Music Trade Review
Issue: 1914 Vol. 59 N. 6 - Page 10
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
10
THE
MUSIC
TRADE
REVIEW
OUT-TECHNICAL DEPARTMENT
CONDUCTED BY WILLIAM BRAID WHITE.
SPLIT FLANGE FOR PIANO ACTION.
Readers of this department will remember that
our good friend and occasional contributor, George
L. Maitlancf, has more than once drawn attention
to the advantages presented by the so-called "split
flange," once extensively used in square piano ac-
tions. Whatever may have been the reasons that
actuated the makers of upright and grand actions
in abandoning this type of flange in favor of one
that cannot be adjusted, the fact remains that they
did abandon it, and that the tuner's life is made a
burden by flanges that stick, that bind and in vari-
ous ways are a weariness of the flesh. In this con-
nection I publish a letter from George Messig,
of Brooklyn, N. Y., which is entirely confirmatory
of Mr. Maitland's so long and so consistently held
position. Mr. Messig says :
"Editor, Technical Department,
"Dear Sir:—Having had trouble with flange
bushings shrinking in this summer weather, I have
been led to think of remedies, especially since re-
pairing an old square piano recently. In this in-
strument it was necessary, in order to loosen the
hammer and ease its action, only to turn the little
screw in the split flange of the action. Now, if
upright flanges were made like this, I think stick-
ing hammers would be a thing of the past, for
hammers- which stick as well as such as are too
loose can be remedied very quickly and correctly.
In case the bushing wears, the screw can be tight-
ened, which also tightens the bushing and is a
mudh better method than putting a new bush-
ing in place. I am inquisitive to know what man-
ufacturers would say about this style of flange.
Also I should like your opinion."
My opinion is to be had at once. I quite agree
with Mr. Maitland, who long ago suggested this
plan, and with Mr. Messig, who once more brings
it up. But as to what the manufacturers would
think, alas, the tale is quite different; and by no
means so simple. Some years ago I had the
privilege of a long and most interesting conver-
sation with an eminent manufacturer of piano ac-
tions, a gentleman who, in my opinion, is our most
highly advanced thinker in this department of the
industry, and whose products I consider to be
the best on the market to-day. We had talked
about improvements and I had spoken of some
things that I thought ought to be done, instancing
my idea of an action separable transversely at its
rails so that the dampers and the hammers might
be regulated separately. To this and similar fugi-
tive expressions of opinion my manufacturing
friend replied substantially that the difficulty with
improvements lay in two aspects: first, the dif-
ficulty of making them practical; and second, the
gfeater difficulty of inducing the piano trade to ac-
cept anything which involves extra cost. In fact, he
laid down the principle that the trade will oppose
the introduction of any change which they cannot
see is absolutely essential to their future prosper-
ity, even if it does not involve additional cost,
while if there is any additional cost, the opposition
becomes positively rabid. The reason for this ap-
parently extraordinary state of affairs is that the
piano manufacturer is not personally interested,
speaking generally, in his product as a musical
instrument or as a piece of machinery. He is in-
terested in it as something to sell; and that is
about all.
FAUST SCHOOL OF TUNING
Piano, Player-Piano, Pipe and Reed Organ Toning and Re-
pairing, alto Regulating, Voicing, Varnishing and Polishing
This formerly was the tuning department of the New Eng-
land Conservatory of Music, and Oliver C. Faust was head
of that department for 20 years previous to its discontinu-
ance.
Courses in mathematical piano scale construction and
drafting of same have been added.
Pupils have daily practise in Chickering & Sons' factory.
Year Book sent free upon request.
27-29 GAINSBOROUGH ST., BOSTON, MASS.
Understand me, of course, that I am not speak-
ing of the great manufacturing corporations now
with us whose names, reputations and character
are dearer to them than mere profit. But 1 do
speak of the vast mass of pianos, which are in
fact, "goods;" which are "something to sell," and
are not intended to be anything else.
The conditions in which the business of piano
manufacturing is mainly carried on are such that
emphasis must be laid more and more on the
evolution of methods for selling and less and less
on mechanical refinement. Speaking roughly, but
not inaccurately, it is perfectly true to say that the
piano to-day is the same as it was twenty-five
years ago, while indeed many an old tuner will tell
us that he preferred the piano of the early nineties,
at least as a piece of machinery.
