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<br>
Rob,<br>
<br>
At 01:34 PM 1/27/01 -0800, you wrote:<br>
<blockquote type=cite cite>Bill, <br>
<br>
I must say that this is one of the most amusing piano stories I have
heard in a long time. I don't know if I could contribute to a
solution more than what has already been suggested but you at least made
my day. Shooting bass string missiles at the congregation in
church.... now THAT'S funny!! Is their any particular hymn that
they play that most likely tends to cause this? </blockquote><br>
Probably something in C, F, G, or Bb...<br>
<br>
Bill, FWIW, I think these are all good suggestions, but my personal
favorite is from Dave Porritt. My experience with these things is
that my own needs have been best served by helping the client find
another technician...sooner or later, this is a no-win for the
technician, and it is good to know when to fold.<br>
<br>
Best regards.<br>
<br>
Horace<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<blockquote type=cite cite>Rob Goodale, RPT <br>
Las Vegas, NV <br>
<br>
<br>
Billbrpt@AOL.COM wrote: <br>
<blockquote type=cite cite><font face="arial" size=2>List,</font> <br>
<br>
<font face="arial" size=2>Yes, it's true and I need some opinions on what
to do about it. It is a</font> <br>
<font face="arial" size=2>Young Chang Grand model G-185, only a few years
old. It is meticulously</font> <br>
<font face="arial" size=2>cared for but early in it's service, the
pianist at this, shall we say,</font> <br>
<font face="arial" size=2>"spirit filled" church complained of
bass strings breaking and shooting out</font> <br>
<font face="arial" size=2>of the piano.</font> <br>
<br>
<font face="arial" size=2>I have tried all of the usual. I filed
the hammers. A monitor feeds back</font> <br>
<font face="arial" size=2>sound to the pianist. When I explained to
the church directors that it is</font> <br>
<font face="arial" size=2>the "vigorous" style of playing that
sometimes causes strings to break, the</font> <br>
<font face="arial" size=2>pianist resigned. Things were OK for a
while but now there is a young lady</font> <br>
<font face="arial" size=2>who is firing scuds at the congregation faster
than I can get there to</font> <br>
<font face="arial" size=2>collect them, get them duplicated and replace
them.</font> <br>
<br>
<font face="arial" size=2>She is quite upset and beside herself.
She refuses to believe that it is the</font> <br>
<font face="arial" size=2>*way* the piano is played that is causing
this. She claims that she has</font> <br>
<font face="arial" size=2>played the piano "all her life" and
has never seen or even heard of this</font> <br>
<font face="arial" size=2>happening. The piano has a string cover
which she yanks out and throws in</font> <br>
<font face="arial" size=2>the corner. She also says she has never
played a piano with a "blanket" in</font> <br>
<font face="arial" size=2>it and just "couldn't" play with it
in there. I have firmly insisted that at</font> <br>
<font face="arial" size=2>this point, it is a matter of public safety and
won't have any effect on the</font> <br>
<font face="arial" size=2>sound.</font> <br>
<br>
<font face="arial" size=2>I am thinking that these wound strings must
have particularly high tension.</font> <br>
<font face="arial" size=2>Does anyone know if this is so? Over the
years I have heard of other such</font> <br>
<font face="arial" size=2>instances that were cured by replacing the
wound strings with a set of</font> <br>
<font face="arial" size=2>lighter gauged, "happy"
strings. It would seem to me that a lower tension</font> <br>
<font face="arial" size=2>would solve the problem but in reading the
recent post about "replacement</font> <br>
<font face="arial" size=2>strings", I am confused. Some of
these strings have been breaking at the</font> <br>
<font face="arial" size=2>bass bridge termination point rather than the
agraffe. That seems very</font> <br>
<font face="arial" size=2>unusual to me.</font> <br>
<br>
<font face="arial" size=2>Should the manufacturer supply a new set of
wound strings and if so, should</font> <br>
<font face="arial" size=2>they be a set designed for lower tension?
I presume that heavier gauged,</font> <br>
<font face="arial" size=2>higher tension strings provide a bigger, bolder
sound. What effect would</font> <br>
<font face="arial" size=2>lower tension have? Just as a theoretical
question, would tuning the</font> <br>
<font face="arial" size=2>instrument to a lower pitch, say 100 cents
lower prevent this from happening</font> <br>
<font face="arial" size=2>(with the same gauge but a *new* set of
strings)? (I do not view this as an</font> <br>
<font face="arial" size=2>option, just a possibility that might work in
some other circumstance). (I</font> <br>
<font face="arial" size=2>also would not even consider altering the
regulation to deliberately produce</font> <br>
<font face="arial" size=2>less power).</font> <br>
<br>
<font face="arial" size=2>It is also interesting to note that to date,
only wound strings have broken,</font> <br>
<font face="arial" size=2>no plain wire.</font> <br>
<br>
<font face="arial" size=2>Bill Bremmer RPT</font> <br>
<font face="arial" size=2>Madison,
Wisconsin</font></blockquote></blockquote><br>
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<br>
<div>Horace Greeley,
<x-tab> </x-tab><x-tab> </x-tab><x-tab> </x-tab>email:<x-tab> </x-tab>hgreeley@stanford.edu<x-tab> </x-tab></div>
<div>CNA, MCP,
RPT<x-tab> </x-tab><x-tab> </x-tab><x-tab> </x-tab><x-tab> </x-tab></div>
<div>Systems
Analyst/Engineer<x-tab> </x-tab><x-tab> </x-tab>voice:<x-tab> </x-tab>650.725.9062</div>
<div>Controller's
Office<x-tab> </x-tab><x-tab> </x-tab><x-tab> </x-tab>fax:<x-tab> </x-tab>650.725.8014</div>
<div>Stanford University</div>
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<div>Stanford, CA 94305-6215</div>
<br>
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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