Breaking strings on a new Kawai grand

[David Skolnik]

Byron-

First, did you mean a model GE30? (5'5").  I don't see any GE3 on the Kawai 
website.   No one has addressed the stringing scale, hardness of hammers, 
shape and hardness of capo bar, angle of strings coming off capo bar (any 
front duplex?) on this fairly short model piano  Why don't you have her 
practice a bit next time you're there (before you tune)? It might give you 
an idea of how much her style is contributing to the problem.  Of no 
relevance to this issue, but out of curiosity, how would you describe the 
degree of torque on the tuning pins?

Good luck

David Skolnik
Hastings, NY


At 12:52 PM 2/4/2003 -0800, you wrote:

>I recently tuned a four-year-old Kawai GE3 and ended up replacing 13 
>broken strings  (26 unisons). I found out that the client has broken 
>twenty some strings since she bought the piano. She is a tiny (100 lbs) 
>third year performance piano University student that is studying under a 
>Russian instructor. The Russian instructor possibly explains the banging 
>technique that she has acquired. She told me that she has broken strings 
>on other pianos. All of the broken strings are in the high mid-treble and 
>low high-treble and broken at the capo bar and some of the replaced 
>strings have been broken.
>
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>I realize that this piano would probably not have any problems in 95 
>percent of the homes it would be placed in because the players would not 
>pound so. However I'm wondering:
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>
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>1. Could it be a flaw in the piano design or construction?
>
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>2. If anything can be done to make these strings less susceptible to breakage?
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>Any insight would be appreciated. These strings are covered by warranty 
>but the situation is not good because she has to practice on a piano with 
>missing strings or newly replaced (constantly going flat) strings.
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>Thanks
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>
>Byron Quam piano tuning and repair
>
>Vancouver BC