an organ and tell just what it needs without so much as drawing a
screw. The reeds are usually divided into treble sets and bass sets;
two octaves of bass reeds, and three octaves of treble reeds
constitute a set. The Diapason stop is nearly always present, and
controls the heaviest reeds in the bass except the Bourdon or Sub
Bass, if the organ should have either of these. In examining an organ,
close all stops but the Diapason, for instance, then successively
press every key in the two bass octaves.
Now if, for instance, a key is found silent, that is, just an octave
from the lowest tone, by counting the keys from the lowest tone, you
will find the silent key is number thirteen. Look into the organ, find
the mute that is up by reason of this Diapason stop's being pulled,
and count the reeds from the lowest to the thirteenth; pull the reed
and you will find it obstructed or perhaps broken. Most organs have a
Dulciana stop in the treble which corresponds with the Diapason in the
bass. Test the reeds of this set just as you did those of the
Diapason. Go over each set of reeds in like manner. Broken reeds
should be sent to the factory where the organ was built. The
manufacturers will send a new one, often without cost.
Stops are sometimes found disconnected from the mutes, which deprives
the player of the use of certain sets of reeds, and while it is a
small matter to connect them, it adds much to the improvement
imparted to the instrument by the tuner. After disconnecting the stops
for any purpose, always be sure you connect them properly before
leaving your work.
STICKING KEYS.
The key itself is subject to many of the same faults as is that of the
piano. It may bind in the guide pin or warp so as to cause it to
stick, or it may stick from some substance between the keys. Sometimes
the front board is so near the front of the keys that when the latter
are depressed they stick against it. A screw is generally found in the
center, the head of which comes against the front board and holds it
out. If the board is too near give the screw a turn or two back. If
there is no screw, place a piece of card against the board and the
case at the ends. The end keys sometimes stick against the blocks at
the ends of the key-board. Scrape the block or key where it sticks. A
key may stay down because of the cedar pin, sometimes called the
tracker pin or pitman, sticking in the hole. Take out the key-board
which is held by a screw at each end, sometimes by another in the
middle; in which case a key or two must be removed to get at it. To
remove a key, take off the strip at the back of the keys, held in
place by small screws, and the key may be lifted up. Now, finding the
sticking pin, pull it out and sandpaper or rub it with black lead
until it is found to work quite freely in the guide hole of the guide
board and the hole in the reed board.
Just under the reed board is a wooden slip covered with soft leather,
called the valve or pallet, which covers the openings in the reed
board which admit air to pass down through the reeds. The tracker pin,
pushed down by the key, opens the pallet which is held against the
reed board by a spring and kept in place by a guide pin at each end.
It sometimes happens that a pallet will be pushed down so far as to
catch on the guide pins and cause the tone to sound continually. In
other cases a piece of dirt will get in the way of the pallet and
prevent it from closing the opening. If this be the case, draw the
reeds that sound when this key is depressed and also a reed at each
side of it, and pump the bellows briskly, at the same time pressing
the three keys. This will generally create enough air to remove the
obstacle. If the key still sounds and cannot be made to "hush up" in
this way, you may be compelled to take out the entire action so that
you can get to the pallets, which can be done by removing all the
screws that hold the reed board in place. At the back, these screws
are on top of the board and sometimes they are on top in front; but
often they are under the air chamber in front. Be sure the screws are
all out before trying to pull the board loose, as you might crack the
board and thereby cause a leak. A moment's notice will reveal the
cause of the trouble in the pallet.
New pallet springs may be made of piano wire, using old springs for a
pattern.
LEAKS.
If a leak is found in the air boards, such as a crack or split, it can
be stopped permanently by gluing a piece of bellows cloth or any good
rubber cloth over the split. A leak in the bellows can be repaired in
the same way, but if it happens to be a hole at or near a part of the
cloth which is compelled to bend in the working of the bellows, you
will have to use some kind of rubber or leather cement, preferably the
latter. This can be made by dissolving gutta-percha in bisulphide of
carbon, but a good leather cement may be had at almost any shoe store.
If the bellows are porous, it may be well to give them a coat of
cement, but never paint them; the paint cracks and the leaks are made
worse.
PEDAL DETECTS.
Broken pedal straps are the most frequent annoyance. In all modern
organs there is a panel above the pedals which will come out and admit
the mechanic to the bellows, straps, springs, etc.; but in some old
instruments the case is made solid, in which case the workman must do
his work from the bottom, turning the organ down so as to get at it.
Pedal straps are easily put on; generally with screws at either end.
