Restringing

[Richard Brekne]

Delwin D Fandrich wrote:

> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Richard Brekne <richardb@c2i.net>
> To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
> Sent: February 12, 2000 10:58 AM
> Subject: Re: Restringing

>
> I might point out that you are both making the assumption that what you see
> on the piano is what the designer intended.  This is, of course, not always
> the case.  The V-bar profile that ends up in the piano is usually what the
> foundry workers put on it.  Or the plate grinders in the piano factory.  It
> may or may not bear any resemblance to what the designer intended.  All too
> frequently it does not.
>
> Del

Ok... I can buy this much... But there is an aspect to this issue that I have to
admit fascinates me and seems to be a point which continiuosly gets passed by.
And that is this buisness about the effect of the termination point on
inharmonicity.

The sharper and thiner the front termination point the lower the inharmonicity,
and the rounder and wider the termination point the more. This due to the fact
that the thin and sharp allow for more flexing about the termination point, with
more bending attributed to the wide and round...

Now compare that to the fact that the higher partials of lower notes tend to be
sharp... and increasingly so as one goes up the partial ladder, then their
coincidents from higher fundementals. This is the reason for the need to stretch
the octaves..

ok so far... One thing I have been toying with in my mind is to take a piano
which has a V termination point along the whole tenor / treble area and graduate
it. Starting at the lower tenor with a thin sharp profile... gradually getting
to a wide and round one in the high treble.

This should in theory then have to some degree the effect of balancing out the
inharmoncity of the scale so that the partial ladders for different notes are
easier to match.. ?? grin... or am I off on some bizarre tangent again..?

In any case it might be fun to give it a whirl and see what happens. Of course
there are going to be other consequences dealing with sustain and strength of
different partials.. but what the heck...

Any thoughts ?


--
Richard Brekne
Associate PTG, N.P.T.F.
Bergen, Norway