Discussion Posts

Oh no... I think I accidentally must have hit the junk mail button on email notifications from this forum, it all got suspiciously quiet for a while. Well, there's a first time for everything :-D  Time to dive into the email dumpster to see what I've ...

I would recommend a William deBlaise small model A harpsichord. They are extremely durable and stay in tune well - ideal for church use. There's even a hole in the pin plank to storethe T-hammer! Look them up on-line. Michael ------Original Message------ ...

I did go back to the piano yesterday. Spent a lot of time and got some excellent photos, but no solution. Just now I spent probably a couple of hours getting the photos I took ready and then typing a detailed post about what I found. But working without ...

Terry, I though your main ride didn't have doors. ------------------------------ Regards, Jon Page mailto:jonpage@pianocapecod.com http://www.pianocapecod.com ------------------------------

If you wish to travel light, like I do, a stable piano bench topped with the appropriate number/thickness of books is what I have used many times. Plenty strong and very stable. And bests of all - for those who don't drive around in a truck - you don't ...

First, answers to questions. The buzz was noticed when she played it after the tech who replaced the pedal left. So of course I, too, figure the buzz is probably related to something that changed when the pedal got put in. But what? Altho my friend is ...

I finally settled on this as a solution, since I sometimes have to leave the piano set up on the stand while I cart the leg back to the shop for repair.   The sawhorse is collapsible and adjustable to various heights, very strong, around $35 from home ...

Barb, You didn't explicitly say it, but are we to conclude that BEFORE the pedal replacement there was no buzz, but only AFTER this was done the buzz appeared?   Yes/no? Someone else asked if he put the piano on its back to replace the pedal or if it ...

The buzz in a loose castor is common. On a small grand in a school practice room, we checked every light fixture and wall hanging. Something was loose in one legs. ------Original Message------ Barbara, Who knows'. But check sound board buttons ...

I can recall two instances (there were probably more than this but only two currently stand out in my "memory") where a HAIRLINE (REPEAT HAIRLINE) separation at the rim/edge caused the most annoying little buzz and was absolutely impossible to detect ...

HI Barbara, I feel your pain, I've been there. When faced with these situations I try to determine if the buzz sound like wood, or if it sounds metallic. The next thing I want to know is it in the piano, something sitting on the piano, or something ...

Barb- You don't tell us your testing method. You can spend a lot of time tightening screws. A very useful test is just tapping around the piano, listening for the buzz. The late, magnificent Jim Ellis suggested making a little felt tipped hardwood hammer ...

Probably not but the most difficult I found was a ceramic plaque in the next room on the shared wall. The piano sound waves vibrated the wall enough to cause the buzz. ------------------------------ Larry Messerly, RPT Bringing Harmony to Homes www.lacrossepianotuning.com ...

Barbara, If you do elect to remove the entire lid, my recollection is that the back piece is held on with keyhole fasteners; this is a keyhole shaped plate that receives the head of a screw at the big end and then slides into the slot. If this is the ...

Hi Barbara, What happens when you remove the action, pedal dowels, removable case parts, and old style metronome if it is near the piano and pluck one of the offending notes?  If the buzz is still there, have the customer pluck one of the same offending ...

For inquiring minds ... Seems like this is still part of the same topic. Here is a photo of the part of the bridge I thought looked strange. I am 99.999% sure it has nothing to do with the buzz. But someone requested a photo. It's pretty blurry. Basically, ...

Thanks to all you guys for your suggestions! To clarify what I DID assess: checked all screws I could find: plate bolts, cabinet screws (very few on this piano), soundboard buttons, piano hinge on the top (also dripped lubricant into the hinge joints), ...

> Tighten every screw you can see. I would like to stress EVERY. I had a case where this upright had a buzz in it that had persisted for years. Long before I started servicing the piano. It wasn't always there, and it tended to move around when it was. ...

Barb, As a process of elimination you can call her and ask her to physically touch and try to turn each caster to see if one is loose (which us actually quite common). If so, she sticks a folded piece of cardboard under it till tight and then play the ...

Barbara, Who knows'. But check sound board buttons for tightness. Must determine if wood to wood sound metal to metal etc. Sent from my iPhone ------Original Message------ Barbara - Just this past week I had a similar scenario and ...

I do it differently.   Install the board with no bridge caps. Compress the board to take out slack (or however you prefer) and then using a gauge at the string termination behind the bridge (on top of aliquots or whatever) and a gauge on top of the ...

Just because he was a good tuner doesn't mean he's a good mechanic. Tighten every screw you can see. If he didn't notice the buzz,, then he might have tuned it and then put in the pedal. I do that. Tuning first gets the routine out of the way and clues ...

Barbara - Just this past week I had a similar scenario and it turned out that the front left caster had no weight bearing on it. It was barely touching the floor, but could be moved easily by hand. The caster stem was buzzing in the socket, ...

Barbara, one question, is this a new buzz or has it been there for a while? Geoff's idea could be a good one, perhaps something slid down between the plate and the soundboard.  Was the piano tipped back for the pedal installation? maybe some loose bit ...

Sounds to me like something has fallen in to the piano and is resting against the soundboard. Had a similar thing happen to me just the other day. Pretty much every note for about an octave above and below the treble break, when played caused a buzz that ...

