Well I do have a couple of harpsichords I tune, but, no. Unless I have remembered it incorrectly, I thought that normal string tension in a normal piano varies from 90 Lbs to 120 Lbs per string. The reason for the difference being the result of scaling. When you start with a given string size on the left side of a trichord the tension winds up being about 90 Lbs to get it the correct pitch. As you go higher in the scale, with each higher note you wind up increasing the tension in order to get that string up to the correct higher pitch. Eventually, after four to six or so notes, you begin to approach the breaking point of that gauge string and you switch to a little thinner string. Once again, at correct pitch, a tension of about 90 Lbs occurs for that first string until it reaches about 120 Lbs per string, and then the process repeats, again.
Averaging 100 Lbs per string, times approx 220 strings is 22,000 Lbs of tension. That's 11 Tons. Even discounting the extreme lower number of strings, I can't imagine anything remotely close to that in a harpsichord. But with a cast iron plate, I can imagine that in a piano.
PLEASE correct me if I'm wrong.
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Geoff Sykes, RPT
Los Angeles CA
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Original Message:
Sent: 06-20-2017 21:24
From: Chris Chernobieff
Subject: string tension vs pitch
I'm still confused by the 90 - 120 lbs. Are you tuning harpsichords and fortepianos Geoff?