Pianos make sound. Sound waves and frequencies (radio and TV) are given in metric (mm, cm and m) as common practice for more than 100 years. So it seems logical to build pianos using metric units.
Stan Doore ----- Original Message ----- From: Pat Naughtin To: U.S. Metric Association Cc: Wayne Stuart Sent: Sunday, January 13, 2008 12:23 AM Subject: [USMA:40031] Stuart & Sons Pianos Dear All, Those of you with an interest in music might be interested in the pianos made by Stuart & Sons in Newcastle, Australia as they use the metric system in every phase of their construction. Currently, they have available a 2.2 metre Grand Piano and a 2.9 metre Concert Grand Piano. Our interest in this piano goes back to the mid 1990s when my wife, Wendy Pomroy, collaborated with Wayne Stuart to edit his book, 'Piano Technology'. I helped a little with the measuring part of the book and I recall a letter from Wayne about the use of the metric system in piano building in 1996. Here are some extracts: ** 'Although Australia had adopted metric measurement before 1974 it was not until I studied piano technology that I actually began to appreciate its benefits. 'I read an original copy of A Treatise on the Art of Pianoforte Construction by Samuel Wolfenden, published in 1916 by Unwin Brothers, London. The following lines from Wolfenden confirms the use of this system of measurement by experienced English piano makers despite a deeply conservative and imperialistic society. Wolfenden's treatise was written in his retirement and all measurements and calculations use the metric system. "It is to be regretted that in this country (UK) and in the United States, this system has not been adopted. Its advantages become very obvious, when dimensions have to be multiplied, divided, or adjusted to proportion … The millimetre is equal to a trace more that 1/25 of and inch, and the smallness of this has a beneficial effect on the mind and working habits. "Many English rules are not marked with closer divisions than 1/8 of an inch, and a workman grows to regard this as a small quantity, and thus his sense of accuracy is impaired … The only adaptation of the English rule which renders such calculations as are used in scaling fairly easy, is to divide the inches decimally and express all dimensions in inches and decimal parts; but even if this is done, the full metric system is much more convenient". 'Western music and musical instrument technology has, for a very long time, had an international focus. Dominant European influence ensured dissemination of their version of science and technology. Piano design requires many long, tiresome calculations and measurements to establish the string scale and the most convenient system was bound to find favour. 'Building pianos without the metric system would simply be much more of a hassle than it already is!' ** If you have any interest in metric pianos, you can find Stuart & Sons web page at http://www.stuartandsons.com/ and you can contact Wayne Stuart directly at [EMAIL PROTECTED] Coincidentally, the year that Wolfenden's metric piano book was published was the same year that the United States Metric Association was formed (See: http://lamar.colostate.edu/~hillger/ ). Cheers, Pat Naughtin PO Box 305 Belmont 3216, Geelong, Australia Phone: 61 3 5241 2008 Metric system consultant, writer, and speaker, Pat Naughtin, has helped thousands of people and hundreds of companies upgrade to the modern metric system smoothly, quickly, and so economically that they now save thousands each year when buying, processing, or selling for their businesses. Pat provides services and resources for many different trades, crafts, and professions for commercial, industrial and government metrication leaders in Asia, Europe, and in the USA. Pat's clients include the Australian Government, Google, NASA, NIST, and the metric associations of Canada, the UK, and the USA. See http://www.metricationmatters.com/ for more metrication information, contact Pat at [EMAIL PROTECTED] or subscribe to the free 'Metrication matters' newsletter at http://www.metricationmatters.com/newsletter/
