Book "Concert Piano S & S" by G. Bettin

I have it too...........it is equipped with very ugly black and white photos that are very poorly printed, perhaps dating back at least twenty years..it takes many things for granted..it lacks a technical preface, on the use of gauges, for dimensional measurements of strings, for example..a technical manual, which is on the market so that it can be purchased by anyone from the most unsuspecting to the most distinguished technician, is a very boring brick, in my personal opinion.

Regards

Saverio

I don't agree, Saverio! Bettin's book is fundamental. Naturally, it cannot be exhaustive to the very end, like a "do-it-yourself" manual!!!! The unwary person should attend some courses and perhaps work alongside an experienced person before tackling a manual alone. It is clear that fundamental notions, such as those you mention regarding calipers, can be found in many other texts. Bettin's book tends, in my opinion, to focus on certain topics of intervention on the Steinway. Notions that can also be useful on other types of instruments. It is certain that everything must be studied in depth and must not be mistaken for a text that teaches one how to become a technician from scratch. This is what I think, please don't take it personally.

I absolutely don't want you, Paolo, to have people like you around! I only wanted to express my own experience, which I gained through reading Bettin's manual; I find that your splendid course on piano mechanics, which unfortunately has come to an end, is the best thing one can find online, and if listened to in detail, as I have done dozens and dozens of times, one manages to catch details that escape upon first listening.. I believe that your series on the piano is a decisive and fundamental focal point for all of us enthusiasts of piano technology.

Greetings

Saverio

Yes, thank you, but Giovanni is a Master and has explored many aspects of the piano. It is enough even to see from the photos alone how many great artists he has assisted. I have a lot of respect for him and for his text which, certainly, assumes prior knowledge in the field. I have tried to express myself in an elementary way, but perhaps sometimes not exhaustively. Let's say that my Tutorials are a good starting point, but there is still a long way to go. One never stops learning, but one cannot always speak with simplicity. It is like the example of the same mathematical concept explained in Middle School and then in High School and then at University. Same subject, but seen from a different perspective. The Reblitz, for example, is more elementary and can teach some things from first-hand experience. I recognize Bettin's work at Steinway and other manufacturing companies. Factory experience is like hospital experience for a Doctor! I like the section regarding the recalculation of the hitch pins. His new research also includes the lightening of the load on the soundboards and the resulting outcomes. Then, on some things we may or may not agree... but long live diversity of opinion. ......and this also applies to your opinion!

Anyway, thank you for the compliments you always give me. Bye Saverio. Warm regards

I read Bettin's book when I was writing my thesis on piano tuning algorithms, along with other much more theoretical books. The title of the book practically says it all, and inside one expects to find exactly what is there: Steinway & Sons Concert Grand Piano.

It is certainly not a book for beginners, once some notions of acoustics and more have been learned, but it is also not a book strongly directed towards acoustic theory; I found it very, indeed, perhaps too simplistic in some parts. Information is given here and there that serves as a "biography" for understanding the procedures for preparing and tuning a concert grand piano. If we had to go into detail for every topic read, we would probably need all the volumes of the encyclopedia. I think that in the discussion of any subject, by necessity, some things must be taken as already assumed. It is a book that does not claim to be specifically technical (in an engineering sense), but one cannot say it isn't directed toward a specialized field. Along with this book, for example, I read an essay by a physicist on inharmonicity, and the matter was infinitely more complex and of a higher level, without taking anything away from Bettin, who achieved the goal he set for himself in his book. What I mean by this is that if one decides to buy a book titled "designing audio amplifiers," one cannot expect to find an explanation of Ohm's law inside; it seems obvious to me, because whoever purchases a specialist book on amplifier design is probably already, at least sufficiently familiar with the basics of electronics. If one does not know Ohm's law, before moving on to amplifier design, it is appropriate to go through other books, such as those relating to the basics of electronics.

The parallel here is perfect: if one cannot deeply understand certain passages in Bettin's book, it is certainly a case of supplementing the reading with some acoustics manual—perhaps not too technical—that clarifies the passages in Bettin's book that seem most difficult, or alternatively, even better, asking for support from other tuners who can surely answer all the reader's questions on the subject, also with practical examples.

I perfectly agree with TheSimon