Oh Great and Wise Piano Colleagues!! Send me your insights! I was asked by a cellist friend to fix a buzz on the 1909 Steinway upright in her home. Even tho buzzes are one of my least favorite things, I wanted to impress her with what a great tech I ...

Hello all, I posted this in PianoTech yesterday, but thought it would be appropriate to post here as well. The method discussed would definitely benefit a CAUT: I'm in the process of going though Michael Hyatt's newest book, Free to Focus. It's ...

Larry, You are correct in that orchestras and all non-fixed tone instruments do not play in equal temperament UNLESS they are required to by playing along with an ET tuned piano. Without thinking they will adjust they're pitches on the fly to be in tune ...

Oh okay! Hmm.. well that's good to know that the town does exist! As I kept reading it over and over, and I just kept getting more and more upset that something like THIS could actually pass "congress" --and I was like, come on!! No way--then I saw that ...

Thanks very much for this post Benjamin. I for one am very interested in this book!  Best! Kevin ------------------------------ [Kevin] [Fortenberry] [RPT] [Staff Techician] [Texas Tech Univ] [Lubbock] [TX] [8067783962] ----------------------------- ...

I've always found setting downbearing the hardest part of belly work. Wanting to understand why DB measurements, before planing/spoke shaving  bridge cap to height, was such a hard task to nail dimensionally, I came up with a way to pre-load the board ...

Hmmm . . . Mark - I agree and disagree. The nature of much of the 19th century music indicates benefits to be obtained in unequal temperament and is exemplified well by many composers' choice of keys. It makes a good deal of sense then to play and ...

Roshan Kakiya wrote: In conclusion, if quasi-equal temperament is more harmonious than, and rather close to, equal temperament, it should replace equal temperament. Quasi-equal temperament should become the new standard tuning. With this, ...

Listening to the WAV of the concert, with the volume set up not too loud, just loud enough, and the bass and treble balance carefully set, it sounds pretty decent especially considering how I made it. Then there was that moment when my tuning student ...

I'll be very interested in how it works for you, Peter. I assume you have those bending pliers with an electrical connection to heat them? Do you also have a rheostat? I've found that my hot bending pliers run too hot without one, and I had to keep unplugging ...

I tried to take a WAV off the broadcast, but I didn't have the set up right to use a line out from the computer into my new little recording gizmo. I turned the volume of my kind of middling speakers pretty high, turned up the internal mikes on the gadget ...

Hello all, I'm in the process of going though Michael Hyatt's newest book, Free to Focus. It's amazing .  As a solo proprietor, this book is exactly what I need to help organize my life. If you've ever felt like your life is so crazy it's spinning ...

Wasn't going to comment, but can't hold it in.  A few years ago, first visit to a home with a fairly new Yamaha upright.  Previous "tech", attempting to deal with sluggish action, generously sprayed entire action with wd40.  Without removing action from ...

Okay, I didn't get that it was an AF joke, but as I read through it several times I said: "You've got to be kidding me, this is ridiculous!"  Now it makes sense. Pwg ------------------------------ Peter Grey Stratham NH 603-686-2395 pianodoctor57@gmail.com ...

A prince on the bridge of a castle moat heard Men on the road with a load to tote heard ------------------------------ Peter Grey Stratham NH 603-686-2395 pianodoctor57@gmail.com ------------------------------

Susan, I'm definitely going to try it. So obviously the alcohol is the surfactant allowing the water to get to the business area. Alcohol evaporates quickly (quicker) leaving the water to do its thing.  I'm into it. I wish I'd known this a while back ...

I didn't get to listen live. Can I listen to a recording? ------------------------------ John Formsma, RPT New Albany MS ------------------------------

Folks in a town that was quite remote heard. Lusty and clear from the goatherd's throat heard. ------------------------------ Roshan Kakiya ------------------------------

High on a hill was a lonely goatherd Loud was the voice of the lonely goatherd ------------------------------ Daniel DeBiasio Brooklyn, NY 646.801.8863 ------------------------------

Hi everyone, Thanks for the replies. Good to know these techniques--I'll file them away in my mind. Unfortunately, while this piano is in surprisingly good condition considering its age, it is likely to slowly slide into the same sad state of disrepair ...

Hi, Peter "Vodka" is just my code name for 100 proof ethanol, which I make by diluting 190 proof Clear Spring from the liquor store roughly half and half with tap water. Some states don't allow the sale of 190 proof ethanol -- the generic Everclear ...

All very interesting discussion. However equal temperament only applies to fixed keyboard instruments. I find it hard to believe that orchestras, string quartets, etc. play in equal temperament. ------------------------------ Larry Messerly, RPT Bringing ...

Keith, The ears of people who have listened exclusively, or almost exclusively, to music in equal temperament throughout their lives have probably become accustomed to hearing music in equal temperament. Therefore, your point about some people hating ...

"Better Harmony" All tuning is a compromise. Who is to say what compromise is the better? I know people who hate anything but equal temp. To them the harmony of well temps is horrid. Why not let people resonate to their own particular taste. After years ...

Another harmless way to improve alignability with this type of flange is to enlarge the screw hole slightly with a bit just one size up from the existing hole. The leverage allows you to move the hammer quite a bit without messing with the rear pin. ...