(WARNING! This thing just got longer, and longer, and
l-o-o-n-n-g-g-g-e-e-r-r-r-rrrrr. It's not required reading by any means. Just
another tuner's rambling on tuning philosophy. Delete at will! Possibly right
now.)
Dear List-Folk,
All the questions, answers, approaches, opinions, & views on how to tune
a piano have REALLY cramped my style! Much has been written on the List & in
the Journal on various ways to mute (...or not mute) pianos. Everyone is
convinced that they have the best approach, not that they insist on it ...
they're just (quietly) sure that everyone else is either wasting time,
wasting energy, or losing stability by not following their particular method.
It's all quite friendly... but it's really playing havoc with my own tuning
technique! Arrrgh!
Like all technicians, I always look for ways to improve my tuning
technique. I'm looking for ways to improve stability in my tuning, and
increase customer satisfaction. I'm seeking ways to cut my time in tuning, so
that I can schedule more work or increase the time I have for the regulation
and repair of each piano. We ALL want to be the best we can at what we do.
Right???
What's the upshot of this? Simple... I've been trying everyone's "new &
improved" methods, right? What's happened? I'll tell you what's happened!!!
Everytime I walk in on a new customer I can't decide how to approach the
tuning!!!!!!!! ( I exaggerate... not much... but I do manage to confuse
myself occasionally).
Since the early 80's, I've followed the techniques I learned in my
classes at college.
(An improvement over the "Learn Tuning at Home!" study course that began my
tuning career in the 70's. Hands on with an instructor REALLY helps.) Here's
my method;
1. Play the piano. Check the overall bend in the pitch from bass to tenor to
treble. Listen to the unisons. Feel the temperament through the mid-range.
(Get a general sense of where the piano is...and where it should be going.)
2. Check the A-440 by tuning fork. Determine if a pitch raise is needed. If
it's beating more than 3 or 4 beats per second flat (or sharp) it will
probably require two passes.
3. Strip Mute the piano from tenor to treble. Plain wire, sometimes the
wrapped-string bichords or trichords on small pianos above the bass break.
4. Build a temperament octave (this expanded to an octave and a M3rd after
watching Michael Kimbell work on that Waoliwinick in a dim bar one day...)
5. Tune the bass, first. Unisons as you go. This gives audible check-notes
for the rest of the tuning through the tenor and treble.
6. Tune Center strings to the top of the piano.
7. Tune Right string unisons back down to the tenor/bass break. Pulling the
strip-mute one unison at a time. Rubber mutes or Papp's ('til I gave it away)
through the few dampered-notes above the tenor/treble break, rather than
ripping damper felt by pulling strip-mute from these one-at-a-time.
8. Tune Left string unisons back to the top. Checking and correcting unisons
& octaves on this (...usually) final pass to the top.
9. Re-check the bass.
10. Tighten the music-rack and bench legs. Replace missing rubber buttons on
the key-slip or lid. (Customer's don't always remember or know if the tuning
is good... but they remember that you CARED!)
11. Set next appointment time, discuss any suggested work or improvements to
the instrument. Hand the customer a sheet of paper with numbers & collect a
piece of paper with numbers on it.
12. Go to bank. Collect more paper with numbers. Return home and add new
paper wadding to mattress.
This worked for years... and my tuning times were predictable, the
tunings stable and the customers pleased. When I began tuning, my time ran
about 3 to 4 hours to tune an instrument. After about 2 years, this went to
about 2 hours and my tunings were grew more stable. As time went by, my
hammer technique & pin-setting improved & my tuning time has gradually been
reduced. An instrument that's close to pitch, and regularly maintained, will
now take me about 1hour & 15 minutes...mebbe less.
I schedule 2 hours for regularly tuned instruments, this allows tuning
time and handling paperwork and discussion with my customer (...including;
"How's Johnny doing with his lessons?"). I schedule 3 hours for new
customers, knowing that I'll spend 1/2-hr to 1hr doing regulation and repairs
(capstans and probable pitch raise at a minimum). I can do a reasonable store
tuning (or "floor tuning") in about 50 minutes.
