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This is my first posting to this list, so please let me know if I =
unwittingly commit any faux pas. =20
I've been playing with some different string types on a chord-harp, so =
hopefully this may be of some practical help to the question about the =
missing monochord string. (Disclaimer: These comments are based on a =
lot of figuring and extrapolating over the past few months plus a couple =
months playing around with the above toy, not on any seasoned background =
in the field, so by all means take them with a grain of salt. And =
hopefully somebody will be kind enough to let me know if I commit any =
factual blunders, so I won't remain deluded too long.)=20
Since it has a moveable bridge, I am imagining this to be like the =
monochords that were so often used in experiments and demonstrations =
(and arguments) about temperament & just intonation and so on for a =
couple thousand years. A string held at constant tension would be =
meticulously divided off into various ratios to produce musical =
intervals, and I'm assuming it's going to be used for similar purposes =
of demonstration and experiment in the classroom. So that means =
probably one string is going to be used as an aural reference to the =
starting point, and so you can hear the two notes of an interval sounded =
together, and the bridge is going to be moved up and down on the other =
string to show how dividing it into different ratios produces familiar =
(or unfamiliar) intervals.=20
And I suppose since it's 39+ inches long, you could even demonstrate a =
fifth narrowed by a syntonic comma -- about 1/3 inch -- fairly well, or =
even the difference between an ET third and a perfect third (about 1/4 =
inch), though it seems like it might be hard to get much precision out =
of the less than 1/32 inch difference between an ET and perfect fifth. =
(I think I figured all that right.)
Anyway, since the bridge is going to be slid along the string all the =
time, a plain wire string would seem best for that, but at 39.4" for =
about 131Hz (C3), it seems to me that you're going to have some issues =
with what somebody on this list delightfully referred to recently as =
"solicitation of the wire," which corresponds to percentage of breaking =
strain. A plain modern steel music wire 39.4" C3 string of any gauge =
will probably be of similar quality to a plain wire C3 on a medium sized =
upright, so it might not be ideal for showing off the euphony of just =
intervals, partial-wise. Maybe it would even have slightly ambiguous =
pitch definition which would partially defeat the purpose of the whole =
thing too. I wonder how it was determined that the string should be at =
C3?
But assuming that C3 is what it's supposed to be, and that the current =
.029" plain wire string is also supposed to be C3, that string would =
seem to have about exactly 50 pounds tension on it, so I'll take that as =
the upper tension limit for the other string.
So keeping it at C3, what non-wound (for the sake of ease of =
sliding/wearability) options other than regular steel music wire are =
there?=20
Plain bronze wire might sound better, but it would be close to it's =
usable breaking limit. However, I guess phosphor bronze is supposed to =
have higher tensile strength than regular bronze. It looks like =
phosphor bronze's effective breaking point, taking into account its =
higher density compared to steel wire, is about 40% that of steel wire, =
so I'm thinking it's in the zone to possibly work pretty well for a =
39.4" C3 (on the higher-stressed side -- probably more than it has to be =
-- but I'm thinking still less than the max percent that's commonly =
used, so it seems like it might work just fine). Here's a site with =
some data on phosphor bronze: =
<http://www.nbm-houston.com/bronze/bronze524.html> =
http://www.nbm-houston.com/bronze/bronze524.html, and it's available as =
music wire at the site mentioned just below. (I'm assuming the specs =
for the "hard" variety of phosphor bronze would apply to music wire.)=20
Plain gut and nylon brought to the same pitch come out about the same as =
plain steel as far as percentage of breaking strain is concerned, so I'm =
assuming their medium wouldn't be solicited any better and they probably =
wouldn't sound any better, plus they're stretchy and harder to keep in =
precise tune and wouldn't be very loud or sustain very long (or have as =
strong harmonics to demonstrate beating with).=20
Maybe some of that special wire made for historical (pre 1830) keyboards =
that someone posted about recently would be good at that pitch and scale =
length. The PureSound wire seems like it's not different enough from =
modern steel wire to quite get there for this situation, but Rose or =
Voss wire seems like it should more than do the trick, and it's =
available in smaller gauges including .028" (.7mm) and smaller, so it =
might just be perfect. I think PureSound wire has about 80% of the =
tensile strength of modern wire, and Rose has a couple of types that are =
between 45-50% of the tensile strength of modern wire (type D is the =
stronger one), which I'm thinking theoretically should put a C3 at 39.4" =
in a pretty good zone of solicitation, and you still won't be anywhere =
near to breaking it either. I don't have info on Voss. You might have =
better sources already, but here's a site anyway for a whole variety of =
modern and historical plain wires including these (several types of =
steel and iron, brass, several types of bronze, etc.): =
<http://www.fortepiano.com/owners.htm> =
http://www.fortepiano.com/owners.htm.
