On the Problem of Stringing Scales for Very Small Pianoforte
William Braid White · The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America · 1941
In designing what is called the scale or string plan of a piano, four factors have to be considered: frequency, length, unit weight and tension. All these are interlocked with each other, so any change in one involves corresponding changes in one or all of the others. The element of frequency is of course fixed. In the case of the very small piano, the length, in the low frequency part of the scale at least, is so circumscribed that very little manipulation is possible. Hence any effort to adjust the four elements so as to produce good tonal effects becomes mainly the question of how far unit weight and tension can be readjusted to fit the requirements of the case. The paper presents the author's conclusions on the problem.