Music Trade Review
Issue: 1916 Vol. 63 N. 20 - Page 10
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
10
Technical Men Discuss Piano Scales and Construction
Latest Conference in Chicago, Under Chairmanship of Frank E. Morton, Devoted to the
Exchange_of Experiences and Theories Concerning the General Construction of Pianos
CHICAGO, TI.I.., November 6.—The latest meeting
of the superintendents and technical directors of
piano manufactories was held last Thursday
evening in the acoustic laboratory of the Amer-
ican Steel & Wire Co. with Frank E. Morton,
chairman, presiding.
Immediately after the
opening of the meeting several topics were sug-
gested and agreed upon for future deliberation.
The committee on the height of grand piano
keyboards reported progress, and requested the
secretary to communicate with grand piano
makers not represented, request data covering
height of white keys from the floor; the dis-
tance from the front of the pedal to a perpen-
dicular line drawn from the front of the key-
bed to the floor, and the height of piano benches.
Those present next proceeded to discuss the
results of the preceding meeting, when the topic
was "The Composition of Tone," and it was the
general consensus that the discussion had been
productive of genuine results. The technical
men appeared particularly to appreciate the op-
portunity for open discussion of subjects so
important to them. Mr. Morton explained that
the purpose of the conference was not to act
arbitrarily, but rather to develop a condition
through the opinions and experiences of all pres-
ent from which condition progress may be
made.
C. H. Jackson next remarked upon the ques-
tion how to approach the thin tones of the
scale, and stated that Mr. Morton had told him
sometime ago, "Look at your bass strings and
see how you have them loaded." He found the
strings loaded very heavily, and reduced the
tension with good results.
Wm. Braid White: "About a year and a half
ago, a Western manufacturer desired to im-
prove his product. He permitted me to make
him a new set of gages for his scale. Using
\i
the American Steel & Wire Co.'s formulae and
wire, and taking his scale as it stood, we adopted
a tension of 155 pounds in the treble and 170
in the bass simply by computing the weights
according to the formulae. We strung up a
few pianos with this new loading, and upon
measuring "found we came within about five
pounds of the de'sired tension throughout. The
result was that at a negligible cost, the manu-
facturer found his piano greatly improved, tuned
better, the tone regulating reduced, and the tone
was considerably more even and measurably im-
proved.
E. 13. Bartlett next spoke of his experiments
with a piano at a tension of 196 pounds all
through, and stated that the instrument stood
for nearly two years without being tuned, and
while it wasn't absolutely smooth, it was gen-
erally satisfactory except for the hammer line.
Mr. Morton: "Plate founders inform me that
a plate of which they have a pattern is fre-
quently taken as a basis of making a new scale.
A few changes are made which will not neces-
sitate a new pattern, and the sweep of that
plate is accepted. This makes the hammer line
subservient to the sweep. This has been re-
lated by several plate founders as a very com-
mon experience, and leads me to think that the
objection of the manufacturer to a change in
his sweep line is based upon something more
than the expense involved."
Mr. Bartlett: "Jn my computations on equal
tension scales using the half sizes of wire, I
found it impossible with a scientific hammer line
to use a sweep for the upper bridge, and we
didn't attempt to do it. I think it quite likely
that I was figuring too closely. In the second
piano we did make the sweep of the upper
bridge and maybe that is one of the errors. A
different size wire would be required for each
We've Also Been
ELECTED
to supply a host of representative piano dealers with
r
Connorized
Music Rolls
-GUARANTEED-
The best selling roll ever produced. Our administration
has always stood for Quality and Service, and that we
have "made good" is manifested by the continued support
of the buying public whose demand is constantly increasing
the Connorized dealer's business.
Ask them—they'll tell you
GONNOR1ZED MUSIC GO.
144th Street & Austin Place
NEW YORK
1234 Olive Street
ST. LOUIS
note to keep the sweep uniform and scientifical-
ly accurate at the same time, and that isn't
feasible."
Mr. Morton: "The compromise which 1 have
suggested of establishing a semitone propor-
tion between gage changes permits the sweep.
This has been demonstrated by actual experi-
ment.
The one constant first established is
the hammer line. One method of taking care
of the treble is to establish one-eighth from the
longest plain wire to the bar break; and from
the bar break to the shortest wire a semitone
proportion to one-twentieth. The same qual-
ity of tone is not desired in the last octave as
obtains in the middle register. The piano would
be unsalable."
