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MAY
11, 1918
THE
MUSIC TRADE
15
REVIEW
OUT-TECHNICAL DEPARTMENT
CONDUCTED BY WILLIAM BRAID WHITE
"MODERN PIANO TUNING'
Pray pardon me, friends and readers, if I
seem to he too often blowing a trumpet labeled
W. B. W. The fact is that I cannot resist
the temptation to print the following from my
valued friend, J. C. Miller, of Lincoln, Neb. There
is no man whose criticism, even unfavorable
criticism, I had rather hear. There is none whose
compliments sound more grateful than his.
Let me put before you what he so kindly says:
"Dear Mr. White—Modern Piano Tuning and
Allied Arts has been with me but a few weeks,
but it has been lying where it could be taken up
for a minute or an hour or any other period
of time not absolutely consigned to some cur-
rent duty.
"I read it from cover to cover the day I re-
ceived it and have since reviewed many of its
special features with additional care and reason-
ably severe criticism.
"If T could have gotten my hands on such a
book fifty years ago what a lot of mystery it
would have cleared up and how many years
earlier I might have pronounced myself a tuner;
in the larger sense.
"Perhaps sixty years ago Helmholtz was busy
on the principles underlying this very thing, but
his discoveries and deductions were locked up
in German manuscript, and 1 did not know him
at all. However, this hitherto neglected field
attracted immediate attention; so that for the
last three or four decades the ambitious and
earnest student has been furnished with as much
as, and sometimes even more than, he could
readily absorb.
"But how many of the needy have taken even
fair advantage of the light that has been thrown
on the tuner's path within the last generation?
How many more are as uncertain and insecure
in their positions as some of us were fifty years
ago?
"This is a sad commentary on a present-day
condition, but it brings me to the point I want
to make:
"Here is a book that may guide an army of
stuttering, stammering, halting, untutored, in-
competent, misguided and even self-deceived
pretenders to a new and better outlet for their
energies and ambitions. But, be not deceived,
my young friends! Neither this, nor any other
book, or other accessory, will make a tuner of
you unless you master its precepts by work,
work, work! And by thought, thought, thought!
"You may be told by some rattle-brain that
tuning is something that comes naturally and of
itself to a natural musician. If you can toot a
horn or torture cat-gut after a fashion, you have
the proper ear and necessary license for tuning
pianos!
"This fallacy may account for so many band
men tuning pianos "on the side,' but the writer's
acquaintance with this duality, was never much
of an inspiration. The hunger-by-day and noise-
by-night suggestions leave something to be de-
sired, and create questionable comfort and
confidence in the bosom of the anxious piano
owner.
"But this must be acknowledged: The tuner
has assumed the cold side of this proposition.
His impelling motive must be thought, and not
passion. Deliberation and not virtuosity should
be his controlling force. His line sense of pro-
portion and delicacy of comparison have no com-
munion with flights of fancy, either in ensemble
performances or in wild cadenzas to astonish the
natives.
"Now this is all to the point: Young man,
if you have not been through the mill of inde-
fatigable toil and study, if you do not know the
why and the wherefore of your current di-
lemmas and embarrassments, if you arc yet a
guesser; take this book and master it. Do not
assume the task in an indifferent or half-hearted
state of mind. Have a determined purpose and
carry it out though it take all summer, or the
whole year or more years. You cannot afford
to stop short of a thorough understanding of
how and why you do thus and so.
"Do not be frightened by the author's aca-
demic style. He is a pastmaster in the King's
English, and if he occasionally confronts you
with something outside your own vocabulary,
fear not. The dictionary will get you out of
trouble; and no one need be ashamed to con-
sult it when necessary.
"Again, I repeat, if you are short on knowl-
edge of your work, read this book. Study it,
consume and digest it and be a better servant
of your clientele and incidentally a better man.
J. C. Miller, Lincoln, Neb."
REGLUING IVORY
The following from Floyd Kenyon is espe-
cially valuable because, as I happen to know
myself, this gentleman is exceptionally well
qualified to discuss the particular matter he
takes up in the letter contributed below. Mr.
Kenyon I have the pleasure of knowing per-
sonally, and 1 know that he is one of the most
successful tuner-repairers in the country, having
had an experience and success in all kinds of
difficult work that would be hard to match.
Byron Shaw will wish to read the following:
"Dear Mr. White—In the April 20 issue of
your department I notice the inquiry by Byron
Shaw in regard to regluing ivory. I have made
quite a thorough investigation, both of the fac-
tory and of the repair shop methods, and will
give the following as the best I have yet found.
