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THE:
MUSIC TRADE
13
REVIEW
OurTECHNlCAL DEPARTMENT
AGRAFFES, PRESSURE=BARS AND
CAPO D'ASTROS.
strings irrespective of the angle at which the
agraffe holes are drilled. The adoption of this up-
bearing may be credited alike to Broadwood and
Erard, in the earliest years of the nineteenth cen-
(This is another of the articles that were recently sug-
gestmed by a correspondent in Cambridge, Mass. Others
tury.
•
have already appeared, dealing with various phases of
Are there any marked disadvantages which must
string-design.—W. B. W.)
be charged up against the agraffe? Undoubtedly
A prime requirement of piano construction is the there are, and we may profitably examine them.
First and foremost, there is the difficulty of
provision of adequate means for maintaining the
strings at predetermined tensions. The simplest stretching or relaxing strings with the tuning ham-
conceivable method for doing this is to bend the mer. The strings persist in "hanging" on the
string back over a ridge or bearing at either end agraffe at the point where they pass through. The
of its speaking length. And in early pianos the tuner finds himself continually having to go over
bearing at the upper end of the string, near to the a section of strings twice, because the tensions are
•hammers, was so constructed. In order to ensure not maintained. In other words, on account of
greater rigidity the higher limit of the speaking some such "hanging" of the strings, the tuner may
lengths was generally marked by a pin, against think he has settled them and pulled them right
which the waste end of the string was strained side- through the agraffe, when in fact he has really
ways. This is the pin bridge which is still used only hung them up on the latter. Friction will hold
them in place for a while, but as soon as the
for the bass sections of pianos. The method of
securing the strings across the belly-bridge has ex- tuning process begins to bring up the tensions on
isted in its present form for two centuries and re- another part of the plate the strings below will be
affected, and will be equalized in tension to the
quires no further comment here.
others higher up by the resistance of the iron plate.
Scientific piano design may be said to have be-
Thus the tuning work will all be undone.
gun with John Broadwood the First, who was the
Of course, 1 am not trying to say here that all
undoubted pioneer in working out such matters as
striking distances and string lengths. To him also this sort of thing is happening continually, but
may be attributed the first systematic attempt to merely that it is likely to happen, especially where
provide greater sonority by making modifications there are any errors in scale design.
Then there is another trouble. Agraffes some-
in the accepted methods of straining or tensioning
the strings. But it was to Erard that we owe the times pull right out of the plate in which they are
first notable advance along these lines. The in- screwed. I once had a case on an old Steinway
vention of "agraffes" deserves almost to take rank grand, where an agraffe in the treble section pulled
with iron framing and the double repetition action right out, leaving a portion of the screw thread in-
side and utterly spoiling the internal thread in the
in importance and value.
plate. It was necessary to have a special large
The "Agraffe."
The "agraffe," as all know, is a brass stud, which agraffe made and a new internal thread tapped out.
is screwed into the wooden pin-block or iron frame Moreover, the tuner who has trouble of this sort
of the piano. It has an upper portion or bearing is very likely to find considerable difficulty in per-
suading his customer that the accident was un-
plate in which are drilled holes for the passage of
the strings. These holes may be drilled at any preventable.
The Capo d'Astro Bar.
angle and thus may be made to impart any desired
Many piano manufacturers have tried, from time
bearing to the strings.
The immediate advantage of the agraffe system, to time, to improve the design of agraffes. The
for grand pianos at least, is in the greater exact- capo d'astro bar is practically a continuous
ness it permits in the tensions imparted to the agraffe, consisting of a solid ledge cast into the
strings by its use. And a further advantage is to plate. Chickering used such a ledge in his early
be discerned in the fact that, by resting the upper grands with string holes for bearings bored
end of the speaking length against a metal bearing, through it. To-day we generally fit the lower side
there is produced a more intense series of upper of the capo d'astro bar with an edge of tool steel,
dissonant partial tones, through the greater elas- allowing the string to be drawn up against the steel
ticity of the metallic bearing and its influence upon and bringing it upward to the tuning pin. In this
the strengthening of such partials. As a natural way the up-bearing is given and the string is main-
result, the tone-quality of strings which are tained in place by the tension imparted to it when
stretched through agraffes is harder and more tuned.
Sometimes we fit pins or studs to the lower end
brilliant than when the pinned bridge, either
of the agraffes, and strain the strings against these
wooden or metallic, is used.
