Honored and Respected Sir -- You have hit the nail on the proverbial (what is that thing we hit it on?) (flat-top, bumper cushion, whack-spot, header thingamabob?) and I can only thank you for your insights and retire the field, enlightened. Why, on the matter of Cristofali alone you have totally won the day. Did I not greet with delight the dichotomy, as sententious statements were made about a misspelled historic figure? But that's another list, another era ... I have, however, been told that "whippen", though American all right, dates only from the time a Journal article-writer invented it and consistently used it for awhile. One has to ask someone who is old enough to remember this, and also happens to _notice_ spellings ... As to the telling thing -- handsome is as handsome plays, I always say, which I'm sure indicates agreement somewhere along the line. Great minds, etc. Yours faithfully, Susan P.S. Merle Mason did right a reely fun book. {{ :--> ) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- At 09:34 AM 8/11/97 -0400, Jim wrote: >My Dearest Ms Kline; > There is a hallowed tradition within the piano community, manufacturers as >well as techs, to name piano parts and their purpose with obfuscatory >nomenclatures. > Any attempt to standardize such will be, and is, doomed to failure. Would >we even want to do so ?! Why just think of the hours of discussion on >whether we use a (1) balance rail, (2) balancier (3) repetition rail, (4) >repetition lever; And the hours we can spend on whether we use a (1) >pinblock, (2) wrest plank, (3) pin plank. I can not leave out one of my >favorites the infamous 'stretcher', you know the one we like to scratch with >many different and creative techniques ? What is this really called? is it a > (1) frontal bar, (2) front bar, (3) front rail, (4) front beam, (5) upper >beam, (6) stretcher, (7) stiffener bar, (8) cornice, (9) bellyman >strip.........?? > The name 'wippon' as used on this list told everyone what the person was >speaking of, although this is the British spelling of 'wippen'. This in >itself is not unusual as the poster was British. It does serve to point out >though the naming inconsistencies so rampant throughout pianodom. Besides, >isn't it really called a 'whippen'? > > Throughout recorded time we have gotten by with ......."you know that >little do-hickey that is connected to the thing-a-ma-jig which pops out, >allowing the knocker to fall back from the wire so the back block can hold >it. > I bet everyone knows exactly what I am talking about here, and that is >kinda scary....huh? We must remember that we are the same group that can't >decide whether 'Christofori' or 'Cristofori' is correct ! > Even Merle introduces inconsistencies in the book you mention....for >instance what is the "waste end" of a string? >(from the book and quoting you) >"Duplex scales: <snip> some piano manufacturers have divided off the rear >waste ends of the strings in lengths representing an _aliquot_". > >And speaking of "rear" where is "rear" located on a piano? An upright?, A >grand? > No My Dear Susan we much would prefer stumbling along using such terms as >do-hickey, thing-a-ma-jig and the well known "thingummy" , which you used and >mispelled , by the way. :-). ('thingummy', often misused abbreviation, in >place of the more technically corecct 'dabgumm'...corecct spelling of >'thingummy' is that 'damnoledabgumm'.) > Solutions to this problem of nomencalture are many but the telling thing >is....can we get the parts to do what they do best, as best they can do >them?, whatever they are called. > Just some further thoughts on nomeclature. >Jim Bryant (FL) > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Susan Kline P.O. Box 1651 Philomath, OR 97370 skline@proaxis.com "Enormous amounts of information are availabble, including, however, very little reliable data on what it all means." -- Ashleigh Brilliant
This PTG archive page provided courtesy of Moy Piano Service, LLC