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15
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
be addressed to the American Guild of Piano
Tuners, 126 West 100th street, New York.
A QUESTION OF TUNING.
Conducted and Edited by W m . B. White.
LETTERS FROM A COUNTRY TUNER.
Number 5.
[EDITORIAL NOTE.—The author of the following letters
served an apprenticeship in New York and later be-
came an Independent practitioner in an Eastern State.
In addition to a remarkable talent for his art, he was a
man of broad culture and wide experience. The letters
were written to a young friend, also a piano tuner, who
was at the time connected with a New York house as
wareroom tuner. The recent death of the author has
enabled us to place this most Interesting and suggestive
correspondence before the readers of this department.
For obvious reasons it has seemed proper to conceal
names, dates and places, but it may be said that the
letters were written from the country town in which the
author settled, or from nearby places whither he trav-
eled on his professional rounds. The series began with
the author's first visit to what was to be the scene of
Ills activities for the rest of his life.—W. B. W.]
The Watts House, Cartersville, April 17, 19—.
Dear J.: As you will remember, my last letter
left me standing in the parlor of Mr. Jones, the
eminent citizen of Empireville, surveying -with
very mixed feelings the ruins which I have
described. Obviously, the job had to be done,
and obviously, too, I had no mate; ials wherewith
to do it. Hence, the latter had to be found. What
I wanted was something like this: (1) Five
threaded bolts 12 inches long by y 2 inch
diameter; (2) A large brace and an auger bit
capable of ooring holes big enough for the bolts;
(3) Nuts and washers to close the bolts; (4) Six
large hand screws or clamps of soms kind, wide
enough to take the whole back of the piano; (5)
An indefinite quantity of glue with means for
heating the same. And Empireville had to fur-
nish all these.
Having let down all the strings, I started out
on an exploring expedition. I hove to in fiont
of a large hardware store and entered. After
looking over an imposing collection of bolts 1
finally found some of the proper size and pro-
ceeded to buy them, to the obvious and uncon-
cealed amazement of the clerk, who was quite
unable to guess what a man of my appearance
and manner wanted with such articles. The
astonishment of the worthy young man increased
when I asked for glue, and reached its climax
when the question of clamps came up. Here we
drew blank entirely. "But, if you will excuse
me," said the clerk, "what in the nation do you
want glue of that kind for in connection with
them derrick bolts?" "What do you ca.ll those
bolts?" I inquired. "Why, friend," he answered,
"them bolts is what the oil men uses for building
oil well derricks." "Sorry," said I, "but these
bolts are going to fulfil a more dignified func-
tion. In fact I am about to use them to repair
a piano." "What!" ejaculated the rural person,
"a pianner?" "Yes, sir," I replied, "you have
named it exactly." And out I went, leaving the
gentleman in considerable amazement and a blue
jumper.
But the clamps were not in evidence, nor were
.the auger bit and brace. My own brace was too
;small to handle the job nicely, but I could use
it if pushed. So I inquired for a machine shop
and finally found one on the romantic outskirts
of the town, firmly entrenched between an open
drain and the.purling waters of what is locally
known as Petroleum Creek. After some chaff r-
ing, the high priest of the Machine Gods (other-
wise the head machinist) agreed to lend me six
immense iron clamps, each weighing about ten
pounds, I judge, as well as an enormous brace,
for the small sum of thirty-five cents, which
seemed reasonable enough. Some search outside
revealed a care-tree apostle of the Gospel ot
Rest, who consented to "tote" the aforesaid en-
gines to the Jones mansion for the trifling emolu-
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ment of twenty-five cents, lawful money of the
United States, then and there in hand paid. Our
appearance created considerable excitement
among such of the youthful population as was
then playing hookey from school, so that when we
stopped at another hardware store to get the
auger bit we had attracted quite a crowd. Hav-
ing completed the purchase, the procession re-
formed, and proceeded in the following order to
the Jones residence:
1. Four small boys playing two different tunes
on two harmonicas. (Reminded me of a Strauss
tone-poem.)
2. Three dogs, fighting.
3. The Apostle, carrying the clamps and a
bored expression of countenance.
4. Two intimate friends of the above smoking
corn-cob pipes.
5. Myself, clutching six bolts, a package ot
glue and the bit.
t>. Miscellaneous small boys, citizens and dogs.
