Music Trade Review
Issue: 1932 Vol. 91 N. 9 - Page 15
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
PIANO FACTORY and
PIANO SERVICING
DR. W M . BRAID WHITE
Technical Editor
Some Technical
Points on Modern
Piano Construction
DR. WM. BRAID WHITE
W
ITHIN the last few weeks I have
been receiving letters from several
parts of the country, asking for
technical information on points of piano con-
struction. I am led to wonder whether
any of my friends are thinking of going
into the business of making pianos on
a small scale. There is something to be said
for the idea at that.
Seeing, however, that a budget of these
questions is before me, I am moved to make
answer to them here, partly because this is
the most convenient medium for the purpose
and partly because by putting questions and
answers alike before a large audience I often
am able to evoke useful discussions.
WIRE
Question 1. Is No. 27 on the music wire
gauge the largest size of piano wire, and if
so, why?
Answer: No. 27 is the largest size of
piano wire made in stock quantities. There
would be no particular difficulty in drawing
wire of larger diameter to piano wire require-
ments, but it has been found that when its
diameter exceeds 0.07" the wire tends to take
on vibrational forms which exclude the
fundamental. That is to say, the wire tends
to break up into small harmonic fractions
immediately, so that, although there is al-
ways a feeble fundamental, it is overloaded
The
Piano-Moth-e X
Method
Quickly—Positively doubles tuners' incomes.
Dealers—Tuners, write
by harmonics which above the ninth are
mainly dissonant. On the whole, it is not
advisable to utilize wire of diameter larger
than 0.07". Of course, in special circum-
stances, as for instance when the length is
very great, different and more favorable
results might be attained, and I should there-
fore not wish to discourage experiment. Wire
larger than No. 27 must be drawn to order,
of course.
Question No. 2. How much tension will a
tuning pin stand without breaking
Answer: I suppose that the question
means: how much pull will a tuning pin en-
dure without giving way at the eye, which
is, of course, its weakest point. I have not
made any definite tests, but I know that the
yield point is well above the highest prac-
ticable tension, and even well above the
breaking strain of any piano wire made.
Piano wire should be used at tensions not
exceeding one-half of the breaking strain.
PLAITED
STRINGS
Question No. 3. Can piano wire be fur-
nished plaited in strands of three wires, with
the qualities and strength of ordinary wire?
Answer: The notion of plaiting together
three wire strands into a single piano wire is
not new. It was the subject of a patent
taken out by Lawrence A. Subers in 1892.
Siegfried Hansing in his admirable work,
The Pianoforte, quotes a description of the
Subers wire which appeared in a trade paper
of the above-named year. The inventor
claimed greater sonority, greater standing in
tune qualities, saving of labor in stringing,
tuning and tone regulating and so on. For
some reason, the invention seems to have died
young, for nothing more was heard of it.
Certainly it was never adopted.
WHY MULTI-STRING UNISONS?
This question brings up another one of
parallel intention which was put to me the
other day. A well-known New England tuner
asked me why it should be necessary to have
three stringed unisons on all pianos. He as-
serted that the unison is the principal cause
of out-of-tuneness, and that if it were pos-
sible to reduce the number of strings per uni-
son from three to one, there would be much
less trouble in keeping pianos in tune. This
is indeed true enough; but there are ob-
THE SCHAIL LABORATORIES
Madison Avenue
liaCrosse, Wis.
THE M U S I C TRADE REVIEW,
November,
1932
vious reasons for the employment of several
wires to each unison. The movements of the
soundboard are controlled and determined by
the mechanical energy imparted to the strings
and the quantity of this energy is proportional
to the number of string per unison. As a
matter of fact, it would be a very interest-
ing experiment to string the treble end of a
piano with four strings per unison for the
purpose of determining to what extent the
present immobility of the soundboard at that
end might be improved. Perhaps the addi-
tion of a fourth string would produce suf-
ficient additional shock to the board to set
it into effective motion. Of course, as we all
know, Sohmer and Mehlin in this country
once tried a fourth string in the upper treble,
set off slightly so as to be out of reach of
the hammer, while still a part of the unison.
The object was to strengthen the sonority by
harmonic reinforcement. The fourth unison,
however, was hard to tune and was abandon-
ed, in this country at least. Bluthner, of
Dresden, uses harmonic scaling, but in an-
other form.
The only practicable way of putting in a
fourth unison would be to have it in line
with the other three strings, to be struck in
the usual way by the hammer. The reader
will not fail to note that this would have the
effect of increasing by one-fourth the ten-
sions upon the tension members of the iron
{Please turn to page 16)
BADGER BRAND
PLATES
arc far more
than
merely
good p l a t e s .
They are built
correctly of the
best material and finish and are spe-
cified by builders of quality pianos.
American Piano Plate Co.
