Music Trade Review
Issue: 1927 Vol. 85 N. 22 - Page 31
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The Music Trade Review
NOVEMBER 26, 1927
The Technical and Supply Department — (Continued from page 29)
humbler choice by accepting rather through ignorance of the facts than
Piano and Player Patents
unavoidable the instrumental through any attempt to make use of them. In
may make the
as at present
errors of piano construction and working ad-
mittedly within them, seeing what we can find
out as to possible refinement, without calling
for improvements in design and construction
which cannot as yet be reasonably expected.
It is the second of these alternatives which
1 have deliberately adopted. The monochord
described above has been designed for the
special purpose of carrying out some of the
more important of the investigations subsumed
under the general program I have described.
It should not be supposed that in thus de-
liberately narrowing a field of investigation I
am in any sense of the term diminishing the
immediate powers for good which research may
come to exert. For the fact is that what is
here described, narrow as its scope may be,
is nevertheless at the present time actually
beyond rather than within the powers, if not
the will, of most of those who may be expected
to benefit from the research. It is not that
we need be afraid of taking so narrow a field;
it is rather that we are just now presuming
to occupy all that we can dare to invade.
And now, as a sample of what I have in
mind, let me point out to the reader just one
matter in which immediate and practical in-
formation can be obtained, valuable to every
piano factory, from the use of the simple ap-
paratus described on this page.
Let us consider the question of the strain
exerted upon the plate of a piano by the
stretched strings. Suppose that we have a
scale designed so that the length of middle C
is 24.72 inches. Suppose, then, we have another
scale in which the length of the same string
is 26.25. And another in which the length is
23.1875. I have worked on scales containing
each of these lengths and on some where the
length exceeded 27 inches. In each of the
scales mentioned the loading of the wire was
almost the same, that is to say, it was No. 17j4
wire in each case but one, in which it was No.
18. Now if we put on the monochord a piece
of No. 17^4 wire and set off successively the
lengths mentioned, we shall find that for the
successive lengths they give us the following
tensions per wire:
Indies
Tension
1. 23.1875
154 lbs.
2. 24.72
163 "
3. 26.25
192 "
4. 27.81
210 "
It must be evident that if we take each of
these four scales and measure the tensions at
selected points throughout, or, still better, the
tension on each string, we shall find that the
strain carried by the iron plate in any case
may be much less or much more than the
burden in another case. Thus, for instance,
taking the first and the fourth of the above
scales, there is a difference of something very
like 5.0 tons in the amount of strain carried
by the two plates, respectively. And, seeing
that the two plates are very much alike in
design, amount of material used and construc-
tion, it is evident that the discrepancies arise
FAUST SCHOOL
OF TUNING
Standard of America
Alumni of 2000
Piano Tuning, Pipe and Reed
Organ and Player Plane
TEAR BOOK FRSE
27-29 Gaineboro Street
BOSTON, MASS.
Tuners
and Repairers
Our new illustrated catalogue ef Pita* and
Player Hardware Felts and Tools ia new
ready. If you haren't received yeur cepy
pleaae let us knew.
OTTO R. TREFZ, JR.
1305-7-9 No. 27th St.
Pbila., Pa.
other words, we find in these cases, and in
many others I could mention, that although
great discrepancies in tension exist, these dis-
crepancies are not the result of definite design
based upon a knowledge of the facts. They
are, rather, the result of chance, and have been
incorporated into technical practice uncritically
and without any attempt to draw out inevitable
physical conclusions.
Of course the same results can be obtained
mathematically, but in that case we must as-
sume certain constants. By the method of
direct experiment advantage can be taken of
any differences existing between one make of
wire and another as to weights, densities, etc.,
and the data for any given case can thus be
more accurately determined.
I have given here only a single illustration,
from among many that might be given, and
have chosen one of the simplest. My object
has been simply to show that, in such a case,
the materials exist for an investigation which
may determine (1) what is the best average
tension to be adopted for any given desired
quality of tone as represented by some make
of piano, (2) how to obtain this tension easily
and practically with substantial uniformity or
by regular increment, and (3) what changes if
any should be made in the design and con-
struction of plate, sound board and frame
accordingly. For, I suppose 1 need not say,
the monochord, in connection with the oscil-
lograph system of sound visualization, is ex-
tremely useful in determining the components
of any ascertainable tone quality produced by
any piano, and in discovering the influence
thereupon exerted by hammers, striking points
and sound board,-as well as by string lengths
and loadings.