If the pedal squeaks examine the springs or oil and change their
position slightly. Examine the pulleys over which the straps work and
oil or rub them on the outside with soap. Broken pedal hinges may be
duplicated by any blacksmith; the ordinary hinges, such as can be
bought at hardware stores, are sometimes substituted, but they rarely
answer the purpose as well as the regular pedal hinge. The leather
flaps over the holes in the exhausters sometimes get too tight by
shrinkage so that they will not let the air escape readily, and
consequently the pedals come up slowly, often making it difficult to
keep the instrument sufficiently supplied with power. Simply stretch
the leather flaps, being careful not to pull the tacks loose or tear
the leather.
SYMPATHETIC VIBRATIONS.
Organs, like pianos, are subject to sympathetic vibrations. A reed
fitting loosely in the reed chamber will sometimes buzz when sounded.
A bit of paper under the back end of the reed will stop it. Any loose
material about the instrument may cause trouble of this kind. Trace up
the cause and the remedy will suggest itself.
A buzzing sound may be caused by a reed's being too tight in the reed
chamber, causing the tongue to vibrate against the sides of the brass
body. In some rare cases, not being firmly riveted, the tongue will
move to one side, causing the same trouble. Care and pains must be
taken in working with reeds, but when in this condition they must be
repaired. Tap the rivet lightly with a hammer and try it; if it still
does not sound clear, catch the butt of the reed (riveted end) with a
pair of parallel pliers, and turn it toward the center until, when
vibrating, it clears the jaws.
TUNING.
The method of tuning the organ is very simple. To flatten the tone of
a reed, scrape the tongue near the butt or rivet, making it thinner at
that point, which will cause it to vibrate at a slower rate. To
sharpen the tone, scrape it at the point, thereby lightening the
vibrating end, which will cause a more rapid rate of vibration. When a
reed has been scraped or filed so thin at the point that it will bear
no more scraping, it can sometimes be sharpened by bending it up and
down a few times, which has a tendency to put temper in the metal.
Some reeds are curved at the point purposely to secure a certain
voice. Do not interfere with the proper curvature when tuning. In
tuning organs, the same system and general instruction given for piano
tuning will apply; however, it is rarely, if ever, necessary to give
an organ as thorough tuning as you would a piano. It is a very tedious
job where you have to draw each reed, apply the proper method, insert
it and try the result, thus cutting and trying each one perhaps
several times before getting the desired result. In factories devices
are used which render the operation very much easier.
One thing you should know is, that organs are not tempered as finely
as pianos, nor is there the pains taken to secure perfect unisons. In
fact, you can hardly find a perfect unison in an organ of modern make,
much less, a correct temperament. Finding a tone that is so far out as
to be very disagreeable, adjust it between the octave below and the
octave above, try it in the proper chords and equalize it in the best
possible way; but it is not often you will be able to tune it to
absolute precision with its octaves. It is thought by many that a
slight deviation from correct unisons, sufficient to give a series of
waves, gives the organ a more mellow voice and consequently a more
musical (?) tone; and while we do not agree with any such proposition,
it makes the tuner's work less exacting.
We feel that an apology is in order for not giving illustrations of
the action of the organ, but if the student will study this lesson in
connection with the instrument itself, we believe he will have no
trouble in learning all about its mechanical action and its demands
upon the tuner.
QUESTIONS ON LESSON XVI.
1. Name the musical advantages possessed by the organ which are
absent in the piano.
2. Name the musical advantages possessed by the piano which are
absent in the organ.
3. Describe the mechanical operations taking place in the organ
when a key is being sounded.
4. State what you would do to flatten the tone of a reed and give
reasons.
5. State what you would do to sharpen the tone of a reed and give
reasons.
LESSON XVII.
~CONCLUDING PROFESSIONAL HINTS.~
Peculiar incidents occur in the experience of the piano tuner, some of
which have come under the observation of the author so frequently that
he deems it advisable to mention them here; there are incidents also
that happen once in a life-time which must be treated in their time
with tact and good judgment, and which it is impossible to describe
here, as each tuner, in his special field, will elicit new
developments. Occasion often requires the tuner to summon all his wits
and tact in order to dispose of questions put to him, both by pianos
and owners.
Among the perplexing things that come to the tuner are the terms used
by musicians and piano owners to express certain qualities of tone and
certain discrepancies of the instrument. We will define a number of
these.
~Brilliant.~--The sense in which this term is used is astonishing to
one who is accustomed to using words according to their dictionary
meanings. We have heard persons say their piano was too _brilliant_;
or, that it was not _brilliant_ enough. They mean this term to apply
to what we are pleased to call the voice of the instrument. When the
hammers are hard, producing a sharp, penetrating tone, they call it
_brilliant_; when the hammers are soft and produce what a trained ear
would accept as a soft, sweet, musical tone, some persons will say
that the instrument lacks brilliancy. Persons of a different taste,
and, we would say, a more cultured ear, call the tone _harsh_ when the
hammers are hard, and they usually desire the tuner to _soften_ the
tone, which he does by softening the hammer ends as has been described
in Lesson VII. This operation, which we call voicing, is a very
delicate piece of work, and the tuner should exercise care and pains
in doing it; so we will deviate from the trend of the discourse and
offer a few directions here, as the previous instructions are hardly
complete.
