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THE
MUSIC TRADE
Conducted and Edited by Win. B. White.
11
REVIEW
nency. Try throughout to soften the hammers
only enough to obtain a tone moderately mellow
and full. Take care that it is neither too bril-
liant nor too mushy. Careful preparation of
the hammers by digging well into the depths
of the felt will assist here greatly. When you
come to even up the tone, it will be necessary
frequently to withdraw and replace the action.
Make little pencil marks in the middle of the
ivories, or at their top ends when you wish to in-
dicate a black key, whenever you find a ham-
mer needing attention, and when you nave six or
more marked this way, withdraw the action and
subject them to such treatment as they need,
then erase the marks, replace the action and test
again. Watch continually lest you make the
hammers too soft. When you have done all that
you can, tune once more, and then send for your
customer. Your piano ought now be near an ap-
proach to a new one.
one-eighth of an inch from the string. Practice
Piano Repairing—-(Continued.)
In taking up a grand action for the purpose of will enable the regulator to determine this dis-
regulating it, we must pay particular attention tance with great nicety.
to the points considered at the close of last
* * * *
week's article. We begin by adjusting the lost
Now, when you ha.ve well and carefully done
motion through the capstan screws, or rockers, all this, you may consider your task complete as
noting that the level of the hammer is adjusted far as the action regulating is concerned. You
so that the shank stands about an eighth of an now may turn your attention to the tuning and
inch above the cushion that belongs to the repe- tone regulation. If you know your business you
tition lever. This practice is different from will not have neglected to give the piano at least
that which obtains with upright and square ac- one rough tuning before the action regulating.
tions, In which latter the hammer shanks rest This rough tuning should be done in such a
oirectly on a cushion rail.
way as to test out thoroughly the stretching
Next attend to the let-off of the hammers. powers of the strings, and the tuner should not
These should be arranged to escape from the be afraid of hurting his fingers by pounding.
Answers to Correspondents.
jacK when they have approached to a distance of As soon as the regulating of the action is fin-
B.
G.
Wetzel,
Jefferson, Wis.—(1) Spillane's
5-32 of an inch from the string. The easiest ished tune again, and then once or twice more
"The
Piano"
can
be had from the office of this
way to do this work is by fixing a test frame at an interval of two or three days. The piano
above the action on the work bench, arranged may now be tone regulated. But before taking newspaper, as it is published by the Editor of
with a wooden rail to be suspended above the up this task, pay attention to a few remarks on The Review. (2) Thank you for your kind
hammers at the measured height of the strings. the subject of tuning new wires. The pitch words regarding my book. (3) We do not pub-
The proper measurements may be made from must be tested constantly, and if the piano is to lish the book you mention.
W. C. Haller, Kenyon, Minn.—The "Theory
the inside of the piano case so as to obtain the be maintained at international pitch, as I have
dimensions of the test frame.
throughout assumed, it must be continually and Practice of Pianoforte Building" contains a
drawn a little above this, and allowed to sink treatise on tuning. The price is $2, from thia
* * * *
Next turn your attention to the back-checks. to international after it is placed in its owner's office. My other work, "Principles and Practice
It is necessary that the hammer should be well home. Moreover, the strings must be well of Piano Tuning," was never published in book
and securely caught and held by the checks in pounded and the pins well turned. The kind of form, but this may some day be done.
order that blocking may be avoided. Nor is it tuning that is known as "springing the pins"
Communications for the department should be
less essential that the catch of the hammer must be avoided, nor will any other process of
should occur at precisely the right place, in or- pin manipulation avail except plain, honest tun- addressed to the Editor Technical Department,
der that its position may always correspond ing, and good pounding of the strings down to The Music Trade Review.
with the regulation of the other parts of the pitch. Otherwise the piano simply will not stay
AGAINST FRAUDULENT PUBLICITY.
action! Let the checks lie as near as possible in tune, and the reputation of the repairer will
to the- hammer tail, and see that the catch oc- suffer accordingly. Another thing: The more Missouri Legislature May Pass Bill—Little
curs when the hammers have fallen away from tunings you can give the piano the more satis-
Avail in New York Owing to Lack of Action
the strings to a distance of three-quarters of an factory will be the result in the end. If you
on the Part of Piano People—Has Won in
inch. In connection with the catch of the ham- have plenty of time, and if the amount of your
Germany.
