high or low?

[David Love]

Not being a scale design person, but judging from observation, I would
think high or low tension has to do with the amount of tension per string
on average calculated using speaking length, string diameter and target
CPS.  Looking at various scale data, it seems that on average, in the tenor
and treble sections, low tension pianos come in around 150 lbs per string
while high tension pianos come in around 160 - 165 lbs per string.  Bass
string scaling seems then to be calculated to create a smooth transition in
total tension note for note through the bass.  The question as it pertains
to this thread and ETD users (and scale designers for that matter) is how
these differences effect inharmonicity and loudness.  Different scale
designers seem to choose to balance the effects of tension in terms of
loudness and inharmonicity in different ways while keeping other limiting
factors in mind (such as breaking points).    Perhaps there are some out
there who can comment in more and better detail.

David Love
davidlovepianos@earthlink.net


> [Original Message]
> From: Cy Shuster <charter1400@charter.net>
> To: Pianotech <pianotech@ptg.org>
> Date: 7/14/2003 10:09:28 PM
> Subject: Re: high or low?
>
> I don't know the answer, but I ran across this yesterday on the Steinway
> site.  It's interesting to compare the specs for the US model L and the
> Hamburg model O:
>
> http://steinway.com/steinway/specs/model_o.shtml
>
> http://steinway.com/steinway/specs/model_l.shtml
>
> The O has a "tension" of 19,000 kg, and a "cast iron treble bell".  The
L's
> tension is 16,471 kg, and has this accompanying sentence: "Note: Treble
bell
> is not required in smaller grands of lesser tensions.".
>
> --Cy Shuster--
> Rochester, MN
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> >James Grebe wrote:
> >What would be the best way to determine whether a piano scale is high
> tension or low
> >tension?
> >What is the dividing line between the two?
>
>
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