Insert the felt pick (which should contain only one point, and not
three or four, as they usually do) in the point of the hammer and give
it a rotary motion, so to speak, loosening up the felt and giving it
its original elasticity. Do not pick up the felt at the point. This
method, which is resorted to by many tuners, is injurious to the
hammers and really does no permanent good. Another method which is
very good, and a very easy one, is to take your parallel pliers and
squeeze the felt slightly at the point. Apply the pliers at right
angles with the hammer (if the action of the upright, your pliers will
be in an upright position) and catch the hammer at a depth of about
three-quarters of the thickness of the felt. If the hammers are very
hard it may be well to use both the pliers and the pick; but care must
always be taken not to get the hammers too soft, and extreme care must
be taken not to get some softer than others. Some hammers are always
used more than others and, of course, these will need more softening.
Usually those at the extreme ends of the instrument will need no
softening at all, but sometimes the bass will bear considerable
softening. After going over them in the above way, try them by playing
the chromatic scale and you will invariably find some that need
additional attention. Be sure that no hard tone is left, as such a
condition is a great annoyance to a delicate ear.
~Singing.~--When a damper is out of order and does not do its work
properly, they often say the tone _sings_. They say the same thing
about the reed organ when a pallet sticks or a key stays down.
Sometimes this term is used to express the grating vibration which has
been treated under the head of _sympathetic rattle_.
~Tin-panny.~--This term is often used and generally means that the
instrument is out of tune, and especially that the unisons are out.
Sometimes it is used to express a _hollow_ quality of tone; but you
will rarely, if ever, hear a piano spoken of in this way if it is in
correct tune. Any piano out of tune badly may be said to sound
tin-panny.
~Bass-ey.~--This term expresses a very harsh bass. Imperfect octaves
or unisons in the bass of a piano give rise to the use of this term.
If the bass of the instrument is decidedly flat, the same term is
sometimes used to express the condition.
~Harsh.~--This term, when it does not apply to the voice of the piano,
generally reflects upon the work of the tuner (?). Chords are _harsh_
when they contain over-sharp thirds, bad fifths, octaves, etc. Take
care that your temperament contains no bad chords, and after you are
all through, see that all tones have stood, and that you have left no
bad unisons or octaves. One or two carelessly tuned tones may
disparage your otherwise creditable work.
~Questions.~--Questions are often asked the tuner concerning the care
of the piano. Be prepared to answer any reasonable question that may
come up, which your knowledge of the instrument should enable you to
do. In regard to temperature, moisture, etc., an extreme either way is
the thing to avoid. A very dry or hot atmosphere will crack the
varnish, warp the wooden parts, crack the sound-board, cause parts to
come unglued, etc. On the other hand, too much moisture will rust the
steel parts, strings, etc.; so the "happy medium" is the condition to
be desired. As to keeping pianos closed, a question you will often be
asked, we think it is better to keep them open at all times than to
keep them closed at all times; because, if they are kept open they are
subjected to the changes of the atmosphere, which will rarely permit
the piano to become either very damp or too dry. In a word, a room
that is healthy for human beings is all right for the piano.
~Seasons for Tuning.~--The prevalent idea in regard to this matter is
that pianos should be tuned either at the beginning of cold or of warm
weather. In our experience, we have found that it makes no difference
when the piano is tuned if it is kept in the living room. If, however,
a piano were tuned upon a warm day in the fall and then allowed to
remain in a room in which the temperature suddenly fell to zero, we
could not expect it to stand in tune; and much less, if the room is
heated up occasionally and then left for an interval at the mercy of
the weather. Persons who treat their pianos in this way should have
them tuned about four times a year.
INDEX.