•
mer, be it observed that the position and regu- bill will justify it, you had better tune six times
lation of the escapement lever is a very impor- and be sure than three and be sorry.
The Advertising Men's League, of St. Louis,
tant part of the checking operation. The Voicing or tone regulating is a task demand- have prepared a bill for the suppression of ex-
springs that actuate this lever must be sufficient- ing the highest qualities—the longest expe- aggeration or other form of misstatement in ad-
ly strong to cause the hammer to rise a little rience and the greatest skill of any of the com- vertisements, with a view to having the pro-
when released, or when the key is pressed down plicated operations of which the sum is the mod-
firmly as far as it will go. In other words, the ern piano. I nave discussed the theory of tone posed measure acted upon during the present
springs must be strong enough to lift the ham- regulation thoroughly in other places. Nothing session of the Missouri legislature.
This reminds us, by the way, that for some
mers slightly by their own power. Test these need be said about it here, except a few words
springs and strengthen them if necessary by in regard to certain practical aspects of the years past a bill to punish fraudulent advertis-
ers has been on the statute books of New York
bending with a damper-spring bending iron or matter.
State. Yet we have had some notable offenders
similar tool. Observe also whether the repeti-
*
* • *
in
the matter of piano advertising; for instance,
tion lever is properly adjusted as to depth of
The sand-papering of tne felt needs to be done
descent at the back end. When the hammer is with a steady hand and a straight held file. I a well-known department store on the East Side.
caught and held by the check, there shou'd be prefer to take each side of the hammer sepa The law has not produced any practical results
a small space left between the repetition lever rately, so as to bring the work to a head at the in this instance because no action has been
taken.
and the little nook found at that end of it.
crown of the hammer. Then the remaining
This is undoubtedly due to a lack of public
* * * *
skin of the felt can be smoothed away without spirit or enterprise on the part of the organiza-
The other end of the escapement or repetition doing any harm to the surface or spoiling the tions that should be interested. The New York
lever must be considered likewise, and it will be shape. Take off as little as possible and see Piano Manufacturers' Association, or the Na-
seen that there is a little button, provided with a that you have a sharp sand-paper file, changing tional Associations of Piano Dealers or Manu-
screw thread, fastened into the hammer butt the paper whenever necessary. Use two files, facturers could take action under this law with
and touching the front end of the lever. The and have the first coated with No. 11 paper for good advantage to the interests of the industry.
object of this little button is to prevent the es- the rough work, which should then be smoothed
While the law in New York has not been pro-
capement lever from coming up too high, as in with another file covered with No. 00 paper.
lific of results, on the other hand a law against
that case it would tend to force the hammer
When you begin to soften the hammers, first fraudulent advertising has been worked with
against the string after the catch of the check, test them in the piano by means of both hard considerable satisfaction in Germany, so that
thus causing a rebound. The function of the and soft strokes on the keys. If you find the proof is not lacking that something may be done
repetition lever in a grand is to make the first under cushion of felt to be very hard, dig into it toward checking the tendency to falsehood and
lifting effort on the hammer, and its position is with a felt picker containing only two fine
such that it can force the hammer against the needles for treatment of the upper surfaces. Dig misrepresentation on the part of advertisers.
string unless regulated properly, quite irrespect- straight down into the felt, making the strokes
It is reported that the W. W. Kimball Co.
ive of the position of the jack. Screw down the with the picker as if they were the spokes of a will take a lease upon the store at 319 West
little button on top of the hammer butt until wheel. Do not gouge out the felt, or "pick up" State street, Rockford, 111., and will remove their
it stops the repetition lever as soon as the ham- the upper surface of the hammer. -This sort of stock to that location from their present quar-
mer has approached within a little more than work may do for a while, but has no perma- ters at 123 West State street.
THE
ERNEST A.
TONK
PIANO
E XTRAORDINARY
DURABILITY
A R T I S T I D C E S I G N
LIGHT AND
T OUCH
RESPONSIVE
Correspondence with active
dealers solicited.
William Tonk&Bro.
INCORPORATED
452-456 Ttnth Av» M New York