Music Trade Review
Issue: 1920 Vol. 71 N. 19 - Page 12
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE
12
MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
the sound boards of pianos usually swell up a
good deal during the Summer months. On the
other hand they are subjected throughout the
she wants is to have it sound better, regardless months of artificial heat to a process which
of pitch. And by the way, I recently came can only be described as a mild sort of baking,
acioss a piano that had not been tuned in thir- during which the moisture is completely evap-
teen years. Sincerely yours, J. R. Smith, Mo- orated from the sound board, which shrinks
until often the down bearing is almost oblit-
bile, Ala."
erated. The alternate rise and fall of the sound
Some Comments
As B.rother Smith says, spruce wood is com- board, in A grand piano, or its backward and
posed of alternate regions of soft and hard forward movement as in an upright, under the
fibre. It is also true that splits do very often heavy down pressure of the strings, must in
occur alcmg glue joints. But it is also true time cause a splitting of the board at some weak
that the domestic environment furnishes the point, no doubt among one of the joints of
principal cause of sound board trouble. T h e which Brother Smith speaks.
Of course, it is simply useless to worry about
board swells up in Summer until the down
bearing of the strings is perceptibly increased. the sound board. Until a substitute for spruce
This, of course, is due to the fact that the wood is found, which will not. I think, be soon,
average Summer climate throughout the United it is hard to see what we are going to do about
it. The best remedy is in educating the owners
States includes an atmospheric condition of
60 degrees humidity. In fact, of course, the of pianos of which the sound boards are not
Southwestern plains show humidity lower than jet split to care for them; mainly by equalizing
30 per cent and the seacoasts as high as 90 the interior atmospheric conditions throughout
per cent. Tn these circumstances, it is plain that the year. In order to make this possible, some
OUR TECHNICAL DEPARTMENT
(Continued
front page 11)
Unique National Advertising Campaign
OF THE
JANSSEN
iano ofIndividuality
tury, Harper's, Review of Reviews and
Scribner's), 750,000 circulation, and
prepared newspaper ads for dealers
who ask for them—all offering a free
The campaign is impressively powerful copy of Alfred Hovey Ballard's inspir-
because of its newness, its novelty and ing little book, "The City of Happi-
ness." The book proves its case in
its unescapable sincerity.
a few minutes' reading—that music in
Half pages each month in The Quality the home is one of the greatest prac-
Group (Atlantic, World's Work, Cen- tical blessings on earth.
Piano dealers can make good money
through our unusual national advertis-
ing campaign just started.
EVERYONE
PRESENTING
WHO READS "THE CITY OF HAPPINESS" BECOMES A
PROSPECT FOR THE RETAIL MUSIC STORE
THE VOLUME OPENS THE DOOR TO THE FAMILY'S
FAVOR
Dealers who carry the Janssen Piano us for information covering the Jans-
are linking up promptly with this sen products.
campaign by sending for electrotypes There is only a limited capacity to the
factory. The Janssen is distinctly a
of the newspaper ads—and many quality instrument. Its famous slogan
wise new dealers who haven't han- properly describes it—"A top-grade
dled the Janssen hitherto are writing piano at a not-top price."
Write Us Today—If You Don't Do Anything Else. You're Sure to
Want to Increase Your Sales and Profits
WRITE
FOR NEW CATALOGUE
DELUXE
ENTITLED
"MUSIC"
BEN H. JANSSEN
Piano
8 2 Brown Place
Manufacturer
New York
NOVEMBER 6, 1920
study of the hygrometric condition of rooms
is needed. This can be obtained by the simple
device of a small pocket hygrometer, costing
from three to five dollars, which shows the
humidity percentage of the air. My good friend
Chastain O'Harrow, of Lima, O., told me some
years ago that he had for long carried one
of these little instruments with him, and that
he was accustomed to hang it up by the piano
in each home where he had tuning to do, so as
to obtain a reading of the atmospheric condi-
tions. In this way he was able to answer many
questions otherwise unanswerable concerning
the behavior of pianos, and to give much good
advice to owners of pianos. I wish that every
tuner would do the same.
A SUSTAINED TONE PIANO
Brother J. B. Nye, of Swatara, Pa., writes
me concerning the recent suggestions in this
department towards a new piano. He thinks
that the proper direction of study, research
and invention should be towards a method of
vibrating the string by means of mechanical
bows, so as to produce a sustained tone. As a
matter of fact, this has been tried more than
once. There are several inventions shown in
the files of the patent office covering means for
applying revolving bows, endless belts and
other similar devices to the strings of a piano
or to tone apparatus of similar type. None of
them has so far had any commercial success.
