Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
PRACTICAL PIANO TUNING
By ALEXANDER HART
Formerly with Steinway & Sons Tuning Department, Instructor in
Piano Tuning, Teachers College, Columbia University, N. Y.
Registered Member of the
National Association of Piano Tuners
Notes of Interest on Tuning
HE diagram gives us an opportunity
to view in detail what may happen
at any time where no one may be the
cause of it. For instance, the letter "J"
shows the key-stop rail. It is not un-
likely that one can forget to tighten the
nuts securely, then a prominent noisy
effect ensues. At the same time, notice
whether there is sufficient play between
key and rail, as it can happen that one
is apt to forget the importance of the
key dip and touch.
Take a look at No. I. There is a screw
that if not tightened can cause a lot of
trouble. While I think of it, before you
replace the action, see that the key bed
is clear, that all the felts on back of
keys are not distorted or worn, or that
some of them should be renewed.
Notice in particular K- and R. These
screws are sometimes overlooked. The
reason for this is that the action must be
taken out of the case in order to work
on it, consequently check and double
check. The willingness to make another
call means a re-call to the customer you
just left. K and R cause rattling sounds
when left untightened.
Screws seem to get loose although
they have been looked over only a short
time ago. Whenever the action is out, it
is good policy to see and know they are
all tightened, especially when the piano
is receiving regular care.
There is a felt marked in at the back
of the key. They do drop off, but not
often. The function of these pieces of
felt is to contribute quietness and ease
when the key is lifting the damper. The
screws marked "X" should always be
tightened.
T
Emergency Cases
One must not forget that the items
mentioned are those that happen in the
ordinary case of emergencies. For in-
stance, take No. 0. One gets a good
view of the roller on this diagram and
by close study it is evident that the fly
keeps pounding away at the roller. It
can't be helped, for, as you know, by
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW, JANUARY, 1952
experience the key is constantly being
struck by the finger and felt becomes
either gummed up, or so hard through
years of wear and tear, instance of the
roller acting as a cushion, it has lost
its elasticity.
I should mention that it is not good
practice to smear the rollers with graph-
ite mixture. The tendency of this is
to harden the buckskin. The result is
an awful knocking effect. One should
imagine the keybed is loose. Should
anything like this show up, when you
have the action out, clean off all the
graphite with a fine sandpaper file and
soften the buckskin with fine needles.
At the side is No. "HH, a wobbly
hammer which can cause a lot of an-
noyance, perhaps hitting the next string.
The same double sound.
Lots of things can happen to No. H.
which is the center pin in the flange,
with bushing around it. First of all, the
only trouble might be to re-pin the
flange.
The Jack Fly
An interesting observation is No. 2,
the jack fly, and "N" the repetition lever.
No. " 0 " is resting on the lever and not
on the jack, otherwise there would be
a binding at the roller, and then would
not be freedom of action.
Try to save this diagram as we will
use it again in the next issue. It would
seem by observing the mechanism made
of wood, felt, iron and glue that it is
in a sense quite frail in its make-up,
but the student may be surprised to
know by and from actual facts that the
writer tuned a Sohmer upright, made in
the early eighties, and not a string had
been missing or broken. In fact, it was
almost intact.
The same may be said of the Stein-
way where tuners have serviced {hem
honestly. One Steinway that was recently
tuned is in its 84th year, in the same
room for 25 years, the same harmony
instructor using it, and outside of a lit-
tle tuning now and then there is noth-
ing to worry about.
You see by this report good solid
built pianos really can take a beating
for many years. Why not respect and
give great credit to these pioneer piano
builders that have gone before—and are
still with us.
25