Arrived at the house and dismissing the popu-
lace, I started to work. You can now understand
the modus operandi. First, I pulled together
the split back and then bored out the two old lag-
screw holes. Then I selected three other points
for other holes and bored them out, straight
through and out at the back. One was at the
lower bass end, one in the middle of the treble
section, and one at the extreme treble end. This
gave me five good positions. Then I took off the
clamps and got the glue, which Mrs. Jones had
kindly boiled for me. An old whisk broom was
used to distribute the glue carefully along the
split, and then I hastily clamped up. The mo-
ment I had the back well drawn in, I pushed
through the bolts, clapped on the washers at
the other end and tightened in the nuts, until
the glue squeezed out some more. Then I diew
the clamps up tight again and left the job for
dinner.
After dinner I went out and tuned two pianos
and then returned about 6 p. m. to the Jones
place. The clamps were taken off and the glue
found to be in excellent shape. But the bolts
stuck out about three inches from the back, and
so I cut them off with a cold chisel and filed
the ends smooth. Then I secured another
agrarian from the surrounding country and sent
him back to the machinist with the clamps, my
compliments and the mazuma.
Next morning I returned, pulled up and
chipped the strings, and then went out to tune
more pianos, all furnished by the kindness of
Mr. Jones. That evening I rough tuned the
piano, and next morning fine tuned and regulated
it. Jones was delighted, paid his money like a
little man and spoke most cordially.
"But, Mr. N
," said he in bidding me good-
bye, "why in blazes did no one ever discover that
before?" "Ah, that is the question," I replied.
And so it is, isn't it? Sincerely N
.
BULLETIN OF THE AMERICAN GUILD OF
PIANO TUNERS.
The General Organizer will arrive in Rich-
mond, Va., on May 12th, and will remain in at-
tendance as long as his duties require.
Richmond Cnapter will probably be perfected
by the time of the Organizer's arrival, according
to the report of Brother McKenzie.
Brother Senn, of North Carolina, reports prog-
ress and expects to bring in several recruits
within a very short time.
The name of Cyrus H. Beery, of Bridgewater,
Va., is now before the Council for action.
Brother Maitland, of Philadelphia, has pro-
posed the name of L. W. F. Maitland for member-
ship, with his personal endorsement.
Replies so far received to the recent resolu-
tions indicate an unanimous adoption of them in
toto.
All letters and other communications should
Mr. S. Stephen, of Burkhart, Ohio, favors us
with the following letter: "The book published
by The Review, under the title of 'The Piano
or Tuners' Guide,' has the following statement:
'Tune middle C to the fork.' Certainly you can
do this, but where is the piano that would stand
that? You would certainly break all the strings
above the fifth C. They would not stand such a
strain as that would put them to. It would be
all right to tune the C above middle C to the
fork and then tune middle C to It, an octave
low. Then you can set the temperment from
F below to F. But to tune middle C to the in-
ternational C 517 will not do.
"There is not one piano in fifty that would stand
the racket. I am not going to try it, for I know
that it will not do. I don't want to have the
fun of putting on a lot of new strings, which is
not so funny.
.
.
.
Please explain
this.
. . . "
Methinks the gentleman doth protest too much.
Surely it is perfectly obvious to any one who
thinks for a second that when the author of the
Tuners' Guide wrote that sentence he meant
"Tune middle C a perfect octave to the fork."
Now, if he did not mean that he meant the ob-
viously impossible direction to tune middle C an
octave above its normal pitch. The fork i-s
tuned to the octave above middle C, simply be
cause it is easier to make a fork of comfortable
size at that frequency than at 258.65, which
is the middle C pitch. Moreover, it is easier to
hear the octave below when tunning by the fork.
Surely all this is plain enough.
My principal reason for printing this letter has
been that perhaps someone else may have puz-
zled his head about this very obvious matter.
If so, let him attend and be instructed!
Communications for this department should be
addressed to the Editor, Technical Department,
The Music Trade Review.
Good wire
is essential!
Every man who has a technical knowl-
edge of piano construction appreciates the
value of good wire.
Now, it is on account of its goodness
that the
"PERFECTED"
AND
"CROWN"
brands, special products of the American
Steel & Wire Co., have advanced so rapidly
in the estimation of those best qualified to
in piano and piano-player mechanism.
This great corporation manufactures all
wires of whatever nature which are used
in piano-player mechanism.
Some piano manufacturers have visited
the great Worcester plant, and they have
expressed themselves in terms of the warm-
est praise at the system which they saw in
vogue there.
It causes no surprise to anyone who goes
into details why this splendid product is
taking such firm hold upon the piano manu-
facturing fraternity in this country.
The reasons are obvious.
American Steel and Wire Co.
Chicago
New York
Worcester
Denver
San Francisco
Export Representatives, United States Steel
Products Export Co., New York