Beginner Student and String Breakage

[Farrell]

Hello Laura. I'll take a stab at a few of your questions. I did the Potter course about four years ago and think that it is a very good, very complete course of instruction. Comments below:

Terry Farrell
  
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Van Der Rhoer" <laurav1@mac.com>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Saturday, February 23, 2002 5:14 AM
Subject: Beginner Student and String Breakage


> Thank you all for your helpful suggestions and encouragement!  I will try to
> learn as soon as possible how to replace strings (though I may have to send
> to the U.S. for wire, not knowing who to contact here in Germany).

Hey Antares (Netherlands)! Hey Richard (Sweden)! Anyone else out there in Europe have contact info for a local supply house????
 
> Possibly I was on the wrong pin, but I think not, as I was being pretty
> careful checking each time.  But I will watch that all the more carefully in
> future!

It's embarrassing for me to think about how many times I put the tuning lever on the wrong pin. I'll be tuning along just fine and then the customer asks me if I wish for a soda or coffee - I go back to tuning and for some reason, I turn the pin and the pitch does not change - if I don't wake up immediately and turn some more - SNAP!!!! It's frighteningly easy to do!
 
> Thank you Greg Newell for your tip to use a lubricant -- would McCall's VJ
> Lube do?  It came with the course.

No! That heavy stuff is for squeaky trapwork and the like.

 > Otherwise I will order Protek's Center
> Pin Lubricant as you mentioned.  Is it applied with a small paint brush or
> something else?

Protek is good to use there. Protek is a liquid of low viscosity. It is (as I understand it) teflon suspended in some type of carrier. Apply it and it soaks into just about anything. The carrier (liquid part) flashes off quite quickly and leaves a bit of teflon dispersed about. And that causes the area to be slippery for quite some time. I put mine in a squeeze bottle with a long narrow tip. I just squirt in on. It's expensive so you don't want to waist it. Some folks use a syringe. I find that application method to be too cumbersome. But that's just me.

> Also, I will follow your advice on checking whether the
> string has ridden up with the bridge pin.  (The note really sounded
> peculiar, as if it were loose or out of control, no matter which way I
> turned.  It kept reverberating as well, as if the sustain pedal were on).
> There is an illustration of what I think you were describing in Reblitz's
> "Piano Servicing, Tuning, and Rebuilding" Chapter Four p. 116 -- "gently
> tapping string down to bridge".  Should I be tapping the string or the
> bridge pins?

For the beginner - only if your hear false beats of funky noises. A good thunk to the bridge pin to try and seat it (sometimes it will help on a loose pin, sometimes not). Light tapping on the string at the pin (light only!) to be sure it is snugged to the pin and bridge top. These will help. False beats can have a number of sources. I find that most are related to loose bridge pins. But some strings will go on being funky until replaced or the piano is rebuilt and string terminations are fixed.

Regarding the reverberating - what might be occurring, and what I observse sometimes, is when you mute off strings - with whatever kind of mute - just moving the string a little bit with your mute causes the damper to not dampen. If the damper works after mutes are removed you are OK. If it keeps on sounding, then you have some sort of damper problem.
 
> I appreciate being able to ask some questions from time to time, I think it
> will really help.  

Boy, it sure has helped me!
 
> Thank you Charles Neuman for your suggestion to write Randy Potter as well.

I called Randy a number of times when I went through the course. He was always very helpful. Pray that he is not in the mood to talk  ;-).

> I thought he'd be overburdened perhaps.

Naw. That's why you paid the big bucks!
 
> Many thanks to all again!
> 
> Laura
> 
>