Yo all, Merry Xmas and all that junk. RE: Strip muting Over the years I think I've figgered out something that has eluded me for quite some time. When I tune, I strip mute the middle section of the piano stretching from a few notes above C52 to the lowest tenor note if my strip will reach. After laying in my temperment, I work my way to the top of the T-strip tuning only the middle string, then I go south to the bass, tuning what strings are able to speak all the way to the bottom of the barrel. I then go to the top of my T-strip and proceed northward tuning every string as I go all the way to the highest key. At this point I usually check my middle section to see if it's slipped and touch up the outer areas as needed. I then pull the strip one note at a time and tune the strings as they are released from their temporary silence. Now I play the piano expecting this virtuous, satisfying, gratifying, luscious, I gotta die for, sound of a freshly tuned piano. AND ....this is where I have thrown many a tuning lever through windows (with great satisfaction I might add) because at the completion of this act, I now have a piano that is totally out of tune!!! Why do I subject myself to this torture?? Additionally I ask myself why this happens?? I beat the hell out of pianos when I tune. I have traumatized finger tips to prove it. I have dealers tell me I'm noisey. What, you mean the tuners before me have a limp wristed technique?? I have people approach me in hotels, restaurants, grocery stores, lounges, bars, etc. asking me to come back later (like I really want to come back to such a prissy little place anyway!!!) because they're having a meeting three blocks away (ok I lied there) and my tuning activity is irritating them. TS baby I'm making a livin' here Dude!! BUZZ OFF!! OK I drifted off subject here. ....... Hmmm where was I ....... oh yeah. Hey, maybe the bridge is rolling a bit. There's a lot of tension change, a lot of pulling (totally) on the structure ...... possibly?? So, I now tune a bit different. If the piano is quite a bit off, but not enough to warrant a pitch raise, I strip mute the usual area, do the tempermental thing, THEN pull the strip tuning as I go, leaving the remaining areas of the piano for later. This puts all the strings in the temperment strip area much closer to where they're supposed to be. I then strip that section all over and start fresh using the above mentioned process. This holds the bridge, and anything else involved, quite nicely and reduces the amount of movement that would affect tuning later. This process, I feel, also reduces the total amount of time spent touching up near the end of my tuning. The tuning is more stable, the customer is more happy, and I'm a more gooder tooner because of it. I also don't have to replace as many windows and tuning levers. Speaking of windows, I just upgraded from Windows 3.11 (WFW) to Win95. DON'T GET THE UPGRADE!! You know, the cheap one that says it's made for upgrading previous versions of Windows to Win95. It worked good for a few weeks and then started to corrupt files. Luckily it didn't touch any of my database files. It wasted my \windows directory and I had to [delete \windows\*.*] and reinstall all my software. I had Win95 installed by a local computer shop along with replacing my MUTHA board and added memory. It now works most goodestly. SSSSSSSSlick tooo. Lar Larry Fisher RPT specialist in players, retrofits, and other complicated stuff phone 360-256-2999 or email larryf@pacifier.com http://www.pacifier.com/~larryf/ (revised 10/96) Beau Dahnker pianos work best under water
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