Wm. Braid White: "The first time I under-
took to make a scale drawing I began by estab-
lishing an octave proportion of length. Know-
ing the ratio of tension to pitch and length
and knowing the ratio of all factors to each
other, I deduced a given proportion of length
for the octave and from that obtained the semi-
tone proportion. I undertook to lay out the
hammer line as follows:
"Taking a point nearly one-seventh for the
greater part of the bass, one-eighth for the
entire middle section, and then from about
twenty-six or thereabout from the treble, going
up one-ninth, one-tenth, one-twelfth, as closely
as I could measure, which landed me about one-
twentieth. Theoretically, I was getting nine-
teen partials. The point is this: I found in
the first place that theoretical determination of
the hammer line made a beautiful sweep. Sec-
ondly, when it came to adjusting the tension
of the strings, I found there was extremely lit-
tle difficulty, and using perfected wire came
extremely close to the required tension of 160
pounds."
Mr. Morton: "In the method of adjusting
weights to lengths already determined, did the
result show the common practice of loading to
be nearly correct?"
Mr. White: "Yes, except, of course, when
approaching the break which took a rather
larger wire."
Mr. Morton: "Owing to the nature of steel
regardless of tension, length and weight, the
stiffness of the wire is a factor. Use a No. 21
or No. 22 wire at the break and you will find
a rod or bar tonal effect.
Because of the
stiffness, it is impracticable at such a length;
it will vibrate segmentally rather than funda-
mentally.
The overtones are very much in
evidence because of the nature of the steel it-
self, and you are absolutely obliged to take that
into consideration, otherwise we could have a
fairly uniform tension through to the wound
strings regardless of length.
Take a little
grand of to-day, with plain wire length of be-
tween thirty-eight-inch and thirty-nine-inch at
the break, and it is so short that a No. 20 wire
is impracticable on the last two notes before
the break.
No. 20 wire at that length be-
comes a bar in its tonal effect, and you find
overtones galore—in fact, the overtones in some
cases are almost dominant."
Mr. White: "I should have added at the time
that on this particular scale the mathematical
requirement was for No. 22 wire. We did try
a No. 22 wire and found it impossible for that
very reason. It was impossible to get what the
manufacturer calls a clear tone. It had no rec-
ognizable fundamental."
Mr. Bartlett: "Have you tried the.effect of
using a covered string there in order to main-
tain the tension?"
Mr. Morton: "It is impossible after the plate
is formed. If you start on that basis in the
first place—bringing the agraffe line in and your
bridge closer so as to give a shorter string,
the effect is not at all bad. It has been done
in several cases with success. I have advo-
cated a greater number of wound strings in the
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
10
Technical Men Discuss Piano Scales and Construction
Latest Conference in Chicago, Under Chairmanship of Frank E. Morton, Devoted to the
Exchange_of Experiences and Theories Concerning the General Construction of Pianos
CHICAGO, TI.I.., November 6.—The latest meeting
of the superintendents and technical directors of
piano manufactories was held last Thursday
evening in the acoustic laboratory of the Amer-
ican Steel & Wire Co. with Frank E. Morton,
chairman, presiding.
Immediately after the
opening of the meeting several topics were sug-
gested and agreed upon for future deliberation.
The committee on the height of grand piano
keyboards reported progress, and requested the
secretary to communicate with grand piano
makers not represented, request data covering
height of white keys from the floor; the dis-
tance from the front of the pedal to a perpen-
dicular line drawn from the front of the key-
bed to the floor, and the height of piano benches.
Those present next proceeded to discuss the
results of the preceding meeting, when the topic
was "The Composition of Tone," and it was the
general consensus that the discussion had been
productive of genuine results. The technical
men appeared particularly to appreciate the op-
portunity for open discussion of subjects so
important to them. Mr. Morton explained that
the purpose of the conference was not to act
arbitrarily, but rather to develop a condition
through the opinions and experiences of all pres-
ent from which condition progress may be
made.
C. H. Jackson next remarked upon the ques-
tion how to approach the thin tones of the
scale, and stated that Mr. Morton had told him
sometime ago, "Look at your bass strings and
see how you have them loaded." He found the
strings loaded very heavily, and reduced the
tension with good results.
Wm. Braid White: "About a year and a half
ago, a Western manufacturer desired to im-
prove his product. He permitted me to make
him a new set of gages for his scale. Using
\i
the American Steel & Wire Co.'s formulae and
wire, and taking his scale as it stood, we adopted
a tension of 155 pounds in the treble and 170
in the bass simply by computing the weights
according to the formulae. We strung up a
few pianos with this new loading, and upon
measuring "found we came within about five
pounds of the de'sired tension throughout. The
result was that at a negligible cost, the manu-
facturer found his piano greatly improved, tuned
better, the tone regulating reduced, and the tone
was considerably more even and measurably im-
proved.
