An agraffe is a part used principally on grand

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

s. The agraffe is a guide at the tuning-pin end of the

string String or strings may refer to: *String (structure), a long flexible structure made from threads twisted together, which is used to tie, bind, or hang other objects Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Strings'' (1991 film), a Canadian anim ...

, screwed into the plate, with holes through which the strings pass. It positions the strings vertically and laterally, determines the string's speaking length, and offers a clean termination from which the string can vibrate. Agraffes are used in the bass, tenor, and lower treble, but commonly give way to a '' capo d'astro'' bar in the upper treble. Agraffes are usually made of solid brass, and come in 1, 2 or 3-string configurations. For American pianos they are available in two sizes (1/4" and 7/32" finely threaded studs). The string holes are typically countersunk to eliminate the likelihood of buzzing, even as the agraffes wear. They are installed with their width perpendicular to the strings. Agraffe is also a term for the wire netting that surrounds the cork in a champagne bottle, enabling the cork to remain in place despite the high carbonic acid pressure in the bottle.

References

* Good, Edwin. Giraffes, Black Dragons, and Other Pianos. Stanford, Calif.: Stanford University Press, 2001. Agraffe {{Musical-instrument-stub

See also

References