Terminology (was Re: speed tuning)

Barrie Heaton Piano@forte.airtime.co.uk
Sat, 15 Feb 1997 15:42:07 +0000


Hi Avery,

This email actually turned up at 3.20 p.m. U.K. time.

Yes half noting is going up in semitones pulling each semitone up to
pitch, actually the term we use for doing that on a restrung piano is
called "putting the strain on" we tend to take between twlve and fifteen
minutes.

When I did my training stints, at Kembles-Yamaha and Bentleys the guys
there who strained all the time were incredibly fast.  There was a rumer
at College that if you followed the profession of a chipper upper in a
factory because you are working at such a high speed, and stress level,
you end up talking with a stutter.  The rough tuners at Kembles were
expected to do 15 to 20 pianos a day, I was toning and I was expected to
tune and tone 6  a day.  Luckily I was only their for three weeks.  At
Bentleys,  I was the fine tuner, there wasn't as much pressure at
Bentleys, you were expected to do four a day in your first week and then
as many as you could after your first week, I got up to 8 a day in my
sixth week when I left.  Both places were depressing, you were placeed
in a tuning booth no windows one horrible artificial light and all the
days work in front of you.  The only time when you saw life when you had
finished All the  pianos the portrers would remove them  and fill it up
again.

I will find out about Mr. Elliot.

Regards,

Barrie.



In article <v01530507af2a86951c04@[129.7.16.148]>, Avery Todd
<atodd@UH.EDU> writes
>Barrie,
>
>   Terminology again. By "half note it" do you mean just going up aurally a
>half step at a time? That's basically the way I do my first chipping after
>a restringing job.
>   BTW, we have Christopher Elton from London doing a Masterclass and a
>recital here on March 4th. He's the Head of Keyboard Studies at the Royal
>Academy of Music in London. Do you (or anyone else) know anything about
>him? Just curious.
>
>Avery
>
>>Every so often take the tension off the back and half note it starting
>>by setting all your "A"s to pitch.   Starting at the base if you are
>>left handed or the top treble if you are right handed,  and half note
>>the
>>piano.  The "A"s are there to make sure you don't go too sharp or that
>>you are not pulling it up enough.  I can half note a piano in 12 minutes
>>on a good day.  I don't have perfect pitch.
>>
>>Regards,
>>
>>Barrie.
>
>_____________________________________
>Avery Todd, RPT
>Moores School of Music
>University of Houston
>713-743-3226
>atodd@uh.edu
>_____________________________________
>
>
>





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