Music Trade Review
Issue: 1953 Vol. 112 N. 2 - Page 28
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
PRACTICAL PIANO TUNING
By ALEXANDER HART
Formerly with Steinway & Sons Tuning Department, Instructor in
Piano Tuning, Teachers College, Columbia University, N. Y.
Registered Member of the
National Association of Piano Tuners
Notes of Interest on Tuning
Problem No. 7 (Cont.)
Before we begin to speak about our
next item of interest, I would like to
return to the missing ivories.
Before replacing one, remind the
customer that to re-lay a set of ivory
heads is expensive, and No. 1 ivory
is hard to obtain. The best bet is
Ivorine that wears well, never loses
its color and makes the keyboard look
like new.
This is a fine piece of work in
performance and must be done with
skillful hands; and in a place where
such a job can be successfully han-
dled. I do not recommend this kind
of operation in the home.
Piano key re-covering must be under-
stood as a special art and should not
be introduced as a cloak to cover up
some old neglected instrument with a
revamped keyboard. It is advisable
only when a piano is worthy of such
extra work.
Problem No. 8
This concerns jingles and twangy
sounds that are truly irritating to the
ear. These annoyances sometimes cen-
ter around the dampers, and by the
38 MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
k
judicious use of a carpenter's lead
pencil and some common sense these
sounds can be arrested in short order.
Foreign substance finding its way
on the soft damper felt often results
in a twangy sound.
Remedy
Take a needle and scratch the felt -
(at the same time being careful not
to break its texture) using the needle
gently, then trim the edge neatly with
a scissors.
If the felt is damaged, replace it
with a new piece. The cost is trivial.
Problem No. 9
It is not a bad idea to look over
the entire set of dampers. There may
be just one damper that will not re-
28
ABBREVIATIONS
The letters R.A. signifies a rattle
The letters S.I. signifies silent keys
The letters S.L. signifies sluggish keys
The letters L.O. signifies lost motion
The letters F.P. signifies flange pin
The letters D.R. signifies damper rail
and spoon
The letters T.I. signifies tight pin
The letters W.P. signifies whippen
C-S-— •
spond, i.e., come forward from the
strings and allow freedom of vibration.
£
CHECK CAREFULLY THE LETTERS OP-
POSITE
NUMBERS
FOR ANNOYING
"KEY'S" AND REMEDY.
Piano Action Parts
1.
2.
3.
4.
Key
Key-frame
Key lead
Front-rail pin
and punching
5. Balance-rail pin
and punching
6. Back rail cloth
7. Capstan screw
8. Abstract
9. Abstract lever
10. Abstract lever
flange
11. Lower action-rail
12. Abstract flange
screw
13. Wippen
14. Jack flange
15. Jack spring
16. Jack knuckle
17. Jack
18. Bridle wire
19. Back check
20. Bridle tape
21. Regulating rail
22. Regulating burton
and screw
23. Butt felt
24. Back stop
25. Hammer butt
26. Hammer shank
27. Hammer molding
28. Hammer top-felt
29. Hammer
30.
under-felt
Wippen-flange
31. Spoon
32.
Middle action-rail
33.
Hammer flange
34.
Damper lever
35.
Damper flange
36.
37.
38.
39.
40.
41.
42.
43.
Spring rail spring
Spring rail
Damper wire
Damper block
Damper head
Damper felt
Piano string
Hammer rail
Remedy
(A) Place your right foot on the
sustaining pedal, often misnamed 'loud
pedal,' and note that the pedal rod
lifts all dampers towards or away
from the strings; in case they do not
rest evenly on the rod, you must first
see that there is a perfect alignment.
(B) This is done by using an ac-
tion regulating bending tool for bend-
ing the wire one way or the other.
Dampers in general give very little
trouble.
It could happen that this one damper
wire had become bent. Moving the
wire that it lines up with the other
dampers, one part of the trouble might
be considered O.I. This is not so.
Many beginners start first by bend-
ing the spoon. This is as bad as turn-
ing the screw in a grand flange without
first getting a "let off"
(C) Do not interfere with the spoon
before you have straightened out the
wires resting on the damper rail, then
you can proceed to adjust the spoon
accordingly.
(D) Should the damper move after
the wire is bent to conform in eveness
with the other dampers, the trouble
is with the spoon.