The exceptions to this tried and true method were/are the two extremes.
1. Pitch Raise- Minimum two passes. First one is for "ballpark tune"... get
the tension up to where it's supposed to be (..and warn the piano we mean
BUSINESS!). Strip-mute both passes... unless the first pass nailed that
puppy in place. In which case...
2. Piano at pitch and and temperament clean- Strip mute only the temperament
octave. Run through the temperament. Run down the bass. Pull the strip mute
one unison at a time, pulling the outer strings to the center as you go up.
Then single mute (rubber and/or Papp's) up to the top. Left string, then
center, then right. Re-check bass. Stuff mattress.
Straight-forward, right? Acceptable technique. Good tuning times, not
the fastest.. but reasonable. Anyone who tells me they can tune a piano in
40 minutes or less earns a REAL hard look. That means less than 10 seconds a
pin... including set-up, removal of case parts, and putting it all back
together, too. Yah, it CAN be done... but demands a very tunable piano
(excellent draw across the bearing points & smooth pinblock) that's VERY
close to pitch with a good temperament on it already. Get real! Every
keystroke takes about 3 to 4 seconds of listening... whether it's a machine
or an ear that's listening to it. Can you really expect a stable tuning on
two whacks at the key??? Yes... but it needs to be close. (I'm not knocking
you tuning gorillas out there... just wary of those who schedule tunings an
hour apart!). More reasonable is 4-keystrokes per pin. One to hear, one to
tune, one to set, ...and one to check. More checknotes on temperament tuning,
so more keystrokes in there. Less keystrokes on pitch raise- First whack is
combination hear it/tune it. Second is to set/tune it. There is NO third
whack on a pitch-raise unless the note is flat... sharp is OK, just not too
sharp. Pitch-raise is 20 to 25 minutes max.
So, where does that put tuning time on an average piano?
4 X 4= 16 seconds per pin (or a bit less)
16 X 240 pins(average piano) = 3840 seconds per piano or 64 minutes (or a bit
less).
My average piano tuning, at 75 to 90 minutes, includes; Case-part
removal and replacement. Futzing with the temperament. Placing the muting
strip(s). And all the movement involved with pulling the mute strip and use
of rubber mutes. Pianos at pitch with good temperament can be finished in an
hour or less... but are rare.Have walked in after a year and found pianos
that DO NOT require attention beyond tweaking a unison or two. Very scary. I
try to convince myself that I walked in at the right moment... as the pitch
wanders up & down through the seasons. Something to do with the correct phase
of the moon and REAL GOOD timing, perhaps. These pianos are usually good
instruments, rarely or lightly played, and located in very stable
environments. One of them is a Baldwin Acrosonic that REFUSES to shift from
year to year (...and is the exception to the rule, it's owned by a church
accompanist! I like Acrosonics, too. Was glad to see that Mr. Coleman
approves of them. There are little pianos with good scales on 'em. Just too
few.)
I've always felt that there was a better way to mute (...or not mute)
the piano. Time/Motion studies (...read "Cheaper by the Dozen") taught me to
seek ways to reduce wasted or repeated movements, and seek ways to economize
my time. Not cutting any corners, mind you! Just seeking the most graceful
and smooth way to accomplish the task at hand. The notes must be played, the
pins must be moved, so where can we save time? The mutes, man! The mutes! How
can I/we reduce our motions with 'em!? There are so many methods to choose
from! I absorb everything I can on economical use of the mutes and/or muting
strips.
So what happened? Well (sigh)... I've been reading (scary) and thinking
(very scary), and I've been telling myself that there IS a Holy Grail to
piano tuning. There must be a way to convince that 20+ tons of tension to
STAY PUT after I leave the building... at least for a while. "How?"; is the
question that seems most important. Is it better to build the tension from
the center out (unisons as you go, NO strip mutes)? Is it better to add the
tension across the board smoothly (mute-strip to the top; Center up, right
down, and left up)? Is it better to add the tension from edge to edge (A0 to
C88 in sequence for ETA-tuners only)?
