from Susan Kline, RPT: << Is it possible to refine hammer technique enough to compensate for lack of heavy blows? >> Hi, Susan! (Susan is a 'cellist and piano service colleague who once resided here in Stockton) Not only is it possible, I think it's desirable, and for more than the obvious reasons of less action wear, less wear on the tuner's ears, easier on the pinblock, etc. Developing such a technique in the lever hand makes pitch raising faster and more accurate, and tuning more solid. Take for an example a unison that's perfectly tuned and beaten any way I want it so I'm sure it will stay. If I then disturb one pin lightly to the upside and/or the downside, the pitch will deflect, but will return easily to the correct place. In fact, the place it's EASIEST to go will be the right place, and a test blow won't disturb it. If it doesn't practically fall back into tune with the lightest encouragement, it wasn't the right place, and a test blow is almost guaranteed to change the pitch. At first, it takes repeated wiggling up and down to find this place, but with minimal practice, one (especially as experienced as you are) can find it more and more quickly. [I've shown someone with only moderate experience how in less than an hour, and his tuning speed AND accuracy immediately went up]. If the pitch is close but the note doesn't feel centered, the pin must be rotated in the block as small an amount as possible, and the wiggling recommenced. I feel for the tiny pin-in-block movement rather than listen while making this small correction. What happens to the pitch doesn't matter; if I got the rotation right the pitch will go easily to the right place. A wiggle or two up and down in less than a second tells me more than a couple of hard blows. I use a hard blow for final confirmation, but it usually DOESN'T move the pitch, and the rest of the tuning is done with easy blows (Aaaaah). This tuning will stand up under concert use. If the strings don't render well enough to follow this method, they need to be lubricated so that they will. In the case of _really_ rusty strings this method doesn't work as easily, but it does work as well as pounding. It might be time to start preparing the customer for stringing, or some would consider an extra charge. Getting the string to the correct pitch rapidly and accurately with the tuning hand means that there is less unknown to be introduced with the pounding hand. It means that the tolerances of a pitch raise are MUCH closer, making the subsequent tuning more refined. If I pull the string up and I can't hit the pitch with a light push, an extra couple of wiggles and a quick corrective yank only extend the pitching by a few seconds per note, and more than repay during the tuning. I play very lightly during a pitch raise, but still find that although my stability tolerances aren't what they are in a tuning, if I were to whack a note it wouldn't go very far. I don't whack it because I only need it to stay put until the tuning, which it will. I don't feel ready to tune if the piano isn't within +/- 0.5 cent in the middle. On the final tuning, I want to be spending more time making certain the strings are happy than on tuning. If I've miscalculated the overpull and a large section of notes is all off the same direction more than say 0.3 cent, the tension isn't balanced enough, and I'll spend another 10-15 minutes or so pitching. I feel repaid by solidity. Conversely, the techniques to get a quick, accurate pitch raise with the tuning lever hand carry over into better fine tuning. I think they develop more sensitivity and the ability to hit the pitch with fewer tries. Speed is an asset while tuning. The faster it goes, the less fatigued the ear is, and therefore the more refined the work can be. Our customers benefit as much as we do. Bob Davis, RPT Still in Stockton (CA)
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