Music Trade Review

Issue: 1951 Vol. 110 N. 2

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
PRACTICAL PIANO TUNING
m
By ALEXANDER HART
Formerly with Steinway fir Sons Tuning Department, Instructor
Piano Tuning, Teachers College, Columbia University, N. Y.
Registered Member of the
National Association of Piano Tuners
CHAPTER 26 - Piano Tuning in Review
Items of Interest
No. 46
It is always good judgment, when in
conversation regarding the piano, to be
able to interest the customer to such a
degree that whether it be a tuning or
selling deal, or perhaps call for some
appraising, you are ready for the oppor-
tunity when it comes.
Now for (as I mentioned in No. 15 I
the framework and foundation, which
is one of the first beginnings after the
scale has been designed. Today, piano
makers have solved the problem of
building small spinet consoles and studio
instruments for class rooms—all con-
servatives that stand the test.
It is truly surprising how these small
instruments stand the heavy continuous
strain without loss of tone. The woods
fulfilling these requirements are chest-
nut, ash, spruce and pine. Then comes
the wrest-plank or pin block—glued on
the frame. The wrest-plank holds the
tuning pins, which in turn hold the
strings.
It stands to reason that the finest tim-
ber of several layers make up the plank,
glued together so thai the tuning pins
will hold fast and keep them from slip-
ping under climatic conditions.
No. 47
The sounding-board also comes in for
its share of selected woods. One of the
factors in sound-board making is the use
of the finest spruce, made up of narrow
boards glued together edge to edge, and
held together by ribs glued across the
back. The varieties of spruce selected
for one purpose is to obtain a quality of
tone distinctively individual in the man-
ufacturing of fine pianos. Volumes have
been written about these fine woods used
for piano building. From this procedure,
i.e., placing the bridge on the sound-
board, its great importance is to com-
municate the string vibrations to the
sound-board, hence we note that the
science of scale design begins on paper.
From there we move on to the iron
plate or metal frame covering the entire
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW, FEBRUARY, 1951
area of the piano, placed over the wrest-
plank, and the sound-board; a support
for counteracting the strain in general.
driven into the plate and hold the
lower ends of the strings.
No. 48
Tuners should always be careful not
to spring tuning pins, always raise ipitch
a little, to be able to pass hitch-pins,
bridges and a«raffes.
So far we have spoken of the back,
sound-board, bridge and plate, we must
not forget that when all is said and done
I he whole question of piano construction
narrows down to planning, just like
the architect drafting and figuring out
all details of design for estimates and
measurements that must be represented
for the best musical results.
For instance, the bass strings are so
long that if they are parallel with the
others, an upright piano would need to
be six feet high at the bass end.
The strings alone produce the tone;
the sound-board only resonates. The
strings are made of steel, and some are
wound with copper. These copper strings
are found in the bass register. Although
strings possess great strength, they must
be elastic so as to vibrate freely and give
forth a pure tone.
It is a great art to manufacture steel
strings—and the "pull" of the strings
and strain exerted upon an instrument,
is up to the scale designer.
Remarks on No. 49
CHEEK
<( o i i l i i i i i i ' i l
I'riini
I'iiKt- '.'Si
any piano manufacturer or dealer but
we will supply the units and parts later
on to any piano manufacturer that cares
to assemble their own pla\er. No ma-
chinery required a\\\ longer for this
type of work.
Remarks on No. 48
Besides the wood used in sound-board
making, it takes skilled mechanics to
plane and glue these boards so that it
look like one large perfectly clear sur-
face with hardly a joint in view. The
same painstaking care is given to gluing
on the bridge, shaping and pinning, also
the riles, that are glued on to form an
arch or crown. The reason I mention
this is because thorough repairs may
include repairing the sound-board, also
removing the iron plate, and so—my
advice is to get thoroughly familiar with
these procedures before you undertake
such precision work.
No.
49
The tuning pins are screwed into holes
drilled into the wrest plank; the upper
ends of the strings are turned by the
tuning hammer. The hitch-pins are
TOI.KKKT F. CHKKK
"At the present time we are building
several good size organs. One just com-
pleted for the Second Presbyterian
Church, Birmingham, Ala.; a two man-
ual console and 26 stops, and two here
in Gloucester, Mass. I guess if it was not
for the good old days with the Kohler &
Campbell, Inc., the Aeolian Company
and the Skinner Organ Co., Boston,
Mass. 1 would not be doing all this work.
This is my 45th year in the piano and
organ work, and I like it more than ever.
"I train my own men for tuning and
rebuilding pianos, organs and players
and keep them busy. I cover the whole
of the North Shore and many customers
in Boston."
29
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
