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10
THE
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
OuTTECHNIGAL DEPARMENT
ON THE POINT OF VIEW.
One of the earliest discoveries, I suppose, that
the intelligent schoolboy makes, is that the opinions,
ideas and convictions of men upon the same sub-
ject may, and do, differ from each other to an ex-
tent that seems incredible. Men of equal intelli-
gence, of equal capacity for the grasping of ideas,
can, and do draw the most amazingly variated
conclusions from identical premises. And, what is
more to the point, they stick to these personal
conclusions with a fervor worthy of mediaeval
crusaders.
This matter of the point of view, the personal
way of looking at things, and of the very re-
markable mental results that may arise therefrom,
has, perhaps not always been as well understood
as might have been desired. If we could once
. face squarely the plain fact that identity of opinion
is as impossible as identity of face, a great many
things that trouble us would cease to annoy, and
the world would become a very much more com-
fortable place in which to live.
These reflections are' induced by the very obvious
fact that one of the commonest experiences that
come to the editor of a department like this, has
to do with just this very matter of personal view-
point. Things which may seem utterly simple and
obvious to me, for instance, become in the highest
degree absurd and false when viewed from an-
other man's standpoint. And, unless both parties
to a controversy exercise utmost diligence, and
show themselves ready at all times to allow for
the other man's personal way of looking at the
matter in issue, each is likely to conclude that the
other is a hopeless idiot. Which does not exactly
make for scientific peace and harmony.
From time to time, gentlemen in the piano trade
make it their business to write letters to this de-
partment. Frequently they disagree more or less
violently with the editorial opinion. Sometimes
their state of mind is shared by the editor. How
much better it would be if both parties would sim-
ply consider that each is holding, however fer-
vently, an opinion that is deeply tinged with
personal bias, and which, therefore, must neces-
sarily be more or less tainted and adulterated. It
would be an awfully good thing if we could all get
that simple notion into our heads.
A Word on Player Motors.
I have sometimes had occasion to notice that the
motors on some player actions have a way of
"hesitating," as it were, at the beginning of each
revolution. One runs across troubles of this sort
occasionally, and it has occurred to me several
times that a close examination of the mechanism
in question might perhaps reveal the cause of this
"hesitation." Recently I had occasion to examine
a four-unit motor that dragged badly on the re-
wind. This motor lacked the ability to pick up
its load quickly, and in fact sometimes it was nec-
essary to give a preliminary push on the music
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FOLK'S SCHOOL OF TUNING,
Valparaiso, Ind.
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FAUST SCHOOL OF TUNING
Pianoforte, Player-Piano, Pipe and Reed Organ Toning
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roll before the motor could be induced to work. there will be one beat. An octove higher the dif-
Upon examining the mechanism, I o!served that
ference will be between 400 and 399, if the dis-
the crank shaft was thrown at almost ninety de- turbance be again a flatting of one vibration in
grees. That is to say, the four cranks were the upper member. And so on. Hence, my cor-
thrown at ninety degrees from each other. As a respondent is in error with regard to octaves.
consequence, one of the cranks at least was nearly
Suppose two sounds at the interval of a fifth
always brought to rest in a position of dead cen- Imagine one to be 200 and the other 300. Suppose
ter. This naturally involved a decided drag on the upper to be disturbed to the extent of one
the motor. In addition to this, I observed that vibration flat. The sounds will then be 200 and
the exhaust and inflate ports were all in exact 299. The lowest coincident partials are the three
line with each other. Hence, there was nothing of the lower member and the second of the higher.
to help out the drag imposed on the motor by the Hence the difference in vibration numbers of these
dead centering.
will be the difference between 600 and 598. Hence
Now, suppose that the crank shaft of that motor there will be two beats with this disturbance. The
was rearranged so that the first and third cranks same principle is true throughout the range of
were offset, say ten degrees each. Then we pitches.
should have from first to second, eighty degrees;
Suppose now two sounds at the interval of a
from second to third, 100; from third to fourth, fourth. Let one of these be 300 and the other 400.
