Morons and best strings

[Antares]

Barrie Heaton writes:

>Hi André
>
>How's life,

Thank you Barrie..
My life 's at the moment hectic but very entertaining.

>What is so special about muting the entire instrument?
>Well, the middle string of each unison is the best string for
>tuning.... 
>
>On what grounds do come to this conclusion. please elaborate. 

Wellll....slurrrp...
First of all, I have always thought that the right string of the steel string unisons was the best one. The left ones often seemed to give more listening trouble.
Maybe this sounds totally illogical...I don't know, it doesn't matter.
Then...I received my factory based lessons on tuning, and that changed everything for me.
My Instructor in Japan, who is a very famous tuner / technician, told me that the middle string is the best one.
It is obvious that I was (and still am) very much in awe of all he told me. My statement that the middle string is the best one comes from him.
And...having tested this (afterwards) for myself many times, I am convinced that he was right.
But.....
I also remember reading an article in the "Scientific American" (from many years ago) about the energy exchanges of strings between the unisons in connection with the bridges.
If I am right (but so what), the flow of energies distorted the stability of the left and right strings of the unisons.
However...as I am but a Dutch moron and totally unfit for any serious scientific debate, it would seem better to me to leave this issue of "the best string" to more qualified human beings (or morons)

Now..it could very well be, that their are certain very very intelligent and honed brains who will point out to me, that if I do not > precisely < know what I am talking about, wouldn't it be better to keep the big beak meticulously shut.

Ohhhhh!!! they are soooo right! 

But...... I smile at the thought, and wish them a jolly good cup of coffee (or sanka, for the more sensitive ones) and keep up the mirror on which is written :

Tolerance...tolerance is the remedy for every uneven flow of energies.... 
Be it the left, the middle or the right string, we > could < be friends after all!

>Part of a stable tuning is not just setting the pin, it is setting the
>string. on eyes strings not as big a problem you way, however on return
>string you have to  equalise the tension on both returns, so running
>down
>the unison is more than likely to put the odd middle string out as you
>go along so I would not say it is a piece of cake.  

I agree, but if the tuning is not very much "out", you will not have this problem and have your cake after all.

>having said all of that at the end of the day it does not matter how we
>tune as
>long as you get there in the end and the customer is happy.

Well Barrie, I once sent you some chocolates, maybe it is time for a piece of cake?


Friendly greetings from :
          
CONCERT PIANO SERVICE
André Oorebeek
Amsterdam, the Netherlands
       
‰  where MUSIC is no harm can be  ‰