Deciding on the best way to equalize the tension will determine the best way
to mute (or not mute) the piano. IMHO.
I spent the last few weeks screwing-up my tried (... & mebbe true) methods
by working with Mr. Levitan's suggestion... but it works best with grands &
large uprights (...also releases untuned strings that I DON'T need to listen
to yet.). Teensy pianos don't have room for multiple strips. I tried tuning
unisons as-you-go, but found that the center dropped further than with
strip-muting. I tried a mixture; Strip the temp., then unisons up & down...
but still found things shifting in weird ways by the time I finished. Mind
you, I didn't expect to achieve the best times after two tries! I gave each
idea a thorough work-out... but the original method seems to work best for
me. Problem is... I keep thinking that others are being more efficient and
stuffing their mattresses quicker!
Now, after giving each method (as discussed and others, too) undivided
attention for a time... I am torn between methods. When I walk in on a piano,
I think; "Hmmm. Mebbe I should tune unisons-up.", only to discover that the
center drops out on me. I think; "Hmmm. Let's leave the bass until last.",
but tuning the bass seems to tweak the lower tenor just a touch. I think;
"Hmmm. Let's use the Levitan method.", but I get unwanted harmonics from
untuned strings. What to do, what to do!?
For the last week, I gave up and returned to my early (non-potty)
training. Perhaps the habits are ingrained. Perhaps my pin-setting is based
on the anticipated-drop. Perhaps my brain just doesn't work well with new
ideas (...darn automobiles! Get a horse!!!), but the upshot is this; Strip
muting to the top works for me. My (tiny) mind believes the theory that
adding the tension in increments (one third at at time; up-down-up) across
the bridges and soundboard makes logical sense, too. The tuning drops
pitch... but it drops fairly evenly. It's predictable, at least for me.
(Shouts from the peanut gallery; "Are you done yet!?")
Yep, just about. Here's where I stand;
1. Strip Mutes are quicker than manipulating wire-handled mutes or wedge
mutes. Period.
Mr. Levitan's muting technique (and his approach to the question) work well
for grands and large uprights. It's sensible to yank a single strip and free
only one-side at a time. It takes not one second longer to insert mutes this
way (Thank-you, sir! Despite disclaimers above, I will continue to use this
excellent idea on grands that are close to pitch.), and is quicker to
un-mute. (Zing! All the left strings are exposed!). But... using a strip-mute
to the top, and pulling it one unison at a time, quiets untuned strings &
reduces the garbage my ear doesn't need to deal with.
2. Adding the tension smoothly leads to a stable tuning, with less
re-touching for me.
Tuning Center-up, Right Down, and Left-up seems to give the best stability.
The final pass up the keyboard is with exposed (...is that OK on the List?)
unisons & full-unison octaves and checks.
3. It works!
My opinion. My technique. I firmly suggest... using whatever works best for
YOU!
Thanks for your time,
Jeffrey T. Hickey, RPT
Oregon Coast Piano Services
TunerJeff @ aol.com
ps- (Short! Have no fear!)
Re; Wandering Pitch-
Yeah. Let it Float! Tune to A-440 all instruments in school settings or
played with other instruments. Home pianos (not played with other
instruments) can move a little in pitch without ending the world... I hope.
Temperature and humidity are surprisingly even out here on the Coast. Pianos
tend to stay put. Folks in harsher climates MUST be tuning more frequently,
and are probably the ones shouting; "Fork it! Fork it!"
Had a voice teacher who liked his rehearsal piano tuned to A-442
(roughly), he liked the idea that his singers wouldn't be working quite so
hard during performances.
(Very sneaky... and no... he did not reveal this to his singers. But they
always liked the rehearsals with the stage grand. Somehow it was always
easier to reach those high notes. Hmmmm!)
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