----- Original Message ----- From: "Dave Smith" <dsmith941@comcast.net> To: "Pianotech" <pianotech@ptg.org> Sent: May 08, 2003 8:03 AM Subject: Re: Oops... Re: Unusual rib structure? > Del, your description of modal analysis was lucid. I did this kind of > research for the auto industry in the 1970-80's using Fourier Analyzers. > Since retiring I have forgotten more than I ever knew, most likely. I had > assumed that this kind of research had already been done to exhaustion on > pianos, but have not searched for the technical papers. Has modal analysis > been done systematically on pianos? Is there any interest in or > useful application for, this kind of information today? I am not > volunteering, you understand, as I am trying very hard to become a competent > piano technician, and this would likely be a distraction. But it would make > a good university graduate research project if not already done AND if it > was useful information. > Very little of this work has been done to my knowledge. And the few projects I am aware of have been done with bare boards--i.e., no string attached. Unfortunately doing a full modal analysis on an unstrung board doesn't tell us much. Nor does a modal analysis of the board in one piano tell us much about the specific characteristic of a board in another piano. Del
This PTG archive page provided courtesy of Moy Piano Service, LLC