"The first thing is to obtain the ivory clamps,
which are about the same at all the different
supply houses, although I consider the ones ob-
tained from the Tuners' Supply Co., of Boston,
to be the best of all, in all particulars. You can
obtain the ivory glue or cement from them, or
from Hammacher, Schlemmer & Co., of New
York. This comes in a very stiff paste. In
preparing it, take a small amount and heat it
by placing in a double boiler, having the water
in which the glue is set lukewarm to begin
with. Then let this water come to a boil.
"Now suppose the heads to be glued have
been removed from the keys, clean the ivory by
dipping it in hot water for a moment and scrap-
ing off all the old glue. Now take a sandpaper
block and clean off the top of the key. Be
sure not to get the joint between the head and
the tail rounded off in the filing process. If
you are using transparent ivory that would show
the wood black under it, take some oxide of
zinc, which can be obtained at the drug store at
small cost, make a stiff paste, mixing with water
the glue is hot, dip a small brush in the glue
FAUST SCHOOL OF TUNING as
and then in the zinc mixture, and paint the key
carefully on top. Let it stand a short time for
Piaao, PUytr-Piano, Pipe and Reed Organ Toning and Re-
You will now see that the
pairing, tls« Regulating, Voicing, Varnishing and Polishing the glue to set.
This formerly was the tuning department of the New key is so white that there is no danger of hav-
England Conservatory of Music, and Oliver C. Faust was
head of the department for 20 years previous to its dis- ing that awful black patch stuck somewhere in
continuance.
Courses in mathematical piano scale construction and a beautiful white set of keys, as we often see it.
drafting of same have been added.
"Now clean the joint between the tail and
Pupils have daily practise in Chickering & Sons' factory.
head and put some of the glue on the ivory
Year Book sent free upon request.
27-29 GAINSBOROUGH ST., BOSTON. MASS. (not on the key). Press the ivory down tight
at once to press out the superfluous glue, place
the plate which goes on top (part of the clamp)
in hot water for a moment, to warm it, put a
piece of paper between plate and ivory to pre-
vent the warm iron possibly discoloring the
ivory, screw the plate down tight and in thirty
minutes you can safely remove the clamp; that
is, if you had the clamp good and warm when
you put it on. True up the edges with a sand-
paper block and you will have a job that, if care-
fully done, cannot be wrong in any respect. In
case you should not have the real ivory cement,
a good hot glue will work, except that such glue
should stand about twelve hours in the clamps.
With the ivory cement, however, you can put
on the ivory, tune the piano and then know
that the ivory will stick when you leave the job.
"If any of your readers are interested in work-
ing whole sets of new ivories, I shall be pleased
to advise you as to the method. It is, however,
better usually for a tuner who is not equipped
to forward such work to the factory.
"Anyone will find that the ivory stain sold by
the Tuners' Supply Co. at a cost of 10 cents is
excellent for matching up ivory when old heads
are lost, and it is necessary to replace with new
ones. The ivory cement comes in several sizes.
The clamps cost about 25 cents each. At a
small outlay the returns and the results should
be a pleasure to any tuner. I trust many will
try this method. Respectfully yours, F. L.
Kenyon, Greensboro, N. C."
Many thanks, Brother Kenyon, for the kind-
ness in taking so much trouble and for the
valuable information. The point about mixing
zinc oxide with the cement so as to take away
any blackness or patchy appearance between the
transparent ivory and the wood of the key is
well taken. I have often seen reglued ivories
altogether spoiled in this way. Many notions
as to mixing whiting with ordinary glue have
been put forth for the same reason.
I happen to know that Mr. Kenyon is one
of the few tuners or repairmen who have been
successful in working whole sets of new ivories
on old keyboards. As he says, unless one is
really equipped for this kind of work, one should
turn the job over to a factory. What might
pass with one or two regluings will never pass
when there are eighty-eight to be considered.
I find that one of the most usual faults in re-
gluing is due to faulty adjustment of the top
plate of the clamp or else to faulty handling of
the ivory when the clamp is being screwed down.
In either case it seems often that the joint be-
tween the head and tail of the ivory is not care-
fully maintained, so that a gap appears in the
joint somewhere and the appearance of the key
is spoiled. I have also noticed that those who
(Continued on page 16)
YOUR STRAIGHT
i PIANOS INTO PLAYERS
Individual pneumatic stacks, roll
boxes, bellows, pedal actions,
expression boxes.
Manufacturers, dealers, tuners
and repair men supplied with
player actions for straight pianos.
JENKINSON PLAYER ACTION CO., Inc.
912-914 Elm St.
Cincinnati, O.
The Pioneer School
with 775 Successful
Graduates in the Field
Address, Box 414
VALPARAISO, IND.