Upright piano string snapped!

[bustthewave]

Hey guys, so I'm practicing a few weeks ago, and my piano string snapped! I immediately stopped playing because I thought that my ceiling had caved in haha, or something equally horrifying.

So I walk around my apartment, going room to room trying to figure out what caused that terrible noise (and it wasn't just loud, my entire body shook).

I decide that it must of been from my neighbors or the people above me and so I go back to play. Turns out half of my notes are flat, and sound like they have the damper pedal on them. One note wont bounce back easily to it's upright position, making it difficult to play twice. That was when I knew what had happened.

SOOOoooooo... the question - is this an easy repair? Is this an expensive repair? I need to get my piano tuned anyway (quite badly actually).

The other question here is, I'm moving to another apartment in about 4 or 5 months, is it worth tuning now (I so want to, as I don't want to have to play on a piano that half it's notes are flat and dull), or will moving it hurt the tuning badly?

Anyone else played on a piano who had a string snap?

[perfect_pitch]

I snapped a string 3 months back... on a grand piano though, not an upright. I was told that you should NEVER play the piano if there is a broken string.

It cost $45 (AUS) to replicate the string and $50 (AUS) to have a technician fit it in. Again, this is on a grand piano.

[bustthewave]

I snapped a string 3 months back... on a grand piano though, not an upright. I was told that you should NEVER play the piano if there is a broken string.

It cost $45 (AUS) to replicate the string and $50 (AUS) to have a technician fit it in. Again, this is on a grand piano.

Wow, broke that rule... big time. I've been playing on it pretty steadily with the broken string, hope I haven't caused any permanent problems :/. Now I'm kind of worried.

[jimbo320]

Hey Bust,
Sorry to hear about your string. Perfect is right. NEVER play a piano with a broken string. You'll throw the action out. At least that's the rule on a grand and I'm assuming it holds true for a vertical.
As a rule of thumb always get a piano tuned after a change of environment. A few weeks after to be right. If you need your piano now. Get the tech to replace the string, tune it and suck up the re-tuning after your move...

Musically, Jimbo

[bustthewave]

Hey Bust,
Sorry to hear about your string. Perfect is right. NEVER play a piano with a broken string. You'll throw the action out. At least that's the rule on a grand and I'm assuming it holds true for a vertical.
As a rule of thumb always get a piano tuned after a change of environment. A few weeks after to be right. If you need your piano now. Get the tech to replace the string, tune it and suck up the re-tuning after your move...

Musically, Jimbo

Thanks for the reply... I do hope my piano will suffer no permanent problems from my playing on it with that broken string (every day.. for like 2- 3 hours a day). I'm going to try and get a tech out next week. I'll just have to suck it up. I have a decent digital keyboard, but the keys aren't weighted so my liszt exercises wont be too helpful in terms of building strength, but I can still continue to work on tempo and site reading.

Ugh... I was really hoping to post my first work in the audition room in the next few days, I've been working really hard as I've been just getting started with music theory and all that. K, well it is what it is I guess.

[jimbo320]

Cool! I'll be looking forward to it...

Jimbo

[richard black]

No, that's rubbish about not playing it. Just try not to play the affected note too hard because there's a chance (not a very high one) that you'll upset the alignment of the hammer. But since you'll need a tuner in to fix the string he can easily reset the hammer at the same time.

But.... Do you really mean that a substantial number of notes are now out of tune as a result? Sounds as if something more serious may have happened. It's conceivable that the frame has cracked as a result of the string going (in which case it was surely an accident waiting to happen). Anyway the first thing to do is always to remove the broken string which is probably resting against other strings. You'll easily enough work out how to get it out without damaging anything. Keep it safe somewhere as the tuner may need to see it. (You could do worse than just leave it in the bottom of the piano.) Usually when a string snaps there are no knock-on effects. It's something that happens now and then and can happen on any piano.

