tapping strings

[Ron Nossaman]

>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?

At the edge, you mean? Because it's stiff and springy and wants to go in a
straight line.


>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.

If anything, more side bearing would make it more possible for strings to
stay up bridge pins. I don't believe this does, or can happen under normal
circumstances. I've never seen any evidence whatsoever of a piano with
positive bearing with the string being held up off of the cap, touching
only the pins. If this is supposed to be so common, why doesn't seating at
the center of the bridge have the same effect as seating at the bridge pin?
It doesn't, you know. Because the string isn't up off of the bridge. It is,
of course, possible with vertical bridge pins and negative bearing, but
tapping that string down won't make it sound any better. 

Ron N