The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1864-05-01
piano. Forte-Its Use ara Abuse.

ignorance that prevails in regard to
this universally popular musical instru-
ment. The general class ofpeople who
possess them seem to know rather less
about their manufacture and the proper
method Of using them, than they do
about the watches they wear. With a
view of enlightening the most benight-
ed Of the owners Of pianos on the sub
iect of their proper use and preserva-
ton, we have procured the following
information on the subject from one
whom we deem competent authority.
The great desideratum aimed at, by
the best manufacturers Of pianos, is to
make them stand in tune well, for un-
less they succeed in this respect the
quality of tone or beauty of finish they
may impart to their pianos IS cOmpar-
itively Of little value To attain this
desirable object, therefore IS the prin-
cipal aim of our best makers; but few,
however, succeeded, and we viii briefly
state the reason.
The steel pins that hold the wires Of
a piano are driven into a solid block
Of wood, and in order that the wood
may retain firm hold of the pin, and
yet admit of its being turned by the
hammer Of the tuner not only is great
care and skill necessary in regard to
the fitting of these pins, but it IS abso-
lutely requisite that the wood forming
the "pin-block" should be Of the very
best seasoned material. Now this
seasoned wood IS best when prepared
by outdoor seasoning instead Of by
artificial means, but unfortunately this
former method requires considerable
capital TO admit Of so much dead stock,
as it were, lying by. This large capital
few manufacturers have, and the ma
iority place wood thus seasoned in their
pianos that viii not withstand the ac-
ton Of the hot-air furnaces in such
general use,in private houses. The cOnse-
quence in such cases can be readily fore
seen. The result being that a year or
two use so shrinks up the wood Of the
pine-bloclls Of those pianos in which
this halfseasoned stuff is used, that
the pins move in the block from every
hard blow on the wires, and hence the
piano will not stand in tune.
So much for the injurious effects of
this artificial heat on a piano, as far as
its standing in tune is concerned In
reference to its effect on the 'action"
of piano, viz the keys and machine
ry for striking the wires, the result is,
that the heat warps the keys, loOsens
the hold Of the great number Of screws,
used in an action, in the wood, and
thereby causes the keys to stick, or rat
tie, as the case may be.
Now how to obviate these evils is the
question, and the answer Is, in the first
place, only to purchase those pianos
that are made Of thoroughly seasoned
wood, and of the best quality of mate
rials generally, for such only are the
cheapest pianos, 30 matter what their
first cost may be; and secondly to keep
your piano as much from the influence
of the hot air of your house furnace as
possible, for it Injuries the best made
pianos, and almost renders those Of in
ferior quality useless.
We frequently hear the remark that
"our piano stands in tune for a year
Now the truth IS, there is not one piano
out of thousand that, with any ordi-
nary use, will stand bearably in tune
two months, and not one in five thou
sand that will remain perfectly in tune
for three weeks True, pianos will
stand sufficiently in tune to suit an un-
skilled musical ear for half a year at
times, but no cultivated ear can tole-
rate the discord that ensues after a
month or two's use. Amy rejecting in
dividual can readily perceive why this
is. when it is considered what materials
constitute a piano The small wires
and iron frames must necessarily alter
natelv expand and contract with the
variations of the surrounding atmos-
phere, and hence a constant movement
of the wires and a change in the pitch
Of their tones; and when one reflects
on the immense strain on the body of
the instrument, caused by the tension
of the strings, equaling the weight Of
no less than one huadred thousand pounds,
and upwards, it become a matter Of no
surprise that a piano that viii stand
perfectly in tune Is an instrument that
has not yet been made.
Another important thing to be done
to preserved n piano in order, Is to keep
out the moths. Cloth is used IN pianos
TO q considerable extent, being placed
wherever there is liability to contact
between any of the numerous nova
bic portions of the instrument, in order
to avoid the rafting and noises Incl
dents to such contact Of course when
this cloth is destroyed by the moths,
the noises referred to ensuc Expert
ence has shown that moths generate
RAPIDLY where dust Is allowed to ac-
cumulate, and the best way to keep the
pianos free Of dust Is to use a large
feather brush at least once a week.
In reference TO the Turning Of a pi-
ano, it should be generally understood
that tuning consists simply in tighten
ing and relaxing the strings to the re-
ouisite degree, and does not include a
general renovation and repair Of the in
strument, as many people imagine.
New pianos require tuning once a
month and none should be allowed to
20 untuned over three, the reason be-
ing that the longer an instrument re-
mains unnned the lower its pitch Of