Action, 17
brackets, 24
of grand piano, 37, 38, 62
of square piano, 32, 34
removing, square and grand, 38
replacing, square and grand, 39
requisites of, 17, 18
top, of square piano, 34
trap, of square piano, 19, 34
Advantages of two-octave temperament, 171
Ancient instruments, 13
Back check, adjustment of, 49
and back catch, 18, 27, 28, 33, 37
wire, 27
Balance pin, 21
rail, 21
Bearing bar, 17
Beats, waves, and pulsations, 73, 150
of unison, octave, and major third, 154
cause of, 77, 150
Black lead, use of, 64
Block rail, 27, 51
Bottom or capstan, adjustment of, 48, 99
or key rocker, 23, 33, 48, 56, 57
Bracket bolts, 25
Bridle, 28
putting in new, 50
wire, 28, 50
Bridges, 16, 17
split, 173
Building of upright piano, 16
Butts, 28
and flanges, repairing of, 59
Capstan, 24, 48
Cause of beats 27, 150
Center-pins, 25
putting in new 52
Clicks at release of key, 51, 52
Compromises, the, 99, 100
Continuous mute, 89
Damper lever, 29
felt, softening, 54
Damper, of grand piano, 37
of square piano, 36, 60
rod, 30
rod, squeaking of, 55
spoon, 29
springs broken, 54
Dampers, 18, 29
Damping, defective, 54, 60, 61
Ditonic comma 144
Evolution of the piano, 12
Extension, 23
False waves, 160, 161
Fifths, beats of, 79
not all tempered alike, 105, 106
tempering of, 79, 104
Final inspection, 172
Fischer System of temperament, diagram of, 82
Flanges, 25
repairing of, 59
Guide pins, 23
Hammer, butt, refelting, 51
capping with buckskin, 59
felts, cleaning, 34
gluing, 54
hardening, 54
softening, 54
trimming, 60
voicing, 54, 104
head 29
rail, 29, 33
shank or stem, 29, 53
broken, 63
renewing, 53
spring, 52
sticking, 52
Hitch-pins, 16, 17
Instrumental attachments, removal of, 118
Intervals flattened, 157
sharpened, 157
Ivories, regluing, 64
Jack, 26
repairing of, 50, 58
sluggish, 57
-spring broken, 58
Key, defects in, 47, 48
leads, 22
organ, sticking, 185, 186
removing, square piano, 56
squeaking, 64
sticking, 46
Lead, in keys, 22
black, use of, 64
loose in key, 64
Length, tension, and weight of strings, 75
Loud pedal, 19, 30
Main rail, 25
Mathematics of tempered scale, 126
Metal plates, 15
Mute, continuous, 89, 90
Mutes, setting in upright piano, 117-120
in bass, 121
beyond temperament, 120
in square piano, 122
on nodal points, 161
Octave, dividing into major thirds, 134
into minor thirds, 140
perfect fifths, 142
Octaves, relative vibration of, 78
Organ, reed, tuning and repairing the, 178
bellows, leaks in, 187
capabilities of, 179
cleaning, 180
examination, 183
keys sticking, 185, 186
pallets, 186
pedal defects, 188
reeds, to find, 184
tuning, 190
stops, 182
disconnected, 184
sympathetic vibration, 189
Over-tension, 114
Panel, removing of, 75
Parts of grand action, 38
of square action, 34
Pendulum to aid in judgment of a second of time, 104
Piano frame, 15
tuner, requisites of, 7, 70
Pianos, special use of, 85, 86
Pitch, concert, 127
international, 81, 127
Pitch, left to tuner's judgment, 86, 87, 89
to determine most favorable, 85
Professional hints, 193
Questions asked by owners, 211
Ratio of intervals, 132
Reed organ. See _Organ_.
Regulating button, 26, 51
rail, 26, 36
Repairing small wooden parts, 63
Repetition of stroke, 18, 27
Searching for articles on sound board, 44
Seasons for tuning, 198
Soft pedal, 29, 36, 38
Sound board, 16
split, 44
unglued, 45
waves, interference of, 78, 150
Splicing piano wire, 176
Spring rail, 29
Stringing of upright, 16, 17
Strings growing sharper, 88
putting in new, 174, 175
rendering through bridges, 112, 114
splicing, 176
Study and practice of tuning, 66
Sustaining pedal, 30
squeaking of, 55
Sympathetic rattle, 43
Syntonic comma, 132
Systems of temperament, various, 163
System A, 165
B, 166
C, 167, 168
Tables of relative string length, 131, 136, 140, 143
Temperament, advantages of the two-octave, 171
equal, 97, 144
Fischer system, 74
finishing up, 156
introductory remarks on, 68, 72
rationale of, 128, 139
requisites of, 133
setting, specific instructions, 85
theory of, 97
unequal, 98
various systems, 163-168
Tension, equalization of, 111, 112
Terms to express tone qualities, 193-196
Testing by thirds and tenths, 170
Tests, chords, 94, 99, 103
Third, excessive sharpness of, 95, 103
Thirds, major, 135
major, sharper than perfect, 135
minor, flatter than perfect, 141
Tones, harmonic, 120, 130
Touch, altering the, 48
Treble, extreme, sharper than perfect, 159
Tuning, instructions for first experiments in, 92-95
hammer, manipulation of, 110, 115, 116
pins, marking of in square, 122
loose, 173
setting of, 112-114
the bass, 160
the treble, 157, 159
Vibration numbers, comparison of, 137, 146, 147, 148
Watchmaker's screwdriver, use of in piano repairing, 63
Wippen, 25
Wire splicing, 176
Wooden parts, shrinking, rattling, 59
repairing of small, 63
[Transcriber's note:
1. Bold text is enclosed in tilde (~) characters.
2. On page 197, 'tones' has been misspelt in the original text as
'tonse'.]