bars.

[Charles K. Ball]

Hi Ed,

The first time I found that one of our students had removed a strut 
(diagonal bar) from a D I flew into an apoplectic rage.  Much to my 
surprise, however, it just slipped back in.  Since then, I have 
routinely removed this bar for damper work, etc. on several D's 
without the least resistance or consequence.

My understanding is that the bar is not there to bear compressive 
tension from the strings, but to support the plate at a weak point 
when the piano is on its side, being moved.  It was described to me 
as a design enhancement to prevent plate fracturing during moving, 
especially if the piano is dropped on the spine side.  Otherwise, in 
my experience, it would appear to be a useless appendage.

My approach here at UT has been to treat extended techniques and 
prepared piano performance as a valid and legitimate endeavor, and to 
support it by helping to train the students and faculty in "safe" 
techniques.  I like to say that it is more important to "prepare" the 
pianist, than the piano.  The dampers are the most vulnerable system, 
especially when there is strumming in the heat of a performance. 
Make sure that the performer is careful to avoid that area.

BTW, Ed, a piano faculty member is performing the Goldberg Variations 
this weekend on harpsichord and piano, with the hps tuned unequally. 
I will give a brief talk about the differences.  I chose to use the 
Kirnberger temperament, because (1) he was a student of Bach, (2) it 
has just intervals in the basic key of the piece, (3) it has big 
color contrasts, (4) the name sounds somewhat like a sandwich.


Warm regards,

Charles




>Greetings,
>    Crumb has come to Vanderbilt, and the head of the music department is
>telling me that the plate strut needs to come out of one of the concert
>pianos, so the strings can be "strummed" for a student performance. 
>    This looks like some peril, and a lot of retuning.  I do know that one of
>these bars will not go back in unless the tension is dropped a WHOLE lot. 
>Anybody got any info that will help me convince them it would be cheaper to
>move one of our B's in, instead of destabilizing the concert pianos?
>Regards,
>Ed Foote RPT

-- 
Charles Ball, RPT
School of Music
University of Texas at Austin
ckball@mail.utexas.edu