string terminations

[Stéphane Collin]

Hello all.

Reading this thread, I have (perhaps naively) done the experience of hitting 
vertically one single string installed in a piano , and horizontally with a 
loose hammer I hold in my hand.  I was surprised to hear how much difference 
there is in sound.  When struck vertically, the string produces much more 
volume and pleasant sound than when struck horizontally.  This is new to me.
Looking at the very nice documents posted by Pr. S. Birkett, I noticed that 
you can't see the bridge move under influence of the strings.  Is this 
because the magnitude of bridge motion is invisible at this scale, or 
because the bridge doesn't move that much, being after all a node in the 
whole story ?
Just wondering.

Best regards.

Stéphane Collin.





----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Ric Brekne" <ricbrek@broadpark.no>
To: "pianotech" <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Monday, August 15, 2005 8:48 PM
Subject: string terminations


> Hi Calin.
>
> My point was simply to point to information compiled by those scientists 
> that have actually done some hard research. Most of what is tossed around 
> back and forth here
> is speculation to some degree or another. Not that that is a bad thing 
> mind you. But to at least read what research and real experimentation has 
> been done seems to my mind a good idea before one starts drawing up any 
> conclusions.
>
> Personally, I find the vertical vibration claim quite plausible, and there 
> seems to be
> some basic maths that back it up. But I will refer any interested parties 
> to the persons
> who've published on the matter. Both Stuart and Wapin have documentation 
> worth reading.
>
> One other point.... just for thought.  However a whole system achieves 
> longer sustain,
> the string simply has to vibrate longer as a result.  Without string 
> vibration then there is no system vibration either. So what exactly about 
> the vertical termination that causes this in both the Wapin and the Stuart 
> terminations (one with virtual no mass increase, the other with about 1 
> kilo) ?
>
> Like I say,  I find reading the available literature on the subject matter 
> valuable.
>
> Cheers
> RicB
>
> ------
> The "vertical vibration claim doesn't seem very plausible to me (but i 
> don't have any counter-arguments). I just think the way a bridge agraffe 
> can improve sustain is just by virtue of its greater hardness (and 
> weight), compared to a conventional bridge pin, which seems to be a pretty 
> flexible contraption.
>
> Regards,
>
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