dented piano wire

[Jim Coleman, Sr.]

Hi to all on the list:

This situation Lance discovered displays an abysmal ignorance about seating
strings on the part of the previous technician (butcher?). There are some
who think that if a little hammer helps, a bigger hammer will be better.

I believe there is more damage done by ignorantly setting strings. It 
requires only the lightest of touch to seat a string. Any more than this
will indent the bridge further which will make the matter worse in the
long run. The light tapping should be done on the string at the contact
point with the bridge pin. A downward bend in the string in front of the
bridge pin will actually cause the string to want to ride up on the bridge
pin more.

There is an old proverb which says: a little knowledge is a dangerous thing.

I am taking the time to write this for the benefit of those who have never
seen a real professional do the string tapping thing. They move along 
very rapidly, giving a very light tap to each string with the brass drift
pointing in the same direction as the bridge pin angle and the contact
point with the string is right at the brige pin contact point. The bridge
pins must also be tight.

Tapping strings at the bridge pins is not a permanent fix for anything. The
same forces which caused them to rise in the first place, will cause 
them to rise again. Tapping strings at the bridge pin is a voicing procedure
to be used only for the immediate benefit. It is not a lasting thing.

Many of you have noticed when destringing a piano that the indentation of
the string marks on the bridge surface is deeper near the bridge pins than
at the middle of the bridge. You have also noticed that the indentation
usually extends out beyond the tangency with the bridge pins. This is what
causes most wild string effects. The best fix of course is to recap the
bridge during rebuilding process. Another fix is to install the next size
bridge pins which will force the strings over and to not ride in the bottom
of the string grooves. Another fix is clean up the bridge notch so that the
string speaking length first contacts the bridge at the same point as it
contacts the bridge pin. Whatever you do will need redoing in 20 years 
or less. I hope you all are around and can handle it then.

Jim Coleman, Sr.


On Mon, 9 Aug 1999, Lance Lafargue wrote:

> Last week I worked for a piano competition on a Steinway D.  In the lower
> treble section of the piano a previous tech had tapped the speaking length
> of the treble wire with something near the bridge pins, so that just before
> the bridge pins on the speaking lenght the strings were kinked or dented.
> Of course I fought false beats all week.
> 
> To prep the piano initially I seated strings at all pressure points, pulled
> some wire around hitch pins which pulled the dents out of the speaking
> length, and in desperation, even took a pair of needle nose pliers and tried
> to reverse the kinks or straighten the wire (only minimal improvement).
> Does anyone have any other suggestions short of restringing this piano?
> Thanks.
> 
> Lance Lafargue, RPT
> Mandeville, LA
> New Orleans Chapter
> 
> 
>