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<DIV><FONT face="MS Sans Serif" size=2>I would not lift firmly near the hammer strike point. You can put a kink in the string very easily. Gentle lifting with a hook as near to the capo bar or agraffe as possible is best. Better is to massage the string from underneath with a blunt tool. An old agraffe in a combo handle works quite well and you can massage all three strings at once. </FONT></DIV>
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<DIV>David Love</DIV>
<DIV><A href="mailto:davidlovepianos@earthlink.net">davidlovepianos@earthlink.net</A></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=Piannaman@aol.com href="mailto:Piannaman@aol.com"></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> 3/6/2004 8:46:49 AM </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: New topic: Lifting the Strings</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV><FONT size=2><FONT face=arial,helvetica><FONT size=2 PTSIZE="10">In a message dated 3/6/04 8:07:34 AM Pacific Standard Time, michael@gambles.fsnet.co.uk writes: <BR><BR><BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px" TYPE="CITE">You mentioned "lifting the strings" Could you explain the method, and the why's and wherefore's here?</BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>Michael, <BR><BR>I'll start off with a few tidbits. Others will undoubtedly jump in and offer a far greater wealth of knowledge. <BR><BR>LIfting the strings is done to level them in relation to their neigbors and is done with a string hook(not to be confused with a stringing hook: see Schaff, or other similar catalogue). If the strings are not level, you will notice it in tuning(one string will sound softer or louder than its neighbors, for instance), uneven hammer wear, and voicing. <BR><BR>What you're doing is hooking under the string near the hammer strike point, and pulling up rather firmly on the T-handle in order to alter the shape of the bend under a termination point, thus levelling it with its neighbors. It isn't possible to mate hammer with strings if the strings are not level with each other. <BR><BR>Hope this helps, <BR><BR>Dave Stahl</FONT> </FONT></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>