As your piano tuner Wilmington DE, Kenneth Keith Piano Services would like to answer one of the more interesting piano services questions that we are sometimes asked.
Every piano technician has unique combinations of skills when it comes to piano repairs, so while a certain type of piano repair may seem simple to one tuner, it may be especially difficult for another. There is one repair, however, which is a challenge for every piano technician. That repair is the replacement of a broken string in the under-strung section of a spinet piano. This repair is especially difficult for a number of reasons, but first it is important to explain what the under-strung section is. A spinet piano is the smallest of the vertical pianos, which are typically closed, so that the piano strings are not observable. You can observe the principle, however, if you have access to a grand piano.
If you observe the strings of a grand piano, you may see that there are two levels of strings, with the copper-wound bass strings overlapping the plain wire strings of the center of the piano. If you look carefully below those bass strings, you may observe the plain wire strings that lie beneath them. This is the under-strung section. This gives you an idea of how difficult those strings are to access for replacement. When the piano is originally strung in the factory, the plain wire strings are installed first, and are therefore more easily accessible. The bass strings are installed afterwards, making the plain wire strings less accessible.
The spinet piano has strings similarly arranged, but in a vertical manner. That means the far end of the string is near the floor and behind the piano pedal mechanisms, making them very difficult to access. At the top of the piano, the string must be attached to a piano tuning pin. Spinet pianos typically have tuning pins so close together, that it is difficult to use the tools properly to attach the string to the tuning pin. When the piano is strung in the factory, the tuning pins are more easily accessible because the installed strings are only to one side. Replacing the string on a completed piano is much more difficult, since there are strings attached to tuning pins all around the pin needed for the broken string. All-in-all, this is the most frustrating and difficult repair on a piano.
If you have any questions about the care of your piano, please ask Kenneth Keith, your piano tuning Wilmington DE expert for Delaware piano tuning services in DE and the surrounding areas. We also provide expert piano tuning services in the areas of Philadelphia PA, Eastern Shore MD and Southern NJ.