The object of all this is, of course, to pro-
vide data from which technicians may more
accurately work out their problems. It is not
to interfere with factories or their ways of
conducting their production. I believe, too,
that the industry, manufacturers and technicians
alike, are by this time aware that, within cer-
tain limits, the facilities I have described and
many others are freely available to all con-
cerned.
Correspondence
I
is solicited and should be addressed to William
Braid White, 5149 Agatite avenue, Chicago, 111.
Wessell, Nickel & Gross
Mills Escape Injury
New England Floods Do No Damage to Plant
at Barton, Vt.—A. L. Wessell Back from New
England Trip
The flood which wreaked destruction through-
out New England fortunately left the mills of
Wessell, Nickel & Gross, piano action manufac-
turers, unscathed. These are located in Barton.
Vt., and on all sides there was considerable de-
struction of property. Fortunately they are on
top of a hill and while the Connecticut River
flooded southward, the, Moore River flooded into
Lake Champlain and other rivers flowed north,
the Wessell, Nickel & Gross mills in their
high position were practically untouched. The
only bad effect of the flood, and that was only
a temporary one, was the blocking up of roads.
Arthur L. Wessell, vice-president of the com-
pany, who spends much of his time at the mills,
was at his desk at the headquarters of the com-
pany in New York City after a trip throughout
the New England territory. Mr. Wessell. in
addition to calling upon the various manufac-
turers, interviewed a number of dealers and
music teachers upon the matter of piano in-
struction.
Expression Mechanism for Mechanical Musi-
cal Instruments. Herschel E. Tower, Cincin-
nati, Ohio. Patent No. 1,646,001. In a mechani-
cal musical instnument, a pneumatic action, a
power unit for creating a maximum degree of
suction to actuate the said pneumatic action; an
expression action comprising a relief valve, a
port and a spring for controlling the suction of
air created by the said power unit to a number
of different degrees, the said spring so con-
nected as to be stiffened by a number of pneu-
matics and separate means acting directly on
said relief valve for closing off all incoming
air through said port.
Rewind and Replay Mechanism for Auto-
matic Players. Frank J. Clark, Milwaukee, Wis..
assignor to the Grand Rapids Bookcase & Chair
Co., Hastings, Mich. Patent No. 1,648,840. In
a sheet-controlled pneumatic player, the com-
bination of sheet feeding and rewinding
mechanism, means including a pneumatic for
selectively placing said mechanism in feeding
and rewinding condition, resilient means for
operating said pneumatic in one direction to
place said mechanism in one condition, latch
mechanism for releasably retaining said pneu-
matic and consequently said mechanism in the
other condition, and means for releasing said
latch mechanism to permit said pneumatic to
respond to the action of resilient means.
Device for Controlling Air Pressure. James
C. Hagey, Chicago, 111., assignor to the Cable
Company, same place. Patent No. 1,648,807. A
device for controlling air-pressure for musical
instruments, having a plurality of regulating
mechanisms, each comprising a collapsible
chamber and a valve controlled thereby, a
plurality of springs, one acting on each cham-
ber, and means for collectively adjusting a
plurality of said springs which act upon differ-
ent chambers. A device for controlling air-
pressure for musical instruments, having a
plurality of collapsible chambers, a plurality of
valves controlled thereby respectively and
spring-means for controlling each of said cham-
bers individually and all of said chambers col-
lectively.
Pneumatic-Valve Mechanism. Charles F.
Stoddard, New York, N. Y., assignor to the
American Piano Co., same place. Patent No.
1,648,075. In a pneumatic valve action, in com-
bination, means for connection to a source of
exhaust, means for connection to an actuated
pneumatic, and means including a valve for
controlling the application of exhaust to said
pneumatic, said last-named means being
adapted to cause said valve to open to collapse
said,pneumatic and to automatically close when
said pneumatic is completely collapsed.
Tuners' Silver Jubilee
Meeting in Cleveland
Association Making Intensive Drive for Attend-
ance at Event to Be Held in August
The National Association of Piano Tuners,
Inc., has sent out a notice to the members of
the various divisions of the association calling
attention to the Silver Jubilee Convention,
which is to be held in Cleveland, O., on August
13, 14, 15 and 16, 1928, the birthplace of this
well-known technical division of the trade.
The infant organization that was formed in
1913 in the city of Cleveland has grown to be
one of the most important factors among the
organizations of the piano industry and the
members are urged to make early preparations
to attend these meetings in order to help fos-
ter the future plans of the organization.
