In a message dated 2/9/2010 5:48:45 P.M. Central Standard Time, A440A at aol.com writes: Greetings, I don't tap pins or strings, usually. Nor do I, nor have ever advocated it. But... What I have found effective is a very light press on the string, directly behind the distal bridge pin and then in front of the proximal bridge pin, with the tip of my tuning hammer. This is against the direction of the wire's curve as it comes off the bridge pin. This is not downward, but rather, into the pin. It straightens the wire's meniscus (the slight curvature in the wire). Even old pianos often go flat and improve when this is done. Almost invariably, there is anywhere from a .5 to 1.5 cent drop,(newer strings drop more than older ones). I do exactly the same thing but with a piece of maple dowel with a piece of leather around the tip. No steel on steel. There is always a pitch drop, although I've not measured it as accurately as you. Not only do I notice an improvement in stability of tone,(easily seen in the SAT display), but it is amazing how many false beats disappear when I do this. I agree with everything you say here except the use of the word "disappear". Perhaps "recede" and it is not permanent (for many of the reasons that David and Ron have already discussed--pace Ron). It has been my many experiences of return to the same piano only to find the false/real beats having returned (precessed? if it was a recession at the outset). I surmise that there is a better tone coming out of a string when the restorative force of the curve is removed. Interesting and probable, but undemonstrated except by way of the recent experimentation by Ellis and others on false/real beats as a result of string curvature. The same thing happens when I straighten out the downward curve at the capo or agraffe. This curve will never completely resolve itself by the simple tension, since the closer it gets to straight, the less effect the tension has to straighten it. To "train" carbon steel, one has to exceed its deformation limit. With 170 Lbs of tension on the wire, it takes very little force to actually make the string leave the pin with a curve in it. Another problem is the internal shape of the agraffe which is not radial but flattened in the center between the countersinks. The wire never entirely seats itself on the shape, leaving two points of contact inside the agraffe. I've experienced both more and less transient noise from pulling the string up at the agraffe. I've never experienced the same issue at the capo, particularly after dressing it properly. There is, of course, a solution to the agraffe, but that's another hobby horse. In this case, the outer circumferance of the curve as it goes around the pin must stretch a little more than it would by simply being pulled tight around the pin. I do this as I tune. It is quick, simple, requires no tools other than the one in hand, and makes tuning easier, tone better. regards, Ed Foote RPT http://www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/index.html -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <http://ptg.org/pipermail/caut.php/attachments/20100209/c7037472/attachment-0001.htm>
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