Manufacturers BADGER BRAND Grand
and Upright Piano Plates
Racine, Wisconsin
15
PIANO FACTORY and
PIANO SERVICING
DR. W M . BRAID WHITE
Technical Editor
Some Technical
Points on Modern
Piano Construction
DR. WM. BRAID WHITE
W
ITHIN the last few weeks I have
been receiving letters from several
parts of the country, asking for
technical information on points of piano con-
struction. I am led to wonder whether
any of my friends are thinking of going
into the business of making pianos on
a small scale. There is something to be said
for the idea at that.
Seeing, however, that a budget of these
questions is before me, I am moved to make
answer to them here, partly because this is
the most convenient medium for the purpose
and partly because by putting questions and
answers alike before a large audience I often
am able to evoke useful discussions.
WIRE
Question 1. Is No. 27 on the music wire
gauge the largest size of piano wire, and if
so, why?
Answer: No. 27 is the largest size of
piano wire made in stock quantities. There
would be no particular difficulty in drawing
wire of larger diameter to piano wire require-
ments, but it has been found that when its
diameter exceeds 0.07" the wire tends to take
on vibrational forms which exclude the
fundamental. That is to say, the wire tends
to break up into small harmonic fractions
immediately, so that, although there is al-
ways a feeble fundamental, it is overloaded
The
Piano-Moth-e X
Method
Quickly—Positively doubles tuners' incomes.
Dealers—Tuners, write
by harmonics which above the ninth are
mainly dissonant. On the whole, it is not
advisable to utilize wire of diameter larger
than 0.07". Of course, in special circum-
stances, as for instance when the length is
very great, different and more favorable
results might be attained, and I should there-
fore not wish to discourage experiment. Wire
larger than No. 27 must be drawn to order,
of course.
Question No. 2. How much tension will a
tuning pin stand without breaking
Answer: I suppose that the question
means: how much pull will a tuning pin en-
dure without giving way at the eye, which
is, of course, its weakest point. I have not
made any definite tests, but I know that the
yield point is well above the highest prac-
ticable tension, and even well above the
breaking strain of any piano wire made.
Piano wire should be used at tensions not
exceeding one-half of the breaking strain.
PLAITED
STRINGS
Question No. 3. Can piano wire be fur-
nished plaited in strands of three wires, with
the qualities and strength of ordinary wire?
Answer: The notion of plaiting together
three wire strands into a single piano wire is
not new. It was the subject of a patent
taken out by Lawrence A. Subers in 1892.
Siegfried Hansing in his admirable work,
The Pianoforte, quotes a description of the
Subers wire which appeared in a trade paper
of the above-named year. The inventor
claimed greater sonority, greater standing in
tune qualities, saving of labor in stringing,
tuning and tone regulating and so on. For
some reason, the invention seems to have died
young, for nothing more was heard of it.
Certainly it was never adopted.
WHY MULTI-STRING UNISONS?
This question brings up another one of
parallel intention which was put to me the
other day. A well-known New England tuner
asked me why it should be necessary to have
three stringed unisons on all pianos. He as-
serted that the unison is the principal cause
of out-of-tuneness, and that if it were pos-
sible to reduce the number of strings per uni-
son from three to one, there would be much
less trouble in keeping pianos in tune. This
is indeed true enough; but there are ob-
THE SCHAIL LABORATORIES
Madison Avenue
liaCrosse, Wis.
THE M U S I C TRADE REVIEW,
November,
1932
vious reasons for the employment of several
wires to each unison. The movements of the
soundboard are controlled and determined by
the mechanical energy imparted to the strings
and the quantity of this energy is proportional
to the number of string per unison. As a
matter of fact, it would be a very interest-
ing experiment to string the treble end of a
piano with four strings per unison for the
purpose of determining to what extent the
present immobility of the soundboard at that
end might be improved. Perhaps the addi-
tion of a fourth string would produce suf-
ficient additional shock to the board to set
it into effective motion. Of course, as we all
know, Sohmer and Mehlin in this country
once tried a fourth string in the upper treble,
set off slightly so as to be out of reach of
the hammer, while still a part of the unison.
The object was to strengthen the sonority by
harmonic reinforcement. The fourth unison,
however, was hard to tune and was abandon-
ed, in this country at least. Bluthner, of
Dresden, uses harmonic scaling, but in an-
other form.
The only practicable way of putting in a
fourth unison would be to have it in line
with the other three strings, to be struck in
the usual way by the hammer. The reader
will not fail to note that this would have the
effect of increasing by one-fourth the ten-
sions upon the tension members of the iron
{Please turn to page 16)
BADGER BRAND
PLATES
arc far more
than
merely
good p l a t e s .
They are built
correctly of the
best material and finish and are spe-
cified by builders of quality pianos.
American Piano Plate Co.
Manufacturers BADGER BRAND Grand
and Upright Piano Plates
Racine, Wisconsin
15
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