2. Flanges, damper heads, and all small wooden parts are liable to break or come unglued.  The watchmaker’s screwdriver, the binding wire and the glue must always be at hand for these emergencies.  These breaks are generally in places where wrapping is not permissible, and you are compelled to drill.  Keep the screwdriver well sharpened and the drilling is easy.

3. Ivories.—­When unglued, scrape the old glue off, apply glue to both surfaces and clamp with an ivory clamp or rubber band until the glue is firm.  Apply the same treatment to ebony sharps.

4. Leads in the keys and the dampers of the square piano get loose and rattle.  Hammer them just enough to tighten; too much might split the key.

5. Friction.—­Where different materials, such as wood and felt, would rub together they are covered with black lead to lubricate them.  The point of the jack where it comes in contact with the butt, the toe of the jack which strikes the regulating button, and the long wooden capstan which takes the place of the extension and works directly on the under side of the wippen, which is covered with felt, are black-leaded.  When a key squeaks and goes down reluctantly, the trouble can usually be traced to these places; especially to the wooden capstan, the black lead having worn away.  Use powdered black lead on these parts.

There are many things in this kind of work that require only the exercise of “common sense.”  These we have omitted to mention, treating only of those things the student does not know intuitively.

QUESTIONS ON LESSON VI.

    1.  When a key snaps or clicks at the instant it is let up, give
    two or more conditions that might cause it.

    2.  When a key simply rattles, what parts of the action would you
    examine for the trouble?

    3.  When a key is struck and there is no response, what may be the
    cause?

    4.  Give two causes for defective damping in a square piano.

    5.  Give cause of and remedy for a squeaking key.

LESSON VII.

THE STUDY AND PRACTICE OF PIANO TUNING.

Before commencing the systematic study of piano tuning, we want to impress the student with a few important facts that underlie the great principles of scale building and general details of the art.

If you have followed the suggestions, and thoroughly mastered the work up to this point you should now have some idea of the natural and artificial phenomena of musical tones; you should have a clear knowledge at least of the fundamental principles of harmony and the technical terms by which we designate intervals and their relation to each other; a knowledge of the general and specific construction of the different types of pianos and their actions, and the methods employed to put them in perfect working condition mechanically.  This admitted, we are ready to consider the art of tuning—­one, the appreciation of which is in direct proportion to the understanding of it.  Let us now view this art for a moment in its past, present and future phases.