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THE MUSiC TRADE
REVIEW
11
It is indeed very difficult to discern the true
beats generated by the clashing of non-unisonal
sounds in this register, and to differentiate be-
tween them and such as are inherent and pro-
duced by defects of the strings themselves. Long
Conducted and Edited by Win. B. White.
practice, a delicate ear, and much patience are
ish. When this state of affairs is reached, the required before these perplexing sound problems
PIANO TUNING AS SCIENCE AND ART.
unison is again perfect and the two strings ex- can be discerned with correctness. The hints
actly in tune one with another.
SIXTH ARTICLE.
already given will be of much value in assisting
The above explanation, if carefully read and the student towards a better comprehension of
UNISON AND OCTAVE TUNING.
The statements made in earlier articles rela- digested, will provide a certain means for de- these problems. And such comprehension, when
tive to the phenomena of beats and their influ- tecting the presence or absence of beats. Inas- complete, is the first step towards solution.
ence upon the science and art of piano tuning much as we thereby gauge our work, the im-
(To be continued.)
must have made it already abundantly clear that portance of training the ear to observe and dis-
every part of the work must be profoundly af- cern these phenomena will be admitted. The
I again call readers' attention to the classes
fected thereby. The whole art of tuning rests, student undoubtedly ought to devote considerable which begin on Tuesday of next week, 'October
time to the work of correcting disturbed unisons, 15, at the Union Branch of the Y. M. C. A., East
ultimately, upon observation and comparison of
the phenomena indicated by disturbed unisons. and for the present he will be doing enough if One Hundred and Forty-ninth street and St.
For the first and simplest interval is the unison, he merely gets his strings in and out of tune Ann's avenue, New York City, and which con-
and the easiest manner of observing the opera- without much regard for a professional method tinue every Tuesday evening for twenty weeks.
tion of beat-phenomena is found in connection of handling the hammer. When the student has The lectures will be delivered from a broad anjd
with the unison. It is in fact considerably easier mastered the art of detecting the beats in a dis- practical standpoint, and will be illustrated with
to detect the existence of beats between two turbed unison he may consider the application every available means. I am personally much
sounds that are nearly in unison than between of his knowledge to the matter of octave tuning. encouraged over the excellent reception that the
two others that are merely almost in consonance. The procedure is essentially the same, and the trade has accorded to the idea, and surely believe
In other words, it is not so difficult to detect two sounds will be found to merge into one that it will be the means of doing much good
and count the beats between two strings of the another just as do the two or three sounds of among the ambitious young men in the trade.
same unison group on a piano as to undertake a unison. The beats will occur in precisely the
the same task with strings that are separated same manner and their number will be the same
Communications for the department should be
in pitch by the intervals of, say, a fourth or a as in similar unisonal cases. The student will
addressed to the Editor Technical Department,
require, however, a somewhat longer time to de-
fifth.
The Music Trade Review.
We have already discussed the physical nature tect the beats in this interval and when detected
it
will
be
a
little
less
easy
to
perceive
when
of beats, and have also made some statements
VIEWS TRADE OPTIMISTICALLY.
regarding their audible manifestations. It now they entirely disappear. Particular care should
therefore
be
taken
in
this
matter
and
the
student
remains to apply this knowledge practically, to
Braton S. Chase Says Fall Business W i l l be
note how we may train the ear to hear them, must not consider himself proficient in the mat-
Good—Big Trade in Small Grands.
ter
of
unison
and
octave
tuning
until
he
has
and to discover just in what manner they may
be useful to us in the prosecution of our work. assured himself of his ability successfully to
The business of the Chase-Hackley Piano Co.
We are amply justified in beginning the dis- adjust these intervals in all parts of the piano. has proven most satisfactory for the year. Dur-
Considerable
difficulty
will
be
manifest
in
cer-
cussion of practical tuning work with a descrip-
ing a recent talk with Braton S. Chase, general
tion of the methods used in adjusting the pitch tain parts of the compass, particularly in the manager of this company, he expressed himself
low
bass,
but
patience
and
perseverance
will
of unison strings. As said above, unison tuning
as follows:
is the foundation of the whole art. Not less is enable the learner to prevail at last. Practice
"We are particularly pleased with the business
the unison itself the foundation of the musical with double octaves as tests will be found very outlook for the fall. The demand is coming in
progression of tones. When we have learned helpful.
from all parts of the country, so that we feel
When the practical work of tuning is taken that trade is going to be excellent in all sections
just how to go about the work of tuning the
strings of a unison we shall also practically have up in earnest there will be found the want of an of the Union. Scattered as our trade is we are
learned how to perform the same operation with authoritative test for the correctness of octave in position to judge of the general business con-
reference to the octave, and later the other in- tuning. Mere reliance upon the detection of beats ditions somewhat better than those whose trade
between the extreme sounds of the octave can- is concentrated at a few points. There is a
tervals in their proper order.