Such hardness and brilliancy are much to be in the passage across the bar. Of course, some-
desir-ed, generally speaking, throughout the middle thing like the latter method is quite necessary in
and higher treble sections of the piano. For the the bass section of the piano, because here the
strings in these regions are shorter and stiffer than strings do not run in a straight line from tuning
the long bass strings, and the sostenuto which pin to hitch, but have to be bent back near the
their stiffness would impart is largely lost by the tuning pins in order to allow for spacing the latter
shortening of their length. Moreover, the shorter in the pin block.
What are the advantages of the capo d'astro bar,
a string is the less influence is wielded by its upper
partials, since the vibrating segments which pro- which is now so universally used in some sections
duce the latter are, of course, exceedingly minute. at least of modern grands, and even in some up-
Hence the agraffe, by defining the bearing of the rights? They are many. In the first place the in-
string, and providing an aid to sustaining of the corporation of the agraffe line into a solid piece
cast integrally with the plate makes for strength,
vibrations, performs a very useful office.
Much difference of opinion has always existed rigidity and greater exactness. In the second place,
as to the manner in which the string bearing ought the presence of this large and heavy bar tends to
to be adjusted. The general practice is to place the further prolongation of string vibrations as
the tuning pins measurably higher than the line of
agraffes, so that there is an upward bearing to the
—
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well as to a greater brilliancy in clang-tint. All of
which, in certain sections of the piano, is very de-
sirable. And further, the capo d'astro bar gives a
superior form of bearing, through which the strings
may be tuned accurately and firmly.
But I cannot say that I like a scale with capo
d'astro throughout even in grand pianos, while in
uprights I like this style of construction even less.
For the reasons which we have discussed already,
it is plain that the existence of a capo d'astro bar
throughout the scale of any piano must have the
effect of unduly hardening the tone-quality; a de-
fect which must be remedied through tone-regulat-
ing, as far as possible, but which, as a fundamental
condition, cannot be successfully treated through
superficial methods.
In fact, to sum up the whole argument, one
might say that experience seems to show that the
best results are to be had by the use of capo
d'astro bars for the strings from C 4 upwards,
and agraffes from that point downwards to the
extreme bass end ; provided that such construction
in some form is preferred. But it is not to be
hastily concluded that we must necessarily use
either the agraffe or the capo d'astro. Either might
be abandoned, in favor of the pressure bar. There
is one very good grand piano made in America
which uses a pressure bar throughout its scale.
On the other hand, another famous firm uses a
full cast capo d'astro bar in a small upright. These
are two extremes of diverse opinion.
My own conclusions may be stated very briefly.
The agraffe is a good thing. It is simple and
efficient, but not so good for tuning as the capo
d'astro bar. The latter, however, is a hardener of
tone-quality and should only be used in those parts
of the scale where great brilliancy is eminently de-
sirable.
In the next article we shall discuss the pressure
bar as applied to the upright piano.
(To be continued.)
A New Year's Wish.
To every reader of this department I wish a
very happy and prosperous New Year. May 1911
be the best twelve months you have ever known !
Communications for this department should be
addressed 'to the Editor, Technical Department,
The Music Trade Review.
INCORPORATED IN KENTUCKY.
The Fulton Music Co., Frankfort, Ky., have in-
corporated with capital stock of $5,000 to engage
in the wholesale and retail sale of musical instru-
ments of all kinds. The incorporators are: B. F
Fulton, C. G. Marshall and D. D. Smith.
A New Year Wish,
W. F. Merrill has purchased the stock of musi-
cal instruments of E. C. Derhammer, in South
The Music Trade Review.—W. B. W.
Hammer Head
and
Butt Borer
FAUST SCHOOL OF TUNING
Pianoforte, Player-Piano, Pipe and Reed Organ Toning
The Faust School has recently taken over the Tuning
Department of the New England Conservatory of Music.
The principal, Oliver C. Faust, has been in charge of that
department at the Conservatory for twenty years. The course
includes the Tuning, Repairing, Regulating, Voicing, Var-
nishing and Polishing of Pianofortes, Pipe and Reed Organs
and Player-Pianos.
Pupils have daily practice in Chickering ft Sons'
factory.
Year book sent free upon request
27-29 GAINSBOROUGH ST., BOSTON, MASS.
Send for descriptive
catalog Frit.
TUNERS SUPPLY CO.
Winter Hill District, BOSTON