The diagram will point the way to
spoon No. 31. By close study you
will observe the spoon lifts damper
away from string when key is de-
pressed. Now, when the spoon is
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW. FEBRUARY, 1953
PRACTICAL PIANO TUNING
By ALEXANDER HART
Formerly with Steinway & Sons Tuning Department, Instructor in
Piano Tuning, Teachers College, Columbia University, N. Y.
Registered Member of the
National Association of Piano Tuners
Notes of Interest on Tuning
Problem No. 7 (Cont.)
Before we begin to speak about our
next item of interest, I would like to
return to the missing ivories.
Before replacing one, remind the
customer that to re-lay a set of ivory
heads is expensive, and No. 1 ivory
is hard to obtain. The best bet is
Ivorine that wears well, never loses
its color and makes the keyboard look
like new.
This is a fine piece of work in
performance and must be done with
skillful hands; and in a place where
such a job can be successfully han-
dled. I do not recommend this kind
of operation in the home.
Piano key re-covering must be under-
stood as a special art and should not
be introduced as a cloak to cover up
some old neglected instrument with a
revamped keyboard. It is advisable
only when a piano is worthy of such
extra work.
Problem No. 8
This concerns jingles and twangy
sounds that are truly irritating to the
ear. These annoyances sometimes cen-
ter around the dampers, and by the
38 MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
k
judicious use of a carpenter's lead
pencil and some common sense these
sounds can be arrested in short order.
Foreign substance finding its way
on the soft damper felt often results
in a twangy sound.
Remedy
Take a needle and scratch the felt -
(at the same time being careful not
to break its texture) using the needle
gently, then trim the edge neatly with
a scissors.
If the felt is damaged, replace it
with a new piece. The cost is trivial.
Problem No. 9
It is not a bad idea to look over
the entire set of dampers. There may
be just one damper that will not re-
28
ABBREVIATIONS
The letters R.A. signifies a rattle
The letters S.I. signifies silent keys
The letters S.L. signifies sluggish keys
The letters L.O. signifies lost motion
The letters F.P. signifies flange pin
The letters D.R. signifies damper rail
and spoon
The letters T.I. signifies tight pin
The letters W.P. signifies whippen
C-S-— •
spond, i.e., come forward from the
strings and allow freedom of vibration.
£
CHECK CAREFULLY THE LETTERS OP-
POSITE
NUMBERS
FOR ANNOYING
"KEY'S" AND REMEDY.
Piano Action Parts
1.
2.
3.
4.
Key
Key-frame
Key lead
Front-rail pin
and punching
5. Balance-rail pin
and punching
6. Back rail cloth
7. Capstan screw
8. Abstract
9. Abstract lever
10. Abstract lever
flange
11. Lower action-rail
12. Abstract flange
screw
13. Wippen
14. Jack flange
15. Jack spring
16. Jack knuckle
17. Jack
18. Bridle wire
19. Back check
20. Bridle tape
21. Regulating rail
22. Regulating burton
and screw
23. Butt felt
24. Back stop
25. Hammer butt
26. Hammer shank
27. Hammer molding
28. Hammer top-felt
29. Hammer
30.
under-felt
Wippen-flange
31. Spoon
32.
Middle action-rail
33.
Hammer flange
34.
Damper lever
35.
Damper flange
36.
37.
38.
39.
40.
41.
42.
43.
Spring rail spring
Spring rail
Damper wire
Damper block
Damper head
Damper felt
Piano string
Hammer rail
Remedy
(A) Place your right foot on the
sustaining pedal, often misnamed 'loud
pedal,' and note that the pedal rod
lifts all dampers towards or away
from the strings; in case they do not
rest evenly on the rod, you must first
see that there is a perfect alignment.
(B) This is done by using an ac-
tion regulating bending tool for bend-
ing the wire one way or the other.
Dampers in general give very little
trouble.
It could happen that this one damper
wire had become bent. Moving the
wire that it lines up with the other
dampers, one part of the trouble might
be considered O.I. This is not so.
Many beginners start first by bend-
ing the spoon. This is as bad as turn-
ing the screw in a grand flange without
first getting a "let off"
(C) Do not interfere with the spoon
before you have straightened out the
wires resting on the damper rail, then
you can proceed to adjust the spoon
accordingly.
(D) Should the damper move after
the wire is bent to conform in eveness
with the other dampers, the trouble
is with the spoon.
The diagram will point the way to
spoon No. 31. By close study you
will observe the spoon lifts damper
away from string when key is de-
pressed. Now, when the spoon is
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW. FEBRUARY, 1953
Future scanning projects are planned by the International Arcade Museum Library (IAML).