some more equal

[Farrell]

Sorry to hear about your experience. Sounds kinda strange though. All the churches I service have newer Yamaha U-3s in the choir rooms, and new Shimmel grands in the sanctuaries! 

..................and then I had another dream....................

I wish I understood exactly what you were trying to describe with this equal-tension scale. I need to start educating myself on scale design theory (and about 83 other major topics!). Is there a text that does a good job covering the basics? Thanks.

Terry Farrell
  
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Ron Nossaman" <RNossaman@KSCABLE.com>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Wednesday, May 15, 2002 11:39 PM
Subject: some more equal


> How does one wash a morning out of memory? Why is it that huge and
> wonderful labyrinthine old monolithic churches so often have such nasty pianos?
> 
> Choir room: A 50's vintage Harwood spinet, with all the bells, whistles,
> clangs, and rattles.
> 
> Parlor: A late model Wurlitzer spinet, with all the bells, whistles,
> rattles, clangs, and a BWARF through the tenor and low treble courtesy of a
> severely concave soundboard. Joy.
> 
> The highlight was the 5' Cable-Nelson grand in the sanctuary. New hammers,
> and keytops that apparently were judged to be a close enough fit to the
> keys without the inconvenience of trimming them to fit. The rest of the
> piano original - and virtually unplayable. But that's just the usual stuff.
> The interesting part, at least to me, was the tell-tale speaking length
> changes evident in the tenor/treble bridge. While I can't know for sure
> without measuring the scale, which likely won't happen unless they suddenly
> decide to have the piano reincarnated, this appears to be yet another equal
> tension scale. Too strange for a Cable-Nelson, and how many of these equal
> tension scaling projects from various manufacturers are out there anyway?
> The spacing of the speaking length adjustments (runs of 10, 8) would seem
> to indicate that they didn't even use half sizes, which makes it even more
> bizarre. I would never have suspected Cable-Nelson of having been guilty of
> exploratory scaling. Ever. So my local horizon was broadened a little in
> spite of it all. It didn't make up for the rest of the misery, but it was
> sure a lot more entertaining than the rest of the attention getters I did
> battle with that trip. Now if they would just be struck by lightning and
> call me back to remanufacture it, there is a thing or twelve I'd like to do
> - besides recording the scale for my archives.
> 
> Ron N