<html> <body> Julia - The questions are disarmingly innocent when viewed within the context of the numerous debates, at times extremely contentious, which have taken place here over the last x number of  days, weeks, months, years.  In other words, you are absolutely correct in asking, but simple answers do not do your questions justice, if you truly wish to understand.  In Dale's effort to supply just such a simple answer, there is, mixed together, both accurate and potentially confusing information...confusing in the sense that it states as accepted fact much of what we seem to have been arguing about, of late. I do agree with the basic idea of downbearing as being the force directed against the bridge in response to a deflection of the string plane by the bridge height, and, I suppose it is the general consensus that  "It is important there be some, just how"much" would vary with the specific design of the piano." I also agree that both the archives and past issues of the journal should be thoroughly examined in order to begin to understand the larger ramifications of downbearing. However, much of the remainder continues to be debated: <blockquote type=cite class=cite cite>It is also important that there be "crown" on the soundboard.</blockquote> So what do we do with all these claims regarding pianos that seem to sound good without any measurable crown? <blockquote type=cite class=cite cite>If the soundboard has collaspsed--it is still possible if the plate is low enough that there will be "downbearing".</blockquote> But we still debate whether such downbearing has the same effect as the same amount on a flat or positively crowned board. <blockquote type=cite class=cite cite>With negative downbearing the strings will not touch the top of the bridge.</blockquote> Of course, Dale means that, were you to remove the bridge pins from a string which had such negative downbearing, it would not contact the bridge surface.  Yet negative downbearing is another of those issues whose significance has recently been undergoing review in this forum. <blockquote type=cite class=cite cite>Postive crown and positive downbearing are usually considered to be desireable for an instrument to sound well. </blockquote> And yet, as stated above, there are constant claims of fine results without the presence of crown, for example: <blockquote type=cite class=cite cite>Date: Wed, 31 Dec 2003 20:56:42 -0500 (EST) From: Erwinspiano@aol.com Subject: Re: No downbearing ? I recently put bridge caps on one of the first Baldwin Uprights (1880) ever built. (Gorgeous looking & sounding) The board was flat as a pancake. I shimmed hairline cracks and then applied scraped off the old varnish and epoxy finish treatment to the front of the board. This is an amazing sounding piano. I really think that the hardness of the epoxy finish is also a contributing tonal factor.</blockquote> I'm not looking for answers to the above comments here, as I'm still slogging through the many posts that were submitted, just since August, regarding downbearing, crown and soundboards.   As much as I felt unfulfilled by the recent threads regarding downbearing and coupling, I realize that any current discussion must be informed by what others have, with considerable sacrifice and generosity, already contributed. Good luck in your quest, Julia. David Skolnik At 11:44 AM 2/19/2004 -0500, you wrote: <blockquote type=cite class=cite cite>             Hi Julia    The list just had quite a discussion on it 2 weeks ago. Check archives.           Regards--Dale <dl> <dd>Hi Julia, <dd>Downbearing is the force the strings on a grand piano apply to the bridge. <dd>Hence the name "downbearing". It is important there be some, just how <dd>"much" would vary with the specific design of the piano. It is also <dd>important that there be "crown" on the soundboard. If the soundboard has <dd>collaspsed--it is still possible if the plate is low enough that there will <dd>be "downbearing". <dd>With negative downbearing the strings will not touch the top of the bridge. <dd>Postive crown and positive downbearing are usually considered to be <dd>desireable for an instrument to sound well. <dd>At 11:11 AM 2/19/2004 EST, you wrote: <dd>>Greetings, <dd>> <dd>>           What exactly is downbearing? Does it affect the sound of the <dd>>piano or is it a mechanical/ physics measurement for the playability of the <dd>>piano? Why is it important to measure it? Can it be calculated by a <dd>>formula(e)? What does it mean? <dd>> </dl></blockquote></body> </html>