Now what my friend, the action maker, said
is only too true. The piano manufacturer does
not consider the piano tuner. He has no time,
usually, to think of him. If he makes as good a
piano as he can for the money, there is little like-
lihood of his having time to consider whether
the tuner can do a good job of adjusting o.n his
piano during the hot weather or not. He has
enough to do, so he thinks, in financing his busi-
ness, in selling ihis goods, and in getting the money
for them. He knows that any refinement that
costs money will reduce his already slender profits,
while he knows how hard it is to raise retail or
wholesale prices. So he opposes any change; not
entirely because he is careless of mechanical im-
provement—though this is to an extent the guid-
ing motive—but because of the extra cost in-
volved.
The action maker, on his side, no matter how
much he may desire to improve his product, hesi-
tates long before he attempts to force upon his
trade any improvement that makes a perceptible
difference in the appearance of his actions or that
compels him to increase the price. Of course,
some of the wailing that goes on about the neces-
sity for increasing prices when an improvement
is made merely means that the action maker will
not temporarily cut down his accustomed profit
for the purpose of making a greater profit through
greater demand. That is a point to be remembered.
Nevertheless, it should be understood that the
slightest change in methods, when worked out as
is necessary under accepted business conditions, in-
volves elements of expense not appreciated by the
outsider. And I shall not hesitate to say a word
or two about this phase of the topic, if only
because I know that a majority of my readers are
neither enough inclined to consider this particu-
lar matter nor even are accustomed to know that
it exists. Much of the rather loose talk that one
hears about improvements, and so on, and especial-
ly about people not taking them up, would be modi-
fied if the following facts were realized.
Modern business talks much about how wonder-
ful it is, and how self-sacrificing, and how it is
the genius of to-day, and
ing whatever. Modern business likes to take the
credit to itself for everything that happens, and to
talk about the romance of itself, and all that sort
of thing. But in very truth the romance «.f business
is that business, which ought to be romantic and
adventurous, spends all its time in trying to ar-
Polk's Piano Trade School
Piano,
14th YEAR
Player-Piano and Organ Tuning,
Repairing and Regulating.
Most thoroughly equipped Piano Trade School in
U. S. Private instruction; Factory experience if de-
sired. Students assisted. Diplomas awarded. School
entire year. Endorsed by leading piano manufacturers
and dealers. Free catalogue.
C. C. POLK
Box 293, Valparaiso, fnd.
range things so that the romance, the adventure—
in short, the uncertainty, shall cease to exist. The
ultimate perfection of business is the automatic
working of a smooth automatic machine, auto-
matically turning out smooth automatic profits for
smooth systematic gentlemen. The most perfect
manufacturing system is that which produces the
greatest number of repeated processes of the same
kind in a given time with least cost. The ideal
of manufacturing is the ideal of the automatic ma-
chine.
Now to put the matter quite seriously, it is not
the advantage of business to encourage improve-
ments unless and except these are required by
competition. Given a product for which there is a
keen public demand, backed up by keen public re-
quirements, and you will have continuous improve-
ment. Witness the typewriter, the automobile.
But the action of a piano is something that very
few people know or care about. Hence it is un-
consciously argued that there is nothing to be
gained by continually improving it in small de-
tails. Every change in the process of manufac-
ture, such as would be involved in splitting the
flanges, for instance, would mean the installation
of new machinery, the upsetting of established
routine and the construction of an entirely new
routine. And this means wasted time, and there-
fore wasted costs. And business, being quite heart-
less and impersonal, does not look with favor on
wasted time or on its correlative of wasted money.
There, to put the matter with complete frank-
ness, is the reason for the non-adoption of im-
provements confessedly good.
In saying all this I have desired to make my
correspondents and readers see that nothing is to
be gained by butting their heads against a stone
wall, except the excitement of the proceeding.
For my part, I like the excitement and continue to
butt my head (which candid friends assure me is
remarkable for its resisting qualities) against not
one, but many such walls. A second thought has
been that so long as I had to explain that busi-
ness does not like to make improvements that dis-
turbs its routine I might as well go, further and
explain also that this disapproval is not in the least
admirable, that it has nothing whatever to do with
the supposititious "Romance of Business," but that
it is simply explained by recognizing the plain fact
that business is greedy, impersonally greedy if you
like, but greedy nevertheless.
Having said all which, I consider that the pres-
ent sermon might as well be brought to an end.
•Communications for this department should be
addressed to the Editor, Technical Department,
The Music Trade Review.
"The Piano of the
Presidents," occupy-
ing the White House
for forty years.
SCHOMACKER PIANO CO.
