SATs

[Brent.Fischer@asu.edu]

Dear Gina, Thanks for your response.  I apologize for the inaccurarcy
of my post since I have not  tuned for the majority of Steinway artists,
and yes most will never mention tuning although I have received
numerous comments on the quality of tuning by artists.  Consistently,
it has been my experience that the  immediate impression of projection
and brilliance is evaluated and then the artist will  turn their
attention to the touch and repetition of the instrument, feel of the
sustain and shift pedals, etc.  Fine voicing of the shift goes a
long way in the pianists confidence in  your work.

It maybe unimportant to many but the endorsement of S&S for
credentials in concert work and rebuilding will further ones career,
it certainly has mine. Right or wrong they flatly do not endorse
the use of the SAT in concert work. However, I am eager to see where
it can be of assistance but I have had several questions that have
always been unclear. Can you record your finest tuning and use it
without still having to nudge treble stretch or make a minute
adjustment in the temperment ?  Isn't brilliance in the instrument
developed by taking the stretch to the limit without becoming dissonant
and harsh? Can the SAT measure that point in octave tuning where there
is no discernable change in beat speed but only increase in amplitude
because your at the top of the stretch?

Concert work to me has always been a point of personal evaluation and
dilemma of self-worth. The crafting of the tuning I think should
come from the mind and heart and not a circle of red lights. However,
to be a thoroughly educated technician I am willing to learn how
its use can add to my aural skills.


Respectfully,

Brent Fischer


Brent.Fischer@ASU.EDU
Arizona State University/Tempe