The difficulty lies in the general lack of public
interest in the refinements of musical instru-
ments as well as in the rather unfortunate
tonal results which these inventions have dis-
played. I have at one time or another seen
several "violinpiano" instruments, but not one
of them seemed to be very interesting from the
musical or the commercial point of view.
HOW TO DISTINGUISH WOODS
Here is something gleaned from the invalu-
able bulletins of the Forest Products Labora-
tory of the U. , S . Forest Service, at Madison,
Wie. The Laboratory sends me its periodical
"technical notes" containing the most recent re-
sults obtained by its trained investigators and
usually there is something interesting for the
piano trade. The following is unusually ap-
ropos:
If the end grain of birch, beech or maple is
cut smooth with a sharp knife and examined
with a hand lens, the pores will be seen as tiny
holes distributed fairly evenly over the surface
and the medullary rays will appear as narrow
lines of a different shade running at right angles
to the growth rings.
In beech some of the rays are very distinct,
even without a lens. The large rays are fully
twice as wide as the largest pores.
In birch the rays are very fine, invisible with-
out a lens. The pores are several times larger
than the rays, usually being visible to the un-
aided eye as minute holes on the end grain and
as fine grooves on dressed faces of the board.
The pores in birch are considerably larger than
the pores in beech or maple.
The appearance of the medullary rays on a
quartered surface is also distinctive. Here they
appear in beech as distinct "flakes," the largest
being between one-sixteenth and one-eighth
inch in height when measured along the grain
of the wood. In maple they are considerably
smaller, rarely attaining a height of one-six-
teenth inch. In birch they are comparatively
inconspicuous.
TO ALL READERS
The technical department exists solely for
the benefit of the practical men who read it.
They can contribute much to its value by their
co-operation. I stand ready to give all needed
assistance to any reader who wishes to present
his ideas or his criticisms to our nation-wide
family. Just address me personally in care of
the Music Trade Review, 373 Fourth avenue,
New York.
WILLIAM BRAID WHITE.
THE
12
MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
the sound boards of pianos usually swell up a
good deal during the Summer months. On the
other hand they are subjected throughout the
she wants is to have it sound better, regardless months of artificial heat to a process which
of pitch. And by the way, I recently came can only be described as a mild sort of baking,
acioss a piano that had not been tuned in thir- during which the moisture is completely evap-
teen years. Sincerely yours, J. R. Smith, Mo- orated from the sound board, which shrinks
until often the down bearing is almost oblit-
bile, Ala."
erated. The alternate rise and fall of the sound
Some Comments
As B.rother Smith says, spruce wood is com- board, in A grand piano, or its backward and
posed of alternate regions of soft and hard forward movement as in an upright, under the
fibre. It is also true that splits do very often heavy down pressure of the strings, must in
occur alcmg glue joints. But it is also true time cause a splitting of the board at some weak
that the domestic environment furnishes the point, no doubt among one of the joints of
principal cause of sound board trouble. T h e which Brother Smith speaks.
Of course, it is simply useless to worry about
board swells up in Summer until the down
bearing of the strings is perceptibly increased. the sound board. Until a substitute for spruce
This, of course, is due to the fact that the wood is found, which will not. I think, be soon,
average Summer climate throughout the United it is hard to see what we are going to do about
it. The best remedy is in educating the owners
States includes an atmospheric condition of
60 degrees humidity. In fact, of course, the of pianos of which the sound boards are not
Southwestern plains show humidity lower than jet split to care for them; mainly by equalizing
30 per cent and the seacoasts as high as 90 the interior atmospheric conditions throughout
per cent. Tn these circumstances, it is plain that the year. In order to make this possible, some
OUR TECHNICAL DEPARTMENT
(Continued
front page 11)
Unique National Advertising Campaign
OF THE
JANSSEN
iano ofIndividuality
tury, Harper's, Review of Reviews and
Scribner's), 750,000 circulation, and
prepared newspaper ads for dealers
who ask for them—all offering a free
The campaign is impressively powerful copy of Alfred Hovey Ballard's inspir-
because of its newness, its novelty and ing little book, "The City of Happi-
ness." The book proves its case in
its unescapable sincerity.
a few minutes' reading—that music in
Half pages each month in The Quality the home is one of the greatest prac-
Group (Atlantic, World's Work, Cen- tical blessings on earth.