1020 South 21st St.
PHILADELPHIA
oot5
1/vrsos
10
THE
MUSIC
TRADE
REVIEW
OUT-TECHNICAL DEPARTMENT
CONDUCTED BY WILLIAM BRAID WHITE.
SPLIT FLANGE FOR PIANO ACTION.
Readers of this department will remember that
our good friend and occasional contributor, George
L. Maitlancf, has more than once drawn attention
to the advantages presented by the so-called "split
flange," once extensively used in square piano ac-
tions. Whatever may have been the reasons that
actuated the makers of upright and grand actions
in abandoning this type of flange in favor of one
that cannot be adjusted, the fact remains that they
did abandon it, and that the tuner's life is made a
burden by flanges that stick, that bind and in vari-
ous ways are a weariness of the flesh. In this con-
nection I publish a letter from George Messig,
of Brooklyn, N. Y., which is entirely confirmatory
of Mr. Maitland's so long and so consistently held
position. Mr. Messig says :
"Editor, Technical Department,
"Dear Sir:—Having had trouble with flange
bushings shrinking in this summer weather, I have
been led to think of remedies, especially since re-
pairing an old square piano recently. In this in-
strument it was necessary, in order to loosen the
hammer and ease its action, only to turn the little
screw in the split flange of the action. Now, if
upright flanges were made like this, I think stick-
ing hammers would be a thing of the past, for
hammers- which stick as well as such as are too
loose can be remedied very quickly and correctly.
In case the bushing wears, the screw can be tight-
ened, which also tightens the bushing and is a
mudh better method than putting a new bush-
ing in place. I am inquisitive to know what man-
ufacturers would say about this style of flange.
Also I should like your opinion."
My opinion is to be had at once. I quite agree
with Mr. Maitland, who long ago suggested this
plan, and with Mr. Messig, who once more brings
it up. But as to what the manufacturers would
think, alas, the tale is quite different; and by no
means so simple. Some years ago I had the
privilege of a long and most interesting conver-
sation with an eminent manufacturer of piano ac-
tions, a gentleman who, in my opinion, is our most
highly advanced thinker in this department of the
industry, and whose products I consider to be
the best on the market to-day. We had talked
about improvements and I had spoken of some
things that I thought ought to be done, instancing
my idea of an action separable transversely at its
rails so that the dampers and the hammers might
be regulated separately. To this and similar fugi-
tive expressions of opinion my manufacturing
friend replied substantially that the difficulty with
improvements lay in two aspects: first, the dif-
ficulty of making them practical; and second, the
gfeater difficulty of inducing the piano trade to ac-
cept anything which involves extra cost. In fact, he
laid down the principle that the trade will oppose
the introduction of any change which they cannot
see is absolutely essential to their future prosper-
ity, even if it does not involve additional cost,
while if there is any additional cost, the opposition
becomes positively rabid. The reason for this ap-
parently extraordinary state of affairs is that the
piano manufacturer is not personally interested,
speaking generally, in his product as a musical
instrument or as a piece of machinery. He is in-
terested in it as something to sell; and that is
about all.
FAUST SCHOOL OF TUNING
Piano, Player-Piano, Pipe and Reed Organ Toning and Re-
pairing, alto Regulating, Voicing, Varnishing and Polishing
This formerly was the tuning department of the New Eng-
land Conservatory of Music, and Oliver C. Faust was head
of that department for 20 years previous to its discontinu-
ance.
Courses in mathematical piano scale construction and
drafting of same have been added.
Pupils have daily practise in Chickering & Sons' factory.
Year Book sent free upon request.
27-29 GAINSBOROUGH ST., BOSTON, MASS.
Understand me, of course, that I am not speak-
ing of the great manufacturing corporations now
with us whose names, reputations and character
are dearer to them than mere profit. But 1 do
speak of the vast mass of pianos, which are in
fact, "goods;" which are "something to sell," and
are not intended to be anything else.
The conditions in which the business of piano
manufacturing is mainly carried on are such that
emphasis must be laid more and more on the
evolution of methods for selling and less and less
on mechanical refinement. Speaking roughly, but
not inaccurately, it is perfectly true to say that the
piano to-day is the same as it was twenty-five
years ago, while indeed many an old tuner will tell
us that he preferred the piano of the early nineties,
at least as a piece of machinery.
