adding notes to upright

[Delwin D Fandrich]

The answer to this question will become self-evident once you have learned
something about piano structure.

The short answer is: you can't -- with any degree of practicality -- add any
notes at all to an existing piano. In brief, it would involve either cutting
and extending the plate and, given the nature of the gray iron the plate is
made of, it will probably break where it welded back together, or making a
new plate. Of these two choices, making a new plate will be, by far, the
most practical, though not particularly easy or inexpensive. In either case,
this larger plate is not going to fit inside your existing Rico casework.
Neither will the new action that you will have to make to accommodate your
new scale. Or the new, expanded keyset. You're going to have to find an
extra 115 to 130 mm (4 1/2 to 5+") somewhere.

An alternative, of course, would be to make new action rails and try to
squeeze all of the additional action components into the existing space. In
this case you are going to end up with severe action clearance problems --
especially in the bass.

In other words, to get what you want, you're going to have to start from
scratch.

Once again, before you start dreaming of these things, do your homework.
Well, dreaming is ok, but -- and you can trust me on this -- no one on this
list (or anywhere else, for that) is going to design a new piano for you
this week. And that, basically, is what you are asking for.

Learn the basics of piano technology. Rebuild a few pianos -- like a hundred
or so. If you're drawn to upright piano, make sure at least half of those
are uprights. No, don't just rebuild them...study them. Put new soundboards
in them. Redesign the scales. Listen and evaluate the results. Think about
them. Just think. Question why the original designer did what he did. Did
you do better or worse -- be honest, now. Do it over, if need be. Study
something of piano design and structure. There are no schools that teach
this stuff, but while you are in school study something of mechanical
engineering. A little acoustics and something of vibration analysis wouldn't
hurt either. Then you will understand why it is impractical to add four
notes to the treble of any piano. And why, in a scale short enough to fit in
any upright of practical size, it is not acoustically feasible to add five
notes to the bass of an existing scale.

This is not rocket science, but surely we're beyond the 'hack and tack'
stage by now. (No offence, but here I refer to the various atrocities found
around the country that are the result of somebody's crude attempts, over
the years, to cut down or expand, lower or widen, or in some other, often
highly creative, manner, irrevocably alter some poor existing piano. In most
cases these pianos were butchered beyond recognition and have become useless
for just about anything beyond landfill.)

Regards,

Del

Delwin D Fandrich
Piano Designer & Builder
Hoquiam, Washington  USA
E.mail:  pianobuilders@olynet.com
Web Site:  http://pianobuilders.olynet.com/
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----- Original Message -----
From: "Stephen Airy" <stephen_airy@yahoo.com>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: December 19, 2000 2:00 AM
Subject: adding notes to upright


> I am planning on restoring a Ricca & Son upright that I own sometime when
I
> have the money.  I also play the piano, and because of my style I often
run
> out of notes when I reach the end of the keyboard, but I am unfortunately
> unable to afford a Bosendorfer.  I was wondering -- is there a way I could
> figure out if, and how many, notes I can add at each end of the piano?  I
> have room on the key blocks to add extra keys, but my concern is the
action
> and strings.  I'd like to, if possible, add 5 notes in the bass and 4
notes
> in the treble, for a total of 97 keys, or 8 octaves.  What do you think?
>
> Currently it is A1 to F#10 monochord, G11 to B27 bichord, C28 to C88
> trichord.  If I extended the keys the way I was thinking, I was thinking
> move the mono-bi break to E9 / F10 and either leave the bi / tri break
> alone or move it down a half step.
>
>
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