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<DIV><FONT size=3>Hello all:</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3>As one who has been lurking in the string =
breakage
discussion, I would like to offer a possibility that hasn't been offered =
yet as
to why strings break in the M&H but not in the Story & Clark, =
given all
else is considered and equal.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3>I'm wondering if the designers of the M&H were =
attempting
to produce a piano that had as much power and sound as possible and in =
the
attempt, designed the scaling closer to the edge in regard to the =
tensions
being closer to breaking point.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3>The Story & Clark, being a piano intended for =
mass
consumption, might have a more conservative scaling and as such, might =
be nearly
impossible to ever break strings by mere playing unless they were to =
become
extremely corroded.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3>As for the force discussion, Newton's second law has =
the
resultant equation the F=ma. Which is force equals the mass times the
acceleration. Disregarding friction, the forces input into a =
linkage
system will equal the forces produced by a linkage system. This means =
F[at the
key] = F[at the hammer] = F[at the string]. Going further, if we
subsitute the mass x the acceleration (ma)side of the equation, =
then
ma[force at key] = ma [impact of hammer] = ma[string
vibration].</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3>To lower the ma[string vibration], one has to lower =
the
ma[hammer impact], and to do that one has to lower the ma[force at key]. =
They
will all remain equal and to paraphrase Newton =
law 'Energy is
neither gained nor lost'.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3>If you lighten the hammer, and you change nothing =
else, and
you hit the key with the same blow and you believe energy is neither =
gained nor
lost, then the end result is that the hammer will just accelerate =
faster.
Lightening the hammer will not work by itself unless you undertake a way =
to also
lessen the acceleration. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3>The most common way to do that is to let-off sooner =
and/or
reduce the hammer blow distance. The ma[at the hammer] will become lower =
and as
a result the string will get less vibrational energy. But where does the =
ma[at
the key] go? After all, don't all the forces remain equal? Well, the =
forces will
remain equal but there will be less force at the hammer because all the =
forces
put into the linkage after let-off will go into the front rail felts. In =
other
words, there is added aftertouch and the forces are dissipated into the =
keybed,
which is where all excessive forces at the keybed have always gone =
anyway.
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3>There is another problem to consider. =
Sooner let-off and
decreased hammer blow might save strings and hammers but it does not =
solve the
problem of brutality at the keyboard. One has to wonder if doing these
adjustments simply enables and introduces the specter of other problems
developing that may in the end be much more serious.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>The reader will notice that no mention was made here of hammer =
voicing.
This was already covered in an earlier post. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>All the best.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Tom Thievin R.P.T.(Canadian Association of Piano
Technicians).</DIV></BODY></HTML>