Now what my friend, the action maker, said
is only too true. The piano manufacturer does
not consider the piano tuner. He has no time,
usually, to think of him. If he makes as good a
piano as he can for the money, there is little like-
lihood of his having time to consider whether
the tuner can do a good job of adjusting o.n his
piano during the hot weather or not. He has
enough to do, so he thinks, in financing his busi-
ness, in selling ihis goods, and in getting the money
for them. He knows that any refinement that
costs money will reduce his already slender profits,
while he knows how hard it is to raise retail or
wholesale prices. So he opposes any change; not
entirely because he is careless of mechanical im-
provement—though this is to an extent the guid-
ing motive—but because of the extra cost in-
volved.
The action maker, on his side, no matter how
much he may desire to improve his product, hesi-
tates long before he attempts to force upon his
trade any improvement that makes a perceptible
difference in the appearance of his actions or that
compels him to increase the price. Of course,
some of the wailing that goes on about the neces-
sity for increasing prices when an improvement
is made merely means that the action maker will
not temporarily cut down his accustomed profit
for the purpose of making a greater profit through
greater demand. That is a point to be remembered.
Nevertheless, it should be understood that the
slightest change in methods, when worked out as
is necessary under accepted business conditions, in-
volves elements of expense not appreciated by the
outsider. And I shall not hesitate to say a word
or two about this phase of the topic, if only
because I know that a majority of my readers are
neither enough inclined to consider this particu-
lar matter nor even are accustomed to know that
it exists. Much of the rather loose talk that one
hears about improvements, and so on, and especial-
ly about people not taking them up, would be modi-
fied if the following facts were realized.
Modern business talks much about how wonder-
ful it is, and how self-sacrificing, and how it is
the genius of to-day, and
ing whatever. Modern business likes to take the
credit to itself for everything that happens, and to
talk about the romance of itself, and all that sort
of thing. But in very truth the romance «.f business
is that business, which ought to be romantic and
adventurous, spends all its time in trying to ar-
Polk's Piano Trade School
Piano,
14th YEAR
Player-Piano and Organ Tuning,
Repairing and Regulating.
Most thoroughly equipped Piano Trade School in
U. S. Private instruction; Factory experience if de-
sired. Students assisted. Diplomas awarded. School
entire year. Endorsed by leading piano manufacturers
and dealers. Free catalogue.
C. C. POLK
Box 293, Valparaiso, fnd.
range things so that the romance, the adventure—
in short, the uncertainty, shall cease to exist. The
ultimate perfection of business is the automatic
working of a smooth automatic machine, auto-
matically turning out smooth automatic profits for
smooth systematic gentlemen. The most perfect
manufacturing system is that which produces the
greatest number of repeated processes of the same
kind in a given time with least cost. The ideal
of manufacturing is the ideal of the automatic ma-
chine.
Now to put the matter quite seriously, it is not
the advantage of business to encourage improve-
ments unless and except these are required by
competition. Given a product for which there is a
keen public demand, backed up by keen public re-
quirements, and you will have continuous improve-
ment. Witness the typewriter, the automobile.
But the action of a piano is something that very
few people know or care about. Hence it is un-
consciously argued that there is nothing to be
gained by continually improving it in small de-
tails. Every change in the process of manufac-
ture, such as would be involved in splitting the
flanges, for instance, would mean the installation
of new machinery, the upsetting of established
routine and the construction of an entirely new
routine. And this means wasted time, and there-
fore wasted costs. And business, being quite heart-
less and impersonal, does not look with favor on
wasted time or on its correlative of wasted money.
There, to put the matter with complete frank-
ness, is the reason for the non-adoption of im-
provements confessedly good.
In saying all this I have desired to make my
correspondents and readers see that nothing is to
be gained by butting their heads against a stone
wall, except the excitement of the proceeding.
For my part, I like the excitement and continue to
butt my head (which candid friends assure me is
remarkable for its resisting qualities) against not
one, but many such walls. A second thought has
been that so long as I had to explain that busi-
ness does not like to make improvements that dis-
turbs its routine I might as well go, further and
explain also that this disapproval is not in the least
admirable, that it has nothing whatever to do with
the supposititious "Romance of Business," but that
it is simply explained by recognizing the plain fact
that business is greedy, impersonally greedy if you
like, but greedy nevertheless.
Having said all which, I consider that the pres-
ent sermon might as well be brought to an end.
•Communications for this department should be
addressed to the Editor, Technical Department,
The Music Trade Review.
"The Piano of the
Presidents," occupy-
ing the White House
for forty years.
SCHOMACKER PIANO CO.
1020 South 21st St.
PHILADELPHIA
oot5
1/vrsos
Future scanning projects are planned by the International Arcade Museum Library (IAML).