E. 13. Bartlett next spoke of his experiments
with a piano at a tension of 196 pounds all
through, and stated that the instrument stood
for nearly two years without being tuned, and
while it wasn't absolutely smooth, it was gen-
erally satisfactory except for the hammer line.
Mr. Morton: "Plate founders inform me that
a plate of which they have a pattern is fre-
quently taken as a basis of making a new scale.
A few changes are made which will not neces-
sitate a new pattern, and the sweep of that
plate is accepted. This makes the hammer line
subservient to the sweep. This has been re-
lated by several plate founders as a very com-
mon experience, and leads me to think that the
objection of the manufacturer to a change in
his sweep line is based upon something more
than the expense involved."
Mr. Bartlett: "Jn my computations on equal
tension scales using the half sizes of wire, I
found it impossible with a scientific hammer line
to use a sweep for the upper bridge, and we
didn't attempt to do it. I think it quite likely
that I was figuring too closely. In the second
piano we did make the sweep of the upper
bridge and maybe that is one of the errors. A
different size wire would be required for each
We've Also Been
ELECTED
to supply a host of representative piano dealers with
r
Connorized
Music Rolls
-GUARANTEED-
The best selling roll ever produced. Our administration
has always stood for Quality and Service, and that we
have "made good" is manifested by the continued support
of the buying public whose demand is constantly increasing
the Connorized dealer's business.
Ask them—they'll tell you
GONNOR1ZED MUSIC GO.
144th Street & Austin Place
NEW YORK
1234 Olive Street
ST. LOUIS
note to keep the sweep uniform and scientifical-
ly accurate at the same time, and that isn't
feasible."
Mr. Morton: "The compromise which 1 have
suggested of establishing a semitone propor-
tion between gage changes permits the sweep.
This has been demonstrated by actual experi-
ment.
The one constant first established is
the hammer line. One method of taking care
of the treble is to establish one-eighth from the
longest plain wire to the bar break; and from
the bar break to the shortest wire a semitone
proportion to one-twentieth. The same qual-
ity of tone is not desired in the last octave as
obtains in the middle register. The piano would
be unsalable."
Wm. Braid White: "The first time I under-
took to make a scale drawing I began by estab-
lishing an octave proportion of length. Know-
ing the ratio of tension to pitch and length
and knowing the ratio of all factors to each
other, I deduced a given proportion of length
for the octave and from that obtained the semi-
tone proportion. I undertook to lay out the
hammer line as follows:
"Taking a point nearly one-seventh for the
greater part of the bass, one-eighth for the
entire middle section, and then from about
twenty-six or thereabout from the treble, going
up one-ninth, one-tenth, one-twelfth, as closely
as I could measure, which landed me about one-
twentieth. Theoretically, I was getting nine-
teen partials. The point is this: I found in
the first place that theoretical determination of
the hammer line made a beautiful sweep. Sec-
ondly, when it came to adjusting the tension
of the strings, I found there was extremely lit-
tle difficulty, and using perfected wire came
extremely close to the required tension of 160
pounds."
Mr. Morton: "In the method of adjusting
weights to lengths already determined, did the
result show the common practice of loading to
be nearly correct?"
Mr. White: "Yes, except, of course, when
approaching the break which took a rather
larger wire."
Mr. Morton: "Owing to the nature of steel
regardless of tension, length and weight, the
stiffness of the wire is a factor. Use a No. 21
or No. 22 wire at the break and you will find
a rod or bar tonal effect.
Because of the
stiffness, it is impracticable at such a length;
it will vibrate segmentally rather than funda-
mentally.
The overtones are very much in
evidence because of the nature of the steel it-
self, and you are absolutely obliged to take that
into consideration, otherwise we could have a
fairly uniform tension through to the wound
strings regardless of length.
Take a little
grand of to-day, with plain wire length of be-
tween thirty-eight-inch and thirty-nine-inch at
the break, and it is so short that a No. 20 wire
is impracticable on the last two notes before
the break.
No. 20 wire at that length be-
comes a bar in its tonal effect, and you find
overtones galore—in fact, the overtones in some
cases are almost dominant."
Mr. White: "I should have added at the time
that on this particular scale the mathematical
requirement was for No. 22 wire. We did try
a No. 22 wire and found it impossible for that
very reason. It was impossible to get what the
manufacturer calls a clear tone. It had no rec-
ognizable fundamental."
Mr. Bartlett: "Have you tried the.effect of
using a covered string there in order to main-
tain the tension?"
Mr. Morton: "It is impossible after the plate
is formed. If you start on that basis in the
first place—bringing the agraffe line in and your
bridge closer so as to give a shorter string,
the effect is not at all bad. It has been done
in several cases with success. I have advo-
cated a greater number of wound strings in the
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