Music Trade Review

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16
THE
MUSIC TRADE
Conducted and Edited by Win. B. White.
REVIEW
all require the closest approximation to perfec-
tion. Hence the fine tuner must be an experi-
enced man, paid to do his work well and well
paid at that. He must have authority to see that
his recommendations as to the earlier tunings
may be carried into effect, a course which will
be comparatively simple to arrange when the
fine tuning is done by the foreman of the de-
partment. He is responsible for the pitch at
which the pianos go out and therefore it is neces-
sary that he be allowed to put in force such
practices as will enable him to control the course
of the tuning from shipping right down to the
final touches.
(To be continued.)
which has become characteristic of a piano to
remain year after year without improvement of
any kind. Such a policy is merely a prelimi-
(Continued.)
THE TONE-REGULATING DEPARTMENT.
nary to the setting in of dry rot throughout the
In every well organized shop the tone-regula- whole institution.
tor's duties will be laid down by the superin-
The question of piece work as against regular
tendent in a clear and rigidly defined manner. wages is here a most interesting one. I consider
It is true that to limit his operations is not the that, in any shop where the object is quality
easiest thing in the world, inasmuch as he is rather than quantity of output, the best policy
required to develop and render audible the tone is to pay the voicers good wages, without regard
quality that is in the piano, a work which is to the actual amount of work they turn out. It
Communications for the department should be
likely to involve many widely separated kinds seems to me that tone-regulating is something addressed to the Editor Technical Department,
of processes. But there are certain things that that should never be hurried, and that therefore The Music Trade Review.
he must not do, just as there are certain things every inducement should be given the men who
that he must do; it is of these former that we do this delicate work to take their time and de-
PIONEEft FACTORIES IN HARLEM.
wish particularly to speak.
vote themselves to artistic output without the
It ought to be distinctly understood that the fear that they may not be able to make enough
In a section of the New York Times of last
tone-regulator must not accept any piano that money.
Sunday given over to the wonderful development
has not had at least three tunings. If the or-
Of course, no such policy need be seriously and future possibilities of the Bronx borough,
ganization of the shop is such that a consider- considered where the piano is frankly commer- there appeared a lengthy article regarding the
able period must elapse between the action regu- cial. At the same time, however, it may always piano factories which crowd that section of the
lating and the voicing, then the piano should be be remembered that every extra dollar spent in city. In connection with the article, a very in-
tuned a fourth time before it is tone-regulated. the tone-regulating department will, under ju- teresting bit of Bronx piano history was given,
Recollect that, just as the feeling of the keys dicious handling, return again manyfold.
from which we cull the following facts:
under the musician's fingers is pleasing or the
FOURTH AND FIFTH TUNINGS.
The first piano factory in the Bronx of any
reverse in accordance with the skill or lack there-
When the piano leaves the voicing room it importance was t^iat of the Dunham firm. This
of of the action regulator, so also for the tonal should be turned over to a tuner again and gone was a landmark to, all travelers on the Harlem
quality of the instrument, which very largely de- over once more, the tuning in question being Railroad, being located east of the tracks about
termies its salability, we must rely upon the either the fourth or fifth. A careful tuning at 155th street. This was built about 1870, but at
voicer. His work demands that the piano be in this point will bring out the full beauty of the that time it was more in the country than if it
excellent tune and regulation when it comes to instrument and reveal to the fine regulator any were now up in Putnam county. The cost of
him; not otherwise can he get out.of it every- defects in the voicing. In a large shop the fifth trucking pianos and material to and from Mel rose
thing that is in it of tonal beauty.
tuner can have space on the same floor with the was prohibitive, and the difficulty of getting labor
It is the duty of the superintendent to see that polishers, voicers, fine regulator and fine tuner. so far out in the country made it necessary for
the voicer is most particular with reference to But the voicers should work in a separate com- the factory to close after a short time. This
the kinds of tools that he uses and the manner partment and the tuners also should have par- was the end of Bronx piano making for some
in which he employs them. The best methods titions. Otherwise they will all annoy one an- time.
of sandpapering the hammers and of stabbing other and their work will seriously suffer. After
The present colony of piano men was not
the felt must be carefully studied. The general the tuning the piano passes into the hands of started till about 1888, when Haines Brothers
aim must be to preserve a correct shape to the the polishers, who will have received the small bought lots along the Harlem river, where they
body of the hammer and its point, as well as to detachable case parts already and will be ready afterward erected the large factory now used by
soften the felt in such a manner that the effect to polish them when the piano to which they the Kroeger Piano Co. and Strich & Zeidler. The
will be permanent and beneficial instead of tem- belong comes to them for the same purpose. The same year, Newby & Evans were the pioneers to
porary and destructive.
