sagging center string

[Wimblees@AOL.COM]

In a message dated 6/14/99 12:48:04 AM !!!First Boot!!!, musicman@eoni.com 
writes:

<< after tuning
 the center string, I go for the treble (right) string, and when it comes in
 tune, the center has slipped, sometimes a lot.  By the time the left string
 is being worked on the center may be even flatter than when I started.  
 (snip)
  Does anyone have any suggestions as to how I might improve my technique in
 this area of the piano.
 
 P.S.  I already do a quick pitch raise if the piano is 6 cents or more away
 from 440; I will even to do the treble section quickly a second or third
 time if it drifts flat.

I strip mute the whole piano, and tune only the middle string the first time 
through. I will then mute only every other note, and tune the open strings. 
After doing those unisons, I check, and correct, notes by playing octaves, 
intervals, etc., from the middle up. And finally, I mute the outside strings 
that are in tune, and tune the other strings. This procedure gives me greater 
stability in the upper sections of the piano. Try it and see if it will speed 
up your tuning. 

Willem Blees RPT