Failing all that, my suggestion is to either raise the pitch of both =
strings up to about F# and lower the gauge (of both strings) to about =
.021" (.53mm) to keep the tension at about 50 lbs per string.=20
OR, if you want to keep it at C3, use wound strings for both so the =
tension-bearing wire will be solicited to give a purer ringing tone with =
less inharmonicity. Probably nickel plated steel wound or stainless =
steel wound is best to stand up to the sliding of the bridge (hopefully =
the windings wouldn't wear out the bridge though!). Stainless is =
brighter, I'm not sure it if has significantly better or worse =
inharmonicity though. A .029" outer diameter wound string with a .018" =
core wire would be just about right for a 39.4" length at C3, though the =
core could also be as little as .016" or as much as .020". (I think =
anything with a core dia to total diameter ratio of about 5:9 up to 7:10 =
or so should have a good chance of working out all right, then it just =
depends on what total gauge tension you want.) With the decrease in =
density (due to the empty spaces in and around the windings) you could =
go up to a .031" gauge (probably with a .018" core), and still be a =
couple pounds under the current load with a plain .029 string. Guitar =
stores or folk-instrument suppliers online like Elderly.com have strings =
like that, but most of them aren't long enough for 39.4" speaking length =
unless you get them custom or something.=20
However, maybe one of the strings made for "superlong scale" bass guitar =
(36" scale) would do -- they usually give you several extra inches, and =
they have stainless and nickel-plate. Looking at D'Addario's String =
Reference Guide, it seems about the smallest gauge for bass guitar you =
can get is .032" (.8mm). With the decreased density of a steel wound =
string, I'm figuring that should increase the tension by only 2-3 pounds =
or so, so maybe for a wound string solution that would be just about the =
right thing. (I'm confused by the numerous varieties of bass strings =
advertised, though, and designations like "super soft," etc., all with =
seemingly different mass numbers. Some .032's would seem to come out to =
56 lbs or so for your application, not sure why.) Make sure it's a =
regular "round-wound" string, though. That refers to the winding, not =
to whether the core is hex or not, and is opposed to flattened windings =
etc. I'd call ahead, but you can get these at most stores that carry =
guitars, or online at juststrings or musiciansfriend or elderly etc. (I =
just noticed that JustStrings.com seems to offer nickel-steel wound =
single bass strings going down to .024" (price $1.22), but it's not =
clear how long they come.)
There's a string tension calculator based on D'Addario strings at =
<http://www.pacificsites.net/~dog/StringTensionApplet.html> =
http://www.pacificsites.net/~dog/StringTensionApplet.html that shows a =
.032 nickel-steel wound at 53.3lbs and a stainless wound at 52.4lbs for =
C3 at 39.4". (If you put this applet in "verbose" mode, it's easier to =
see what's going on.)
I also see that Mandobass has a pretty similar scale length (42"), but =
it seems that at C3 the strings they make for that would put well over =
100 pounds tension per string on your monochord.
If you used a metal-wound nylon string, you could get enough stress on =
the core without having a very high total tension (maybe about 1/4 of a =
steel string for the same gauge). They have bronze wound and silvered =
copper-wound, used for lute for example. Harp too I think. Since the =
pressure and friction on the bridge would be a lot less, maybe these =
less durable windings would work out all right.
