Hi Jim Thanks as always. I guess it is apparent I did not spend much time in a full blown rebuilding shop. I had the opportunity if I was persistant once upon a time, but I was busy in the field. Now I am begging for field work, and there is no rebuilding shop around. Well that is the breaks. So this forum is as they might say the vicarious experience. You might be interested to know that I tried tuning a "stretched" temp octave. (A 440 to A220) The A 220 would probably be 219. Any how the Korg needle type tuner I use for establishing pitch showed the lower A a little flat. How much inharmonicity was involved I cant really tell as I have to guess at the space the needle stands in when it is between lines. But I tuned the A octave "beatless" then lowered the lower A to about half of what a tempered fifth would sound like. I know the fifth is narrow and I am describing a wide octave, but its sound sounded more like a tempered fifth than the tempered fourth which is on the wide side. I couldn't get the fifths to pure, the ones that were, turned out to be errors, ie they didn't hold out an octave or two above or below before causing objectionable beating in the fourths or thirds or tenths. But that was the first try. Now you are making me wish I had a machine, as theoretically a stretched octave should yield purer fifths. It is just too impossible (for me) to tune by ear that much "away" from what I have been taught and practiced. Also that a stretched octave would give faster thirds, but who could tell execpt in testing. In music if the A to C# third were a little faster, who could tell? I might meekly venture to say that what is happening is that the theoretical beat rates is not what actually occurs unless a machine is set to produce those. In other words, the ear tends to tune the fifths purer than those on paper, while a machine might adhere closer to the mathmatical predictions. There is also the consideration that the ear hears the beats caused by inharmonicity and adjusts accordingly. If a machine is set up for inharmonicity only on three notes, its results might differ. But my wild guess would say no. That the difference between machine and ear is not different enough to make a differnce that musicians would/ could discern or prefer. But then pianists have been known to prefer one tuner over others. In that regard I would surmise it is the same as listeners who prefer one pianist over another. Rambling Richard ps How come there is not that much raving about Andre Watts? (lately) And who is the pianist on the Tschaikowsky Piano Concerto # 2 that public radio has been playing lately? Now there is a piano voiced and tuned better than expected. I don't suppose the tuner got any credit other than his fee? ---------- > From: Jim <pianotoo@IMAP2.ASU.EDU> > To: Richard Moody <remoody@easnetsd.com> > Cc: pianotech@ptg.org > Subject: Re: pin height, driving fluid, beckets > Date: Thursday, June 19, 1997 1:40 AM > > Hi Richard: > > The slope which you speak of is required in order that the treble strings > will be at a lower plane to pass under the Bass overstringing. This slope > also allows for a continuous level pinblock upper surface. This slope is > not required for the Bass whose strings are at a higher elevation. > > The inclined plane or plate THEY were referring to has to do usually > with open face pinblocks which are slanted upward from the Agraffes. > They are a little difficult to replace - lots of cutting and fitting. > There were some old Chickerings which had pinclock segments machine > screwed up to the bottom of the plate from below. Some of these had > slanted surfaces. There were several European grands which had slanted > pinblocks. > > Jim Coleman, Sr. > > On Wed, 18 Jun 1997, Richard Moody wrote: > > > I am wondering about the inclined plates. Is that the same as the > > "ski slope" as in the Steinway (M at least) in the first two octaves > > of the tenor section. I heard an explaination of the "reason why" > > but have forgotten it. (The strings from the agraffe to the pins go > > over a "slope" covered with felt.) I also see it on a Chickering > > grand. In uprights there is the pressure bar, but still why the need > > for that slope? unless to make an upper duplex possible..... > > > > Richard >
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