|
Aliquot stringing is the use of extra unstruck strings in the piano for the purpose of enriching the tone. A grand piano A piano is a keyboard instrument, widely used in western music for solo performance, chamber music, and accompaniment, and also as a convenient aid to composing and rehearsal. ...
The aliquot stringing system was invented by Julius Blüthner in 1873. To this day, it has been exclusively employed in Blüthner pianos. Bluthner was a piano-manufacturing company founded by Julius Bluthner in 1853 in Leipzig. ...
As currently implemented, the Blüthner aliquot stringing system uses a fourth aliquot string in each note of the top two octaves. This string is raised slightly with respect to the other three strings, so that it is not struck by the hammer. Whenever the hammer strikes the three non-aliquot strings, the aliquot string vibrates sympathetically, adding to the richness of the tone. The same effect occurs, on a more limited scale, when other notes on the piano are played that are harmonically related to the pitch of an aliquot string. In music, an octave (sometimes abbreviated 8ve or 8va) is the interval between one musical note and another with half or double the frequency. ...
Sympathetic strings are strings on musical instruments which begin resonating, not due to any external influence such as picking or bowing, but due to another note (or frequency). ...
The Blüthner piano is widely considered to be among the top rank of pianos being built today. Other premier piano makers also enrich the tone of the piano through sympathetic vibration, but they use a different method known as duplex scaling. For discussion, see piano. Confusingly, the portions of the strings used in duplex scaling are sometimes called the "aliquot strings," and the contact points used in duplex scaling are called aliquots. A grand piano A piano is a keyboard instrument, widely used in western music for solo performance, chamber music, and accompaniment, and also as a convenient aid to composing and rehearsal. ...
Aliquot stringing and the duplex scale are not equivalent. An aliquot string vibrates out of phase with the main strings of its note. This configuration dissipates the tonal energy through the soundboard more slowly, which in principle could create a more sustained singing tone. Opinions differ on whether this actually happens in Blüthner pianos. The noted piano authority Larry Fine says of Blüthner pianos "the sustain is good, but at a low level of volume, giving the tone a refined, delicate character." On the other hand, the Blüthner company claims that the effect of aliquot stringing is apparent only in loud playing. Larry Fine is a piano technician, consultant, and author. ...
Etymology The word "aliquot" comes ultimately from the Latin word meaning "some, several". In mathematics "aliquot" means "an exact part or divisor", reflecting the fact that the length of an aliquot string forms an exact division of the length of longer strings with which it vibrates sympathetically. Wikibooks Wikiversity has more about this subject: School of Mathematics Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Mathematics Look up Mathematics in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Mathematics Interactive Mathematics Miscellany and Puzzles — A collection of articles on various math topics, with interactive Java...
Reference - Larry Fine's opinion, quoted above, is from The Piano Book (4th edition 2001; Jamaica Plain, MA: Brookside Press; ISBN 1-929145-01-2).
External link Blüthner - Photos and Aliquot-patent |
Feeds |
Contact