hard pounding

[Tom Cole]

There is a place for hard pounding but most of the time, IMHO, it is a
waste of effort and tough on the anatomy (yours and the piano's). When I
was first learning to tune, hammer technique was stressed. It was
important to feel what the tuning pin is doing within the pinblock. Firm
test blows are used to verify your technique, not to settle the string.
Once you learn good technique and hard test blows do not disturb the
tuning, then what is the point of continuing the punishment?

Different pianos, and different players, require different tuning hammer
technique. For example, if loud test blows ruin my tuning on the first
few pins (of a concert grand), then I change the way I set the pins.
Once I find the method that works on a given piano, I'll tune the rest
of the way with soft to moderate test blows - soft in the bass, moderate
in the upper registers.

My observations about pin setting is that I tend to overset tuning pins,
even if I use very soft test blows. That, unless a piano is played hard
and often, the piano quite often winds up a little sharp when I return
in a year's time.

What I try to do is to leave the pins feeling about the same as I found
them by first experimenting with how much sharp and flat I can twist the
pins without turning the whole pin. If I can move the pitch quite a bit
flat without it springing back up close to pitch, I can guess that the
piano has gotten light use. If the pitch will not stay flat but wants to
spring back to where I found it, then I might assume the piano gets some
hard playing. Taking preliminary readings in this manner, I will then
tune with a similar pin-setting technique and can expect the tuning to
remain stable, all conditions being equal.

For further readings on this subject, read the May, '96 PTJ article by
Chris Trivellas entitled "Tuning Stability Etudes." Chris lists the
various hammer techniques you can use, how you can improve your
technique and has some interesting things to say about pounding.

Have a quiet day.

Tom

-- 
Thomas A. Cole RPT
Santa Cruz, CA