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Harpsichords and Related Topics

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Subject:
From:
Stephen Birkett <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Harpsichords and Related Topics <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Tue, 9 Jul 2002 00:40:17 -0400
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Rodney wrote:

>To many of us on the list, the issue is stringing of an antique-scaled
>harpsichord with modern steel wire vs various attempts at wire with
>properties more similar to old samples. That means the steel is not as
>taut as it could be, but since its density is the same as other ferrous
>wire, the Young's modulus is the most palpable difference--literally
>palpable because you can feel the stiffness difference as you pick up
>pieces of wire.

Certainly. My broad objective also. Material stiffness (i.e. Young's
modulus) _is_ critical, but not because of it's influence on inharmonicity,
which is negligible. It's the effect on internal friction and related tonal
effects which I believe to be the important factors that make high carbon
steel sound metallic and historical carbon-free iron sound mellow.  We'll see.

>Disclaimer--I have not engaged in research on this matter as Stephen
>has. I am just trying to get clear how far his statement applies to
>earlier and thinner-strung instruments.

All that I said applies to all stringed keyboard instruments, plucked or
struck, thinner or thicker strung. The same iron stringing material problem
applies to all pre-1830 instruments (there is no suitable modern
substitute). After that the problem becomes historical steels, a different
issue that also needs to be resolved. In all of this the effect of Young's
modulus on inharmonicity is irrelevant. Forget about inharmonicity. [John
is correct that I was obviously not including bowed insturments in this
discussion].

Stephen

Stephen Birkett Fortepianos
Authentic Reproductions of 18th and 19th Century Pianos
464 Winchester Drive
Waterloo, Ontario
Canada N2T 1K5
tel: 519-885-2228
mailto: [log in to unmask]
http://real.uwaterloo.ca/~sbirkett

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