuners/technicians could comment on
>how common string breakage is at the outset of one's training -- and will I
>be likely to have it happen several times while I am learning?
>
>I was aware of the danger of breaking strings and therefore followed the
>course recommendations scrupulously, i.e., dropping pitch first and only
>nudging the hammer.  I couldn't place my arm on the top of the piano as it
>is a baby grand, but tried not to apply too much pressure and always went
>back down (turning the hammer counterclockwise) when I was unsure, before
>again trying to tighten it.  Does anyone know of additional or better safety
>tips and measures to avoid string breakage?  (If I do it too many times, I'm
>afraid, my family's patience will wear out.  The piano company who will come
>to replace the string may begin to wonder if I have to keep calling them!)
>
>In conclusion, I should say that I have a 1956 baby grand Baldwin that was
>damaged by flooding some twenty years ago, but has been fine since the
>German piano firm repaired it.
>
>I do wonder though about the string I broke -- the left string of Middle C.
>When I dropped pitch a little and then raised the pitch it just continued
>unlike the others to warble out of tune and never sounded even close to
>pure, no matter which direction I was turning.  I then noticed that it
>continued to "sound" as if the sustain pedal were on -- which was not the
>case.  It had also seemed extremely hard to tune the day before and I
>thought maybe Middle C is harder to tune because it gets more use.  Can
>anything be told from these "symptoms"?
>
>Any advice would be welcome as this incident has me rather discouraged.
>
>Thanks,
>
>Laura 
>
>
>

Regards,
Don Rose, B.Mus., A.M.U.S., A.MUS., R.M.T., R.P.T.

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