Let the student approach a piano, armed with not uniformly be depended upon, especially in growing demand for small grands and the Chase
tuning hammer and wedges. Let him uncover the lower bass and in certain parts of the high Bros, smaller grand product is in strong favor
the tuning pins, by removing the music desk. treble. It is therefore necessary to seek a test with the dealers. Our various styles of uprights
Then let him place his hammer upon one of the that shall be as reliable as, and more easily ap- are moving as steadily as we could hope and I
plied, than this.
consider the whole outlook for the year good."
pins and also wedge up one of the strings of
The minor third above any given tone is the
the corresponding union group. In this way the
wedged-up string is stopped from speaking and same as the major sixth below the upper octave
W. M. ROBINSON PROMOTED.
the unison group is reduced to two strings, one to the given tone. If the beats existing between
of which is connected with the pin upon which the given tone and its upper minor third are
W. M. Robinson, for some time manager of the
the hammer has been placed. Assuming that exactly equal to the beats between the upper Toledo, O., branch of the Starr Piano Co., proved
these two strings are exactly in unison (and if octave and its lower major sixth, then the given so successful in that capacity that on October
they are not, they should be made so by a pro- tone and its octave are exactly in tune. In other
l he was promoted to the management of the
fessional tuner before the experiment is begun), words, if we are tuning F-Fl, we test the beats Omaha branch of the company, in recognition of
turn the hammer slightly to the left (away between F and Fflat, and if we see them to be his efforts. Upon leaving the Toledo store Mr.
from the body when the right hand is on the exactly equal in number to the beat between Aflat RobinsoH was presented with an elegant silver
hammer). This will flatten the pitch of the and F l , then we know that the octave is exactly service by the employes.
string by slackening its tension. Then listen correct.
attentively to the sound which ensues when the
The reason for this, and the foundation for
T. E. DOUGHERTY'S PECULIAR MAP.
corresponding key is struck. At once one will the assumption of its correctness as a test, lies
observe a confused jangling and howling, much in the fact that there are partial tones pertaining
T. E. Dougherty, president of the Schaeffer
the same as is heard when a cracked church bell to these three sounds which are equivalent in Piano Co., who possesses considerable artistic
is sounded from a steeple. Observe carefully the- name but nonunisonal, the latter peculiarity be- talent, has drawn an ingenious puzzle map of
nature of this confused jangle. It consists of a ing traceable to the disturbing influence of the the United States wherein may be seen the faces
continual alternate rising and falling, ebb and equal temperament.
of men and forms of animals. The Schaeffers
flow, of sound, where the two contesting ele-
Another test for the correctness of octave tun- find in the map a valuable advertising proposi-
ments generated by the two non-unisonal strings, ing is found in the major under thirds and tion, prizes being awarded to those who can dis-
seem each to be alternately the victor and the tenths. In the same case F-Fl, the beats be- cover the greatest number of men or animals in
vanquished in the contest.
tween F-Csharp, a major under third, are com- the lines of the map. Of course the trans-con-
Let the hammer now be gradually moved back pared with those between Csharp-Fl, a tenth. tinental chain of Schaeffer stores is shown on the
in the opposite direction, so that the disturbed In this case also the beats on each side must map.
string gradually reapproaches the unisonal state. be equal to assure correctness of pitch.
Sample orders have been booked for the new
It will be observed, as is naturally of course
The first change in the sound is at once per-
ceived in the slackening of the rate at which the case, that the beats between such intervals Auto-organ soon to be put on the market by the
these risings and fallings succeed each other; increase in number as the pitch of the sounds in- Carpenter Co., of Brattleboro, Vt. Ever since the
in a lengthening, that is to say, of their period. creases. The beats will therefore increase in announcement of the company last spring that
As the hammer is still further turned, the ris- number as the pitch of the sounds rises, so that they would put such an instrument on the mar-
ings and fallings, which already we discern as there are more beats between sounds in the ket, much interest has been manifested by the
dealers, and it is believed there will be a heavy
those "beats" whose nature we have discussed, treble than in the ba=s, and conversely.
become less and less frequent, until at last they
When tuning the lower bass tones, the young demand for the new instrument when it is finally
merge entirely into the unisonal sound and van- tuner will find a great deal of difficulty at first. produced.