The Music Trade Review
NOVEMBER 26, 1927
The Technical and Supply Department — (Continued from page 29)
humbler choice by accepting rather through ignorance of the facts than
Piano and Player Patents
unavoidable the instrumental through any attempt to make use of them. In
may make the
as at present
errors of piano construction and working ad-
mittedly within them, seeing what we can find
out as to possible refinement, without calling
for improvements in design and construction
which cannot as yet be reasonably expected.
It is the second of these alternatives which
1 have deliberately adopted. The monochord
described above has been designed for the
special purpose of carrying out some of the
more important of the investigations subsumed
under the general program I have described.
It should not be supposed that in thus de-
liberately narrowing a field of investigation I
am in any sense of the term diminishing the
immediate powers for good which research may
come to exert. For the fact is that what is
here described, narrow as its scope may be,
is nevertheless at the present time actually
beyond rather than within the powers, if not
the will, of most of those who may be expected
to benefit from the research. It is not that
we need be afraid of taking so narrow a field;
it is rather that we are just now presuming
to occupy all that we can dare to invade.
And now, as a sample of what I have in
mind, let me point out to the reader just one
matter in which immediate and practical in-
formation can be obtained, valuable to every
piano factory, from the use of the simple ap-
paratus described on this page.
Let us consider the question of the strain
exerted upon the plate of a piano by the
stretched strings. Suppose that we have a
scale designed so that the length of middle C
is 24.72 inches. Suppose, then, we have another
scale in which the length of the same string
is 26.25. And another in which the length is
23.1875. I have worked on scales containing
each of these lengths and on some where the
length exceeded 27 inches. In each of the
scales mentioned the loading of the wire was
almost the same, that is to say, it was No. 17j4
wire in each case but one, in which it was No.
18. Now if we put on the monochord a piece
of No. 17^4 wire and set off successively the
lengths mentioned, we shall find that for the
successive lengths they give us the following
tensions per wire:
Indies
Tension
1. 23.1875
154 lbs.
2. 24.72
163 "
3. 26.25
192 "
4. 27.81
210 "
It must be evident that if we take each of
these four scales and measure the tensions at
selected points throughout, or, still better, the
tension on each string, we shall find that the
strain carried by the iron plate in any case
may be much less or much more than the
burden in another case. Thus, for instance,
taking the first and the fourth of the above
scales, there is a difference of something very
like 5.0 tons in the amount of strain carried
by the two plates, respectively. And, seeing
that the two plates are very much alike in
design, amount of material used and construc-
tion, it is evident that the discrepancies arise
FAUST SCHOOL
OF TUNING
Standard of America
Alumni of 2000
Piano Tuning, Pipe and Reed
Organ and Player Plane
TEAR BOOK FRSE
27-29 Gaineboro Street
BOSTON, MASS.
Tuners
and Repairers
Our new illustrated catalogue ef Pita* and
Player Hardware Felts and Tools ia new
ready. If you haren't received yeur cepy
pleaae let us knew.
OTTO R. TREFZ, JR.
1305-7-9 No. 27th St.
Pbila., Pa.
other words, we find in these cases, and in
many others I could mention, that although
great discrepancies in tension exist, these dis-
crepancies are not the result of definite design
based upon a knowledge of the facts. They
are, rather, the result of chance, and have been
incorporated into technical practice uncritically
and without any attempt to draw out inevitable
physical conclusions.
Of course the same results can be obtained
mathematically, but in that case we must as-
sume certain constants. By the method of
direct experiment advantage can be taken of
any differences existing between one make of
wire and another as to weights, densities, etc.,
and the data for any given case can thus be
more accurately determined.
I have given here only a single illustration,
from among many that might be given, and
have chosen one of the simplest. My object
has been simply to show that, in such a case,
the materials exist for an investigation which
may determine (1) what is the best average
tension to be adopted for any given desired
quality of tone as represented by some make
of piano, (2) how to obtain this tension easily
and practically with substantial uniformity or
by regular increment, and (3) what changes if
any should be made in the design and con-
struction of plate, sound board and frame
accordingly. For, I suppose 1 need not say,
the monochord, in connection with the oscil-
lograph system of sound visualization, is ex-
tremely useful in determining the components
of any ascertainable tone quality produced by
any piano, and in discovering the influence
thereupon exerted by hammers, striking points
and sound board,-as well as by string lengths
and loadings.