[bustthewave]

No, that's rubbish about not playing it. Just try not to play the affected note too hard because there's a chance (not a very high one) that you'll upset the alignment of the hammer. But since you'll need a tuner in to fix the string he can easily reset the hammer at the same time.

But.... Do you really mean that a substantial number of notes are now out of tune as a result? Sounds as if something more serious may have happened. It's conceivable that the frame has cracked as a result of the string going (in which case it was surely an accident waiting to happen). Anyway the first thing to do is always to remove the broken string which is probably resting against other strings. You'll easily enough work out how to get it out without damaging anything. Keep it safe somewhere as the tuner may need to see it. (You could do worse than just leave it in the bottom of the piano.) Usually when a string snaps there are no knock-on effects. It's something that happens now and then and can happen on any piano.

I pulled the string out already (simple as opening the top and reaching in) and I doubt I still have it. But either way, it was making this terrible tinging noise every time I hit a key in the cventer, so it was easy to get it and pull it out. The thing that happened was not so much that the keys went out of tune, as much as they went dull. There are about 8 or 9 notes in the center of my keyboard around the note whose string broke, that sound like they have the damper peddle on.

Either way, I'm calling someone in monday .

And thanks jimbo! I'll let you know when it's up, should be the middle of next week if I can get the technician in earlier than later.

[keys60]

Playing with a snapped string should not cause any damage. On a grand it will just lie on the soundboard and on a vertical it will just slide down.Its just going to vibrate and buzz sympathetically . I've never seen a snapped string get tangled up in the action. If it snapped at the pin (which is the usual spot) just carefully remove it. Be ginger, don't hook an action part while your pulling it out. NEVER tug or force it. If it snapped at a bridge pin, trace it back to the tuning pin, pry it from the pins eye with an awl and remove it from there.
Save the piece for sizing and splicing. Better to splice an old string (in most cases) than go new so it won't sound out of place with the older strings. A tech can splice on a piece the same or slightly heavier gauge.

[bustthewave]

Playing with a snapped string should do not any damage. On a grand it will just lie on the soundboard and on a vertical it will just slide down.Its just going to vibrate and buzz sympathetically . I've never seen a snapped string get tangled up in the action. If it snapped at the pin (which is the usual spot) just carefully remove it. Be ginger, don't hook an action part while your pulling it out. NEVER tug or force it. If it snapped at a bridge pin, trace it back to the tuning pin, pry it from the pins eye with an awl and remove it from there.
Save the piece for sizing and splicing. Better to splice an old string (in most cases) than go new so it won't sound out of place with the older strings. A tech can splice on a piece the same or slightly heavier gauge.

Thanks, I do feel a lot better about the situation now .

Called the technition, he'll be out wednesday, and I can record what little I've learned with Chopin's "raindrop," I think it's his prelude no. 12 (I really should know this).

[keys60]

You're welcome. That echoey ZZZZZINGY sound can get pretty scary if you don't know what the bejeezes is going on, huh?

[perfect_pitch]

Playing with a snapped string should not cause any damage.

Are you sure??? I was told by two piano technicians (1 of which is the best in Western Australia) that a piano should not be played when it has a snapped string.

Normally I wouldn't question his advice.

[jimbo320]

I've been told that too. It could mess up the action's alignment....

[richard black]

I've been told that too. It could mess up the action's alignment....

See my post above!

[jimbo320]

Hey Richard,
We agree on something...

[keys60]

IF the string remains up in the action, which would then block the action, it would render those notes unplayable. Obviously, we're not just going to keep beating on it, are we? In most cases, especially in a vertical, the strings snap at a contact point like the V bar or pressure bar and most commonly, the tuning pin. String is flexible and gravity takes over causing the wire to drop away from the action. If the loop breaks at the hitch pin, it could bow the wire across the action and block it. I wouldn't continue practicing a concerto on it, and it probably wouldn't let you to anyway. Force anything and it will break, but if a hammer should happen to misalign, its one screw, straighten it out, and your good to go.