High or Low

[Farrell]

If I understand correctly, you wish to be able to determine the tension on strings in a piano? Just measure the diameter of the string, measure the speaking length, measure the pitch, and calculate the tension.

Terry Farrell
  
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "James Grebe" <pianoman@accessus.net>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Tuesday, July 15, 2003 6:36 PM
Subject: High or Low


Thank you Thomas, David, Cy,& Del for your answers.
    My reason for asking is that recently I have been hearing from our local Steinway dealer about the low tension scales on Steinway grands and the higher tension scales on Yamaha's.  I have believed in the past that Steinways had higher tension scales and that was a big reason why they are loud pianos and strong in power as compared to Yamahas which seem to have a sweeter, more airy sound.  Likewise the European pianos.  I always associated low tension with this airy, sweet sound.  It appears that I may have been wrong in having this opinion.  I was thinking there was some way to empirically gather info on the amount of inharmonicity a group of selected notes on the piano would have and interpolate from there where the tension would be.  I guess it is not as simple as that.  This, however, also clouds the air as there is no way to tell individually the overall tension on a scale by just taking some inharmonmicity readings..  I guess there is no way to uncloud claims of dealers or manufacturers.

Thank you for your help.
Jim
James Grebe
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