tapping strings

[Ron Torrella]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-caut@ptg.org [mailto:owner-caut@ptg.org]On Behalf Of Ron
> Nossaman
> Sent: Thursday, April 04, 2002 1:04 AM
> To: caut@ptg.org
> Subject: Re: tapping strings
>
> Nope. The string doesn't climb off of the bridge top, and the pin
> doesn't climb
> out of it's hole. As the bridge swells with humidity increase, it
[snip]
> flagpole, making false beats. I don't think it's physically possible for a
> string to ride up bridge pins if there is positive downbearing, a
> realistic
> side bearing offset across the bridge, and a reasonable cant to the bridge
> pins. The side bearing angle and pin cant alone will keep the
> string on the
> bridge cap even with zero downbearing.
[another snip]
> Tapping pins in does maybe three things that will affect false
> beats. First, it
> drags the string down with it as it goes in (bending it around
> the crushed cap
> edge to make enough contact to quiet the false beat). This is
> temporary. The
> pin stays tapped down, but the string straightens back out and
> loses contact
> with the cap edge again. Second, it gets the string bearing against a new

But, wait! You just said you didn't think it was physically possible for a
string to ride up on a bridge pin if there's positive downbearing! So, if'n
there's positive bearing, why would the string want to straighten back out?

I think that, if there's not very much side bearing -- if the offset between
front and back pins isn't very steep -- it's possible for the wire to climb
the pin at least to a certain point and *stay* there if the instrument is
played for extended periods. I've noticed this happening on freshly restrung
(and brand-new) pianos as well as not-so-recently restrung ones. A very
gentle tap will make the string pop out of the groove that's formed at the
zenith of its travels.

We're talking about tapping strings and crushing the front edge of the
bridge -- isn't this happening, to some degree anyhow, when the piano's
played? I think it's akin to trying to keep a piano in tune or a child
seated for extended periods of time. It's just a fact of life that it ain't
gonna happen. And neither will strings remain seated on the bridge. They get
too excited and need to be re-settled.