polishing work is properly noticed under the open up the Southern Boulevard section. There
The superintendent will do well to pay no lit- heading of
was then no trolley and one had to walk from
tle attention to the tone regulating department,
the Third Avenue bridge. Decker & Son built
VARNISHING
and particularly to discover the voicer's views and therefore we shall now postpone further their factory in 1889. Shortly after that time
as to striking distances, defects in scales, and discussion of it until the time comes to consider Francis Connor and Jacob Doll joined the settle-
other similar matters, concerning which such the whole of this important department.
ment. This section must be looked upon as the
opinions are likely to be most valuable.
nucleus
of the development which has now grown
THE FINE REGULATOR.
There is no department in the whole shop
to almost fifty factories.
After
the
polish
the
fine
regulator
should
take
which will bear more careful watching and study
The Bacon piano factory did not move to the
than this one, and it may be laid down as an the piano. His duties are to examine carefully Bronx till 1894. In 1899 they built their factory
the
action
regulating,
and
to
remedy
any
defects
axiom that the tone-regulators themselves will
on Mott avenue, where they remained until 1906,
be not the least valuable critics and constructive that may have developed therein during the tun- when, having sold their land to the New York
ings
and
voicing
that
the
piano
has
been
re-
suggestors if it is made plain to them that their
ceiving. The action regulator must have his Central Railroad, they undertook the removal of
views are to be considered with attention.
attention
called to anything that looks like care- their factory building, a five-story brick struc-
A word at this point, however, on another
ture, a distance of 800 feet to its present site on
phase of the same question. The tone-regulator, less workmanship and the same policy is in Walton avenue near 138th street. This engineer-
order
with
regard
to
the
voicing.
The
fine
regu-
just like any other man, is prone to fall into
ing feat attracted much attention at the time.
one rut and stick there. Now, the art of voicing lator must inspect the work of the voicer just as
This great increase in manufactured products,
carefully
as
that
of
the
action
regulator
and
should be a progressive one; indeed, if it could
destined
to be sent all over the world, made nec-
not so be, it could not be an art at all. The tonal must devote himself to removing any slight essary better facilities for rapid and direct dis-
blemishes
that
may
appear
anywhere
and
to
qualities of the piano should be susceptible of
tribution. Railroad after railroad opened freight
continual improvement, and if the superintend- rendering the piano as perfect tonally and tactu- stations, until now the Bronx has every great
ent makes a scale or action improvement, the ally as possible. It need hardly be said that the freight line of the East running its cars full of
tone-regulator should at once seize the oppor- fine regulator is an important functionary and pianos direct from the factory doors.
tunity to experiment with a view to turning that therefore should be chosen with care and well
particular improvement to account in his own paid, preferably by weekly wages of a sub- The Kroeger Piano Co. have taken possession
line. It will never do to allow the tonal quality stantial character.
of the factory quarters adjoining their present
THE FINE TUNER.
plant and recently vacated by Stricb & Zeidler.
This man should be the foreman of his de- The additional floor space thus acquired has been
partment, unless indeed the same be too large badly needed by the Kroeger Co. for some time
for him to assume the duties as well as those past.
The most remarkable development in up-
immediately pertaining to him. When the lat-
right piano construction since the inven-
ter condition occurs the tuner foreman will have
Heffelfinger & Conger have succeeded to the
tion of the tape-check action.
to devote his entire time to superintending and piano business of L. F. Moser, Manning, la.
directing the work of his subordinates.
IT'S IN THE BACK
Fine tuning is a fine art, and its perfection is
Secures acoustic perfection, i m p a r t s a
not less hardly attained because the pianos that
marvellous tone and the tone stays there.
come for the treatment have been carefully
Taught in a Course of Twenty-five Lessons
Write for particulars.
tuned beforehand many times. In fact, for this
Write for particulars and terms to
very reason there is no excuse for the slightest
NYSE WANDER PIANO CO.
WM. B. WHITE, c. o. The Music Trade Review,
defect
in
the
fine
tuning.
Temperament,
unison
510 Asbland Block
CHICAGO
1 Madison Avenue, New York
tuning, the high treble and low bass, each and
FACTORY ORGANIZATION.
INYSE WANDER
The Art of Piano Scale Drawing