Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
MARCH 15,
1919
11
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
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MANY PIANO MEN INSPECT SELF-TUNING PIANO DEVICE
A. J. Ostrander Exhibits New Tuning Device tc Piano Manufacturers and Technicians at Hotel
Woodstock—Explains Invention in Detail and Shows Possibilities of Development
Many piano manufacturers and others inter-
ested in the piano industry visited the Hotel
Woodstock, New York, on Thursday and Fri-
day of last week for the purpose of inspecting
the model of a device invented by A. J. Ostran-
der, which constitutes a self-tuning piano. The
device, although shown in a crude form, made a
distinct impression upon all those who in-
spected it.
This device is constructed with pistons and
levers, and it's operation worked out in accord-
ance with Pascal's law of internal pressure of
fluids (or semi-fluids), in such a way that a
constant relative tension is accomplished. Be-
sides keeping the piano constantly in tune by a
very simple operation, the entire pitch of the
piano may be raised or lowered at will. This
may be controlled by a master piston if desired,
but would not be absolutely necessary in instru-
ments for ordinary use. Regarding the inven-
tion Mr. Ostrander states:
"First, in respect as to how constant rela-
tive tension is accomplished: Three conditions
govern the pitch. of a vibrating string. (1)
length, (2) weight per unit of length and (3)
tension. In the piano as now constructed the
first two of the above conditions remain vir-
tually constant. It therefore is necessary only
to remedy the variation in the third condition,
the change in tension due to the contraction and
expansion of the wires under atmospheric condi-
tions or change in tension due to any other
causes.
"This is accomplished, in this device, through
the operation of what is known as Pascal's
law of internal pressure of fluids (or semi-fluids),
which states that the pressure in all parts of a
chamber containing such fluid under pressure is
equal.
"It therefore follows that a freely-moving pis-
ton having a given cross-section area will always
exert an amount of pressure directly propor-
tional to the pressure in the chamber. By means
of a simple lever of the 2nd class this pressure
is stepped up and applied directly to the string,
the necessary amount of pull being accurately
obtained by adjusting a movable fulcrum to give
the proper ratio between the two members of
the lever. Once this adjustment is made, with
a given piston pressure, a given pull on the
string is maintained, regardless of its contrac-
tion or expansion, thus meeting the third condi-
tion above mentioned.
"Another law of pitch in vibrating strings is
this; that to raise any string a half tone in pitch,
an increase of 12 35/100 per cent, in the pull
already exerted must be applied. Thus, a string
having 100 lbs. pull would, in going up half a
tone, require a pull of 112 35/100 lbs. while one
having 200 lbs. would require 224 7/10 lbs.
"An illustration of the working of the device
under normal conditions may be given as fol-
lows: suppose 100 strings to be tuned to middle
C, and that one string contracts (or is drawn
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up) enough to raise the pitch one half tone,
all the other strings remaining the same length.
The increased pull of the contracted string im-
mediately transmits, through the lever, increased
pressure to the piston controlling this string.
But by the law of internal pressure this increase
of pressure on one piston is immediately trans-
mitted to the entire compression chamber,
affecting all the other pistons. The result, then,
is that, instead of the one string going up half
a tone and all the others remaining constant, all
the strings go up 1/100 of a half tone, thus main-
taining a musical instrument, though at a slightly
different pitch.
"To maintain a given pitch in all strings it is
only necessary to provide a master piston con-
trolled by a weight or spring.
"As the pressure of any piston is directly pro-
portional to the pressure in the chamber, and as
the amount of pressure exerted by one member
of a lever is directly proportional to the amount
of pressure applied to the other member, it fol-
lows that with this device it is possible, by
merely changing the amount of pressure in the
chamber, to raise or lower the pitch of the entire
instrument at a moment's notice.
"An advantage arising from this feature is
that, by lowering the pitch very materially, the
strain on both wires and sound board is relieved,
thus adding to the life of both."
STOPS MISLEADING ADVERTISING
Vigilance Committee in Indianapolis Prevents
Misleading Piano Advertising
Through the influence of local advertising
club vigilance committees, says a bulletin from
the national vigilance committee of the Asso-
ciated Advertising Clubs of the World, an ef-
fective means is being found for the prevention
of deceit in connection with the use of classified
advertising columns of newspapers for adver-
tising phonographs, pianos, furs, jewelry and
other articles by dealers who pretend to be pri-
vate householders.
Such "gyp" dealers, says the bulletin, are espe-
cially dangerous because of the frequency with
which they deceive the inquirer concerning the
source, quality and value of the goods adver-
tised, and it has also been found that they have
a penchant for intimating that the goods they
offer are standard, trade-marked articles.
A case that illustrates one way of meeting
this situation arose in Indianapolis a few days
ago.
George E. Gill, secretary of the vigil-
ance work there, found that a piano was being
advertised from the home address of a salesman
employed in a piano store. The wife of the
salesman insisted it was her own piano that she
was selling, but the advertisement was declined
until the words "private dealer" were inserted.
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DEATH OF MISS ELSIE DOLL
EVERYWHERE
Daughter of Late Jacob Doll and Sister of Otto
and George Doll Passes Away Suddenly
Miss Elsie Doll, daughter of the late Jacob
Doll, founder of Jacob Doll & Sons, Inc., passed
away at her home, 6 West Seventy-seventh
street, New York, on Saturday morning last
after a short illness of pneumonia.
Miss Doll was twenty-nine years of age, and
her death came as a severe shock to a wide cir-
cle of friends with whom she had been asso-
ciated in church work as well as socially.
The funeral services were held on Sunday
evening at her late home, the interment being
on Monday in the Doll mausoleum at Wood-
lawn. Besides being survived by her mother,
she leaves five brothers, Otto Doll, George Doll,
Fred. Doll, Jacob Doll, Jr., Chas. Doll, and her
sisters, Lillian Doll, Mrs. Karl Koch, Mrs.
Hvass and another married sister.
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| PianoCompany
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