OBITUARIES =
William J. Dougherty Dies
After Long Illness
William J. Dougherty. Executive Edi-
tor of "The Music Dealer." and one of
the best-known trade paper men in the
music industry, passed away on Feb-
ruary 11th after a lingering illness. Mr.
Dougherty was approximately 60 years
old. He had had a heart condition for
some time and contracted pneumonia
which caused his death.
•"Bill" Dougherty, as he was familiarly
known throughout the industry, started
his career in the music industry as man-
aging editor of the "Music Trades."
Later he became news editor of the
Music Trade Review, and from there
he became editor of the "American
Beautician." After spending several
\ears with this publication, he returned
to the "Music Trades" as editor, a posi-
tion he held when World War II broke
out. At that time, he entered the army
as a civilian employee and remained
there until October. 1945 when he be-
came editor of "Musical Merchandise."
After that, he was advertising and sales
promotion manager for Mastro Corp.
and from there he became editor of "The
Music Dealer."
He is survived by a widow, mother,
sister, brother, married daughter and
two grandchildren. A solemn high Re-
quiem Mass was held at the Church of
the Good Shepherd. Broadway and
I sham Street. New York on Wednesday,
February 14th.
W. W. RADCLIFFE
W. W. Radcliffe, 75, retired piano
HENRY WICKHAM.
Founder
tuner, passed away at Gulfport, near St.
Petersburg, Fla., on December 29 fol-
lowing a heart attack.
He was born in Easton, Pa., on March
20, 1876. Early in his piano career, he
was associated with the W. W. Kimball
Co., Chicago, after which he went with
the former Hallett & Davis Piano Co., of
Boston, as retail sales manager, and
later as manager of the factory at Ne-
ponset, Mass. He later became New Eng-
land representative of the Euwelt Piano
Co., South Haven.
While covering New England for
Everett and Cable-Nelson he lived at
Duxbury, Mass. He was a life member of
Corner Stone Lodge. A.F. & A.M. of
Duxbury, Mass.
He is survived by his widow.
MRS. IDA A. TREFZ
Mrs. Ida A. Trefz. 63, wife of Edwin
A. Trefz, president of Otto R. Trefz Jr.
& Co., Inc.. Philadelphia, passed away
at her home in Lansdowne on January 6,
after an illness of nine months.
She is survived by her husband; a son,
Robert N.; and a daughter, Mrs. Robert
C. Mann, all of whom are actively en-
gaged in the operation of the Trefz busi-
ness.
Funeral services were held in Lans-
downe, Pa., on January 10, with Rev.
Thomas E. Shearer, pastor of the Im-
manuel Lutheran Church, of East Lans-
downe, officiating. Interment services
were held at Fernwood Cemetery.
GEORGE J. KRUMSCHEW
George M. Krumscheid, Fitchburg.
Mass., passed away after a long illness
at his home January 17th. He was 62
years of age. Mr. Krumscheid had been
in business in Fitchburg for the past
18 years and had been in the music
business for a total of 47 years in
Boston and surrounding cities. At the
time of his death he owned the Fitch-
burg Music Store, Inc.
He was a member of the Rotary Club,
Elks and a 4th Degree Knight of Colum-
bus. He is survived by his wife, Mrs.
Katherine Krumscheid. his father, Peter
Krumscheid of Boston, one sister and
two brothers.
FOSTER J. SHUMAKER
Foster J. Shumaker, head of Foster
Shumaker & Co., Upper Sandusky, Ohio,
who was a lifelong resident of that com-
munity, was fatally injured in an auto
accident on an ice-covered hill on State
Route 101. four miles northeast of
Tiffin recently, dying after being taken
to the Mercy Hospital in Tiffin with a
crushed chest. With him at the time was
Milton Gucker. who operates the Shu-
maker farm. He was injured but not
seriously.
Mr. Shumaker was 67 >ears of age
and had been in business in Upper San-
dusky all his life. He is survived by a
widow, Mrs. May Pence Shumaker, two
sisters, Mrs. Beatrice Weaver of Salem
Township and Mrs. Edna Baskell of
Upper Sandusky.
Besides being in the musical instru-
ment business for many years, he was
an accomplished pianist, organist and
vocalist and was a graduate of both the
music school and a business college at
Columbus. He was a parishioner of St.
Joseph's Catholic Church, Salem Town-
ship, and St. Peter's Church in Upper
Sandusky. He was also a member of the
Holy Name Society of the local parish.
The Tuner Alone>
Preserves
The
J O I N
THE
ESTABLISHED ' 6 8 5
INCORPORATED 1903
NATIONAL
ASSOCIATION
of
PIANO TUNERS
Organized To Maintain The Highest Tech-
nical And Professional Standards In The
Practice Of Piano Service.
Originators of a Nation-Wide System of
Qualified Piano Service Identified by a
Membership Certificate of "REGISTERED
TUNER and REBUILDER of Pianos." This
certificate is issued each year for the pro-
tection of the Tuner and his Clientele.
Read the
TUNERS JOURNAL
CELEBRATED WICKHAM PLATES.
For particulars address the
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF
PIANO TUNERS
430 OGLETHORPE ST.. N.W.
WASHINGTON 11, D. C.
30
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW. FEBRUARY, 1951

Download Page 29: PDF File | Image

Download Page 30 PDF File | Image

Future scanning projects are planned by the International Arcade Museum Library (IAML).

Pro Tip: You can flip pages on the issue easily by using the left and right arrow keys on your keyboard.