eighty, while the fourth and first would balance The lowest coincident partials are the fourth of
things by being at 100 degrees from each other. the lower sound and the third of the higher. Sup-
And if, in addition, the pairs of ports were also off- pose the lower member in this case to be disturbed
set, the first and third pairs being at a different by flatting of one vibration. Then the sounds will.
position from the second and fourth, to corre- be respectively 299 and 400. Therefore, the beats
spond with the offsetting of the crank shaft, would will be found in the difference between 1,196 and
not the result be a quicker picking up of speed 1,200. Thus there will be four beats on the given
and a better capacity for carrying the load. Es- disturbance. If, however, the upper member be
pecially, it seems to me, this would be so if the flatted one vibration, making the sounds 300 and
ports were so arranged that the first and third 399, the beats will be found in the difference be-
pairs was brought into operation just sufficiently tween 1,200 and 1,197. In this case, therefore,
before the second and fourth, to make up for the there will be three beats.
difference in angular position with regard to the
Thus it will be seen that the number of beats
crank shaft.
must always vary as the precise pitch of the sounds
I may be all wrong about this, and would wel- in the intervals concerned. This is a very important
come any suggestion, amendment or criticism.
point and should very well be noted. It is absolutely
A Question of Beats.
necessary that a thorough understanding of the
The following letter from W. H. Halderman, principle be had.
I suppose it is hardly necessary to remark that
Morrill, Kan., will undoubtedly prove interesting
the pitch numbers of the partial tones above given
to readers:
"Editor, Technical Department, Dear Sir.—Will are obtained from the fundamental pitch num-
you please answer the following question for me? bers by multiplying the latter by the number
How many beats per second are produced in an corresponding to the numerical place of the par-
interval of a fourth which varies one vibration tial. Thus the second partial is twice the pitch of
the first, and so on.
from its ratio of four to three?
If the above is not entirely intelligible to readers,
I know that two strings struck at the same time,
one tuned an octave higher than the other, will I shall be glad to enlarge upon it at any time.
vibrate, in the ratio two to one. If these two
Communications for this department should be
strings vary from the ratio to the amount of one
vibration, they will produce two beats. Two addressed to the Editor, Technical Department,
strings sounding an interval of the fifth vibrate The Music Trade Review.—W. B. W.
in the ratio of two to three. If they vary from
PIANO MAN DIES SUDDENLY.
this ratio to the amount of one vibration, there will
be three beats per second. In the case of the
(Special to The Review.)
major third there will be four beats per second.
Chicago, 111.' October 23, 1911.
Please answer this question."
Ernest C. Hodell, who occupied positions of im-
My correspondent, unfortunately, has become a portance with various houses in the local music
little mixed. Beats in tempered intervals (by trade and who was known as an expert piano
which I mean in this case any disturbed intervals)
maker, died suddenly at his home in this city last
arise from the clashing of coincident partial tones. week. He is survived by a widow and one son.
Hence the precise number of beats must vary with
the precise pitch of the intervals in question. For
The Darrow Music Co. have opened a branch
instance let us suppose an octave of which the
in Steamboat Springs, Col.
members have the respective vibration numbers
100 and 200. Now let us suppose that one of these
is disturbed to the extent of one vibration, giv-
ing say an octave 100 to 199. Then, since the
lowest coincident partials in an octave are the
second of the lower member with the first of the
upper member, it follows that, at this pitch, the
beats between these partials will be equal to the
difference between the second partial of 100 and
the first of 199. That is to say, the difference will
be that between 200 and 199. Hence, at this pitch,
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TUNERS' OUTFIT CO.
D e p t . M. E .
Common • Washington
Streets. Boston. Mass.
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
departaient at the Conservatory for twenty years. The course
includes the Tuning, Repairing, Regulating, Voicing, Var-
nishing aaJ Polishing of Pianofortes, Pipe and Reed Organs
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Pupils have daily practice m Chlekering ft Sons'
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27-29 GAINSBOROUGH ST., BOSTON, MASS.
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