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<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff size=2>I think I have an answer to your string breaking
problem. All strings have a point at which they will break. The engineers
have designed strings to be below the breaking point by 30% or more. Once the
energy imparted into the string exceeds this percentage the string usually
breaks. Since we can't control the increased energy put in by the pianist,
we can control the breaking point percentage. The easiest way to do this
is to lower the whole piano 100 cents (a half step). The lower tension thus
created willl increase the breaking pooint percentage and thus absorb the
increased energy before the string breakage occurs. Of course, this can't be
done when playing with other instruments unless the players of the other
instruments are willing to transpose to the piano and vice versa.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff size=2>Recently I was in Atlantic City at a cascino
where a piano player was playing a Yamaha grand piano. Playing along
with him was a bass fiddler. The piano player was also a pounder. During a
break I asked him if he had string breakage problems. He said no because his
tuner was tuning the piano a half step lower and thus solved the problem of
string breakage for him. I assume that the bass fiddler transposed his
playing to fit the piano.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff size=2>Hope this is helpful. Lee
Dobrins</FONT></DIV>
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<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com
href="mailto:mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com">Farrell</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=pianotech@ptg.org
href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">pianotech@ptg.org</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Tuesday, December 30, 2003 4:39
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Depowering a Piano</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Yamaha C3, piano bar in nightclub. Serviced every
two weeks. Always been a good piano in very good condition. New piano player
for last two or three months. The guy is a major pounder. Lots of broken bass
strings (maybe 10 in the last two months - never before). The key bushings
have also gone from excellent condition to slapping neighboring
keys.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>The guy I work for requested that I depower the
piano by decreasing blow distance and, correspondingly, key dip. Seems like a
good idea. I had not heard of that approach before. Seems to me the piano
player will notice it and not like it. But that is just my guess. I
reduced dip in the bass by 0.075" - and then blow by about five times that -
to about 1.5 inches. (From middle "C" on down, I added 0.025" punchings on the
front rail every half-octave until I got to the bass where I added the three
punchings to each front key pin - so that there was a transition to the
shorter dip.)</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I have seen recommendations for increasing
let-off to depower a pounder. I have never tried that though. Just curious
whether anyone has any experience with the technique I outlined above, and how
much dip/blow reduction is best to adequately depower the piano, but not
aggravate the player too much. The amount I used what just a wild guess on my
part.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Terry
Farrell</FONT></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>