The object of all this is, of course, to pro-
vide data from which technicians may more
accurately work out their problems. It is not
to interfere with factories or their ways of
conducting their production. I believe, too,
that the industry, manufacturers and technicians
alike, are by this time aware that, within cer-
tain limits, the facilities I have described and
many others are freely available to all con-
cerned.
Correspondence
I
is solicited and should be addressed to William
Braid White, 5149 Agatite avenue, Chicago, 111.
Wessell, Nickel & Gross
Mills Escape Injury
New England Floods Do No Damage to Plant
at Barton, Vt.—A. L. Wessell Back from New
England Trip
The flood which wreaked destruction through-
out New England fortunately left the mills of
Wessell, Nickel & Gross, piano action manufac-
turers, unscathed. These are located in Barton.
Vt., and on all sides there was considerable de-
struction of property. Fortunately they are on
top of a hill and while the Connecticut River
flooded southward, the, Moore River flooded into
Lake Champlain and other rivers flowed north,
the Wessell, Nickel & Gross mills in their
high position were practically untouched. The
only bad effect of the flood, and that was only
a temporary one, was the blocking up of roads.
Arthur L. Wessell, vice-president of the com-
pany, who spends much of his time at the mills,
was at his desk at the headquarters of the com-
pany in New York City after a trip throughout
the New England territory. Mr. Wessell. in
addition to calling upon the various manufac-
turers, interviewed a number of dealers and
music teachers upon the matter of piano in-
struction.
Expression Mechanism for Mechanical Musi-
cal Instruments. Herschel E. Tower, Cincin-
nati, Ohio. Patent No. 1,646,001. In a mechani-
cal musical instnument, a pneumatic action, a
power unit for creating a maximum degree of
suction to actuate the said pneumatic action; an
expression action comprising a relief valve, a
port and a spring for controlling the suction of
air created by the said power unit to a number
of different degrees, the said spring so con-
nected as to be stiffened by a number of pneu-
matics and separate means acting directly on
said relief valve for closing off all incoming
air through said port.
Rewind and Replay Mechanism for Auto-
matic Players. Frank J. Clark, Milwaukee, Wis..
assignor to the Grand Rapids Bookcase & Chair
Co., Hastings, Mich. Patent No. 1,648,840. In
a sheet-controlled pneumatic player, the com-
bination of sheet feeding and rewinding
mechanism, means including a pneumatic for
selectively placing said mechanism in feeding
and rewinding condition, resilient means for
operating said pneumatic in one direction to
place said mechanism in one condition, latch
mechanism for releasably retaining said pneu-
matic and consequently said mechanism in the
other condition, and means for releasing said
latch mechanism to permit said pneumatic to
respond to the action of resilient means.
Device for Controlling Air Pressure. James
C. Hagey, Chicago, 111., assignor to the Cable
Company, same place. Patent No. 1,648,807. A
device for controlling air-pressure for musical
instruments, having a plurality of regulating
mechanisms, each comprising a collapsible
chamber and a valve controlled thereby, a
plurality of springs, one acting on each cham-
ber, and means for collectively adjusting a
plurality of said springs which act upon differ-
ent chambers. A device for controlling air-
pressure for musical instruments, having a
plurality of collapsible chambers, a plurality of
valves controlled thereby respectively and
spring-means for controlling each of said cham-
bers individually and all of said chambers col-
lectively.
Pneumatic-Valve Mechanism. Charles F.
Stoddard, New York, N. Y., assignor to the
American Piano Co., same place. Patent No.
1,648,075. In a pneumatic valve action, in com-
bination, means for connection to a source of
exhaust, means for connection to an actuated
pneumatic, and means including a valve for
controlling the application of exhaust to said
pneumatic, said last-named means being
adapted to cause said valve to open to collapse
said,pneumatic and to automatically close when
said pneumatic is completely collapsed.
Tuners' Silver Jubilee
Meeting in Cleveland
Association Making Intensive Drive for Attend-
ance at Event to Be Held in August
The National Association of Piano Tuners,
Inc., has sent out a notice to the members of
the various divisions of the association calling
attention to the Silver Jubilee Convention,
which is to be held in Cleveland, O., on August
13, 14, 15 and 16, 1928, the birthplace of this
well-known technical division of the trade.
The infant organization that was formed in
1913 in the city of Cleveland has grown to be
one of the most important factors among the
organizations of the piano industry and the
members are urged to make early preparations
to attend these meetings in order to help fos-
ter the future plans of the organization.
Future scanning projects are planned by the International Arcade Museum Library (IAML).