Tuning question

[Michael R. Travis]

Jerry, list: No, I haven't been subscribing, but received your message via
Kent Swafford who does. My responses to your questions are highlighted by
** marks.



>>I was re-reading an article in the July 1995 Journal by Michael Travis,
RPT: PACE Lesson Plan Tuning Lesson #22, Treble: Part 2 - Checks and
Balances. I don't know if Michael subscribes to this list, but am hoping
someone can help me in sort out a couple of things.

1) Under "Background", the article states: 
   "...it is possible throughout most of the treble on a decent piano
   to tune a middle path- achieving a fair balance between the single
   octave, the double octave and the twelfth, with no objectionable
   beating among these consonant intervals We should bear in mind that
   this is the type of tuning appropriate for the PTG Tuning Exam, in
   which single octaves throughout the treble and high treble should be
   clean sounding. This means, of course, that the upper treble and
high    
   treble double octaves and twelfths will become increasingly narrow
as    
   you go up."

   My question: My understanding is that the objectives for the PTG
   tuning test are not necessarily the same as those of "real" tuning.
   Consequently, do I understand correctly that the checks as
summarized    
   in the above statement and detailed in this article are geared
   towards producing a good tuning exam tuning, and not necessarily a
   good "real tuning"?

**Yes, but I hasten to add that there's not that much difference; the main
difference is in the degree of "stretch" in the low bass and high treble.
The RPT Tuning Exam (in other words, master tunings used to score same)
requires fairly conservative but still very "real world" tuning to score
well, and emphasizes clean consonant intervals and smooth parallel
transitions. However, you would not want to leave a high treble on the
concert stage the same as you would for the tuning exam; it would assuredly
sound flat. We ask you to tune clean-sounding top octaves on the exam piano
mainly for you to demonstrate your ability to control what you do in that
area and be fairly judged for this ability.**

2) In describing the checks:
   "To avoid leaving a note flat in octaves 5 or 6, we want to make
sure    
   the double octave is wide in octave 5 (M3<M17), tapering down toward
   pure (M3=M17) only as we reach the upper end of octave 6, and that
   all single octaves are wide at the 2:1 level (M10<M17)"

   Question: If M3-M17 tapers toward pure (i.e M3=M17) as you go up,
   would not M10-M17 also taper towards equality (i.e. M10=M17, or
   nearly so)?

**Not usually, since the M3-M10 test for 4:2 octaves would normally show
those intervals increasingly contracted from about the middle of the 5th
octave up. The M10 in the series, M3-M10-M17 tends to be progressively
slower than the M3 and therefore also slower than the M17 if the M3=M17 as
in the mid to upper 6th octave. This isn't a problem aurally since 4:2
partials are not that audible through much of this range. In other words,
in tuning the treble, while holding single 2:1 octaves (M10-M17 test) at a
fairly constant slight expansion, the 4:2 octaves (M3-M10 test) get
increasingly narrow (M10 slower) even while the D8v changes from expanded
to pure to narrow with corresponding changes in the relationships of the M3
and M17 as described.** 

3) In describing the hands-on excercise, the article states:
   "Nitpick the C5-B5 area by playing parallel chromatic and whole-tone
    series"

   Question: I think I understand the parallel chromatic series, i.e. a
scale of chromatic 17's, but am unfamiliar with "whole-tone series".

** A parallel whole tone series of intervals is simply every other interval
in the parallel chromatic series. By skipping intervals this way you
emphasize differences in beat rate, making those differences easier to
hear.**

Thanks for your help

**You're welcome!**

-- 
Jerry Hunt
Dallas, TX USA
Associate member PTG<<