Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1904-06-06
Care of a
Piano Forte

N"' Nauoe al uupledSdut
sound zip or jar, Whenever such
q thing is heard look for the cause
carefully outside the piano, first failing
to ind 1t outside, then hunt for it in
side, by placing the hand on any
thing that may possibly be loose,
while the other is playing the keys
OF the piano. If the jaring sound
ceases you have found the II and
the remedy will readily suggest it.
self. This jingle or par may be MOTTO
ed when certain notes or chords are
struck and the inexperienced are sure
to think there is a loose string or
something wrong with the mechan-
ism which cause this unpleasant
sound, when it is in reality something
entirely outside the piano that ii in
ympathy with that note and only vi
rates when that n cord is struck.
B Sitting in church one day my atten.
ton was called to a peculiar zip in
the pew in front when a certain key
or note was used in the organ. /
found after services, when requested
by the organist, that a loose silver in
Xhe floor OF the platform gave this
rip" when a certain keynote or chord
wa struck, but remained quiet at
all other times. Anything loose about
the piano or room may produce the
same effect. Do not condemn a piano.
OF tuner. until you have found the
cause 81 cannot readily remedy it
yourself. if there is any squeak or
friction that is Objectionable about the
pedals or at any other point, 1t may
be remedied by applying a little black
LEAD, graphite, or stove backing,
which is the same thing and always
1T hand. Dust and dirt not only af-
ssfects the tone of a piano by collecting
nm THE sounding board and strings,
it produces ~harshness by collecting on
the hammer felt9, sluggishness by
getting in the action, and rafting, buz-
zing, jingling noises by getting on
the key board underneath the keys,
Therefore, have your tuner clean the
piano every other tuning, or about
nce a year and poison the felts at
the same time to guard against moths
which destroy the fills and cloth used
In the mechanism of which there are
about 2,22o pieces. Never use moth
or camphor balls. red pepper or powd-
Ser in your piano that it as bad as any
other dirt and does no more good.
Adjusting, regulating and roicing are
very Important and should be looked
after very carefully while the 5000
odd parts and pieces of a piano are
selected from the best of well season
ed materials, in dry climates the wood
will shrink from the glue and screws
and become loose, therefore whenever
you have your piano tuned have the
tuner examine the instrument thor
onghly and il 1t needs it have the
regulating and voicing done. From con
slant pounding the hammers become
cailoused or soiidilied where they
strike the strings and wear little fur
rows or creases i'm the felts which
makes a piano emtalic and tinny.
Have the piano voiced whenever
needed at time Of tuning In this way
the hammers Will last from 80 to 40
years with ordinary use and above all
do not let anyone under any circum-
stances experiment with Your piano:
the experimenting period stopped
when the piano left the factory and
the mature hands. In giving this
article to the public | am giving not
only the benefit Of my own experience
Of over thirty years since commencing
as an apprentice in n of our leading
piano factories, but have drawn on
such responsible niano manufacturers
as A. b. Chase, W. P. Emerson, j. q
C. Fischer, VIM. Knabe, ~Ghickering 4
sons, Kranich 4 Each, Dieker Bros,
and others. r. NJ Walker.
SO that the people Of Las Vegas anu
other parts Of New Mexico may know
why the above article has been print
ed, i here publish a few letters from
people well known who will vouch for
the competency of +. NJ. Walker, the
piano tuner, Who II seems former
articles have been directed az. While
no names were mentioned and the
articles were not signed mention mas
been made Of the person taking molf
from his pocket and inserting them
between the hammers of pianos. II u
ii thought that hypnotic inHuence
has been used ask some OF the follow