Most of my piano tuning is on older pianos that haven't been tuned for quite a few years. It is common for these pianos to be 70-120 cents flat. I've encountered a problem with some of the strings. They feel like they have become brittle and don't want to stretch. Normally, strings have an elastic feel. These strings feel hard. Sometimes when I try to raise their pitch, they feel elastic for a few cents change and then become hard. Other times, they are hard right from the beginning. Those that feel hard feel like I'm pulling on a rock. With some of the strings, I've had success in raising their pitch by lowing the tension, raising it, lowing it, raising it, etc. Other times, that sequence does not help. Am I correct in my interpretation that the strings are going brittle? Instead of that, could it be just high friction at the pressure/V bars? Both? Is there a better technique than the changing of tension? What ever the cause of the problem, it is serious, because I've found that when the strings go hard, they will break if I apply any more torque. Any comments about interpreting the "hardness" and about techniques to handle it will be appreciated!! /Allen Leigh allen@pengar.com a-leigh@risky.wcslc.edu
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