Piano dealers can make good money
through our unusual national advertis-
ing campaign just started.
EVERYONE
PRESENTING
WHO READS "THE CITY OF HAPPINESS" BECOMES A
PROSPECT FOR THE RETAIL MUSIC STORE
THE VOLUME OPENS THE DOOR TO THE FAMILY'S
FAVOR
Dealers who carry the Janssen Piano us for information covering the Jans-
are linking up promptly with this sen products.
campaign by sending for electrotypes There is only a limited capacity to the
factory. The Janssen is distinctly a
of the newspaper ads—and many quality instrument. Its famous slogan
wise new dealers who haven't han- properly describes it—"A top-grade
dled the Janssen hitherto are writing piano at a not-top price."
Write Us Today—If You Don't Do Anything Else. You're Sure to
Want to Increase Your Sales and Profits
WRITE
FOR NEW CATALOGUE
DELUXE
ENTITLED
"MUSIC"
BEN H. JANSSEN
Piano
8 2 Brown Place
Manufacturer
New York
NOVEMBER 6, 1920
study of the hygrometric condition of rooms
is needed. This can be obtained by the simple
device of a small pocket hygrometer, costing
from three to five dollars, which shows the
humidity percentage of the air. My good friend
Chastain O'Harrow, of Lima, O., told me some
years ago that he had for long carried one
of these little instruments with him, and that
he was accustomed to hang it up by the piano
in each home where he had tuning to do, so as
to obtain a reading of the atmospheric condi-
tions. In this way he was able to answer many
questions otherwise unanswerable concerning
the behavior of pianos, and to give much good
advice to owners of pianos. I wish that every
tuner would do the same.
A SUSTAINED TONE PIANO
Brother J. B. Nye, of Swatara, Pa., writes
me concerning the recent suggestions in this
department towards a new piano. He thinks
that the proper direction of study, research
and invention should be towards a method of
vibrating the string by means of mechanical
bows, so as to produce a sustained tone. As a
matter of fact, this has been tried more than
once. There are several inventions shown in
the files of the patent office covering means for
applying revolving bows, endless belts and
other similar devices to the strings of a piano
or to tone apparatus of similar type. None of
them has so far had any commercial success.
The difficulty lies in the general lack of public
interest in the refinements of musical instru-
ments as well as in the rather unfortunate
tonal results which these inventions have dis-
played. I have at one time or another seen
several "violinpiano" instruments, but not one
of them seemed to be very interesting from the
musical or the commercial point of view.
HOW TO DISTINGUISH WOODS
Here is something gleaned from the invalu-
able bulletins of the Forest Products Labora-
tory of the U. , S . Forest Service, at Madison,
Wie. The Laboratory sends me its periodical
"technical notes" containing the most recent re-
sults obtained by its trained investigators and
usually there is something interesting for the
piano trade. The following is unusually ap-
ropos:
If the end grain of birch, beech or maple is
cut smooth with a sharp knife and examined
with a hand lens, the pores will be seen as tiny
holes distributed fairly evenly over the surface
and the medullary rays will appear as narrow
lines of a different shade running at right angles
to the growth rings.
In beech some of the rays are very distinct,
even without a lens. The large rays are fully
twice as wide as the largest pores.
In birch the rays are very fine, invisible with-
out a lens. The pores are several times larger
than the rays, usually being visible to the un-
aided eye as minute holes on the end grain and
as fine grooves on dressed faces of the board.
The pores in birch are considerably larger than
the pores in beech or maple.
The appearance of the medullary rays on a
quartered surface is also distinctive. Here they
appear in beech as distinct "flakes," the largest
being between one-sixteenth and one-eighth
inch in height when measured along the grain
of the wood. In maple they are considerably
smaller, rarely attaining a height of one-six-
teenth inch. In birch they are comparatively
inconspicuous.
TO ALL READERS
The technical department exists solely for
the benefit of the practical men who read it.
They can contribute much to its value by their
co-operation. I stand ready to give all needed
assistance to any reader who wishes to present
his ideas or his criticisms to our nation-wide
family. Just address me personally in care of
the Music Trade Review, 373 Fourth avenue,
New York.
WILLIAM BRAID WHITE.
Future scanning projects are planned by the International Arcade Museum Library (IAML).