This site has most of the non-steel strings mentioned so far, for the =
gauge and length you specify: =
<http://members.aol.com/mwstrings/markwood.htm> =
http://members.aol.com/mwstrings/markwood.htm. It looks like they cost =
between $1 and $6 for a single string. Here's another site: =
<http://www.harpmall.com/harp_strings.htm> =
http://www.harpmall.com/harp_strings.htm.=20
If it was me, I'd probably play with one of the "historic wires" that =
seems best (like Malcolm Rose) rather than using a wound nylon or gut =
core, just for the sake (if I'm imagining this device and the situation =
it will be in half-right) of some volume and better sustain as well as =
stronger harmonics for classroom demonstration purpose.=20
Or else I'd tune the monochord up to between E and A (until it sounds as =
pure and singing as you think it needs to be), and then, for the sake of =
a louder fuller tone, put on as large a gauge of plain modern steel =
music wire as practical for how it's gonna be used (probably somewhere =
between .018" and .025", or .45-.65mm). It seems like it's pretty easy =
& inexpensive to get a spool of plain music wire of any gauge. Here's a =
couple of places: =
<http://www.parkepianostrings.com.au/about.php#music> =
http://www.parkepianostrings.com.au/about.php#music or =
<http://www.malinco.com/industrial/> http://www.malinco.com/industrial/ =
that include smaller-than-piano-gauge strings.=20
If you just have to make a best guess -- for tuning it up with modern =
plain music wire -- I'd say G3, in which case .019 will result in a =
couple pounds less tension than the current .029 tuned to C3 and .020 =
will result in a couple pounds more tension (per string). To keep the =
tension within a 2-3 pounds of the current string on there, F# could be =
.021, and F could be .022.=20
If you used gut or nylon at these same higher tunings, I guess the =
results should be good, but not very robust or sustaining, and your =
total tension would be only about 1/6 or 1/7 for the same steel wire =
gauge, though you'd probably automatically use a somewhat larger gauge.=20
Or you could try plain phosphor bronze wire (or even regular bronze, and =
hope it doesn't break) assuming -- I've never tried it, so for me it =
would be an interesting experiment to see how it sounded. I think .027 =
gauge bronze wire would be about equivalent tension to .029 in steel =
wire because it's about 13% heavier.=20
Actually, to tell the truth if it was me I'd probably end up getting =
both steel-wound strings (nickel & stainless), a phosphor bronze string, =
and a couple "historical wire" strings and try them all to see what they =
sound like, and see if some are more revealing of small discrepancies in =
tuning different intervals. Plus I'd get some plain modern steel string =
to try with a raised pitch. (Not that I have a lot of time on my hands, =
it's just I have a lot to learn and it seems like it would be an =
interesting experiment.)
Maybe somebody else on the list knows more about what strings you need =
and where to get them, but for what it's worth this is how I'd approach =
it. (If anybody is interested, I can share some of the materials =
data/equations/assumptions I'm going on for these speculations.)=20
This all has me wondering why they don't use softer iron or steel =
"historical" wires in some smaller modern pianos, at least in the =
problem areas. Any comments out there?
Trent Lesher
(Amateur pianist & composer, generally curious, and, based on =
recommendations from this list, just started taking the Randy Potter =
course.)
=20
-----Original Message-----
From: Avery Todd [mailto:avery@ev1.net]
Sent: Thursday, January 22, 2004 9:51 PM
To: pianotech
Subject: Monochord
List,
I've put this on the caut list also, but by the time I left
today, had not found out anything.=20
Does anyone know anything about these? One of our theory
professors found one in storage here and wants to use it
in some of his classes. The problem right now is that one
of the 2 strings is missing.
Here are some specs:
1 meter (39+") speaking length
pitch should be 1 octave below middle C
current gage is .029 (12 ga. in piano wire)
There is also a movable bridge, so the tension
can't be "too" great on it.
Does anyone know the appropriate type of wire for this?
Harpsichord wire seems like it would be too thin. How
about Fortepiano wire?
The current string does not seem to be piano wire and
I think that would be too heavy for this.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D
At 09:56 AM 1/22/04, you wrote:
The problem right now is that one
of the 2 strings is missing.
Pythagoras had the same problem with his model... hence the name. =
:)
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D
To forestall any further comments about the "monochord"=20
having 2 strings, :-) here's what I found on a Google search.=20
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
I wondered about the two strings, also.=20
But from a Google search I did, I found this at
http://folklora.lv/muzikas/giga/en.shtml
The monochord has been created in Sweden in 1829 for accompaniment =
of spiritual singing.=20
Probably through the Lutheran parochial schools, monochord has got to =
the Latvian peasants,=20
and they have begun to play on it, to make it and to improve it (the =
same instrument, but with=20
two strings has been developed).
Monochord consists of a long, rectangular body, stuck or hammered =
together from wooden plates.=20
In the upper plate the sound holes are cut and a stepped rod (neck) is =
attached, on which a string=20
(or two) is put.
And from a different site:=20
http://4.1911encyclopedia.org/M/MO/MONOCHORD.htm
In order the better to seize the relation. of various intervals,=20
a second string tuned to the same note, but out of reach of=20
the bridge, was sometimes added to give the fundamental.=20
Avery=20
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