Dear Brian, When I read your comments upon ETD's I find myself bushing with shame, recalling the days when I made similar dismissive comments to my friends and colleagues who used ETD's, having never really explored or utilized one in my life. I expressed many of the same concerns and objections, i.e. that my clientele would lose confidence in my abilities, I would no longer be a worthy concert tuner, my aural abilities would atrophy, etc. Brian, I have been tuning pianos for 34 years, aurally for the first 30, and do mostly concert and professional work. Currently I have served as the head piano technician for the School of Music of the University of Texas at Austin, one of the top schools in the country, for 20 years, in which capacity I also provide concert tuning for the Austin Symphony Orchestra and other major local arts organizations. In addition I maintain the concert instruments and prepare them for the Van Cliburn Concert Series in Fort Worth. I serve as the C&A tech for the Austin Steinway dealer. Thus, since we live in the same city, I am puzzled by your statement that most of the major artists performing in local venues request aural tuners. Neither I nor my colleagues here at the School of Music recall ever having an artist or any other client request an aural tuner or question our use of an ETD. Brian, I purchased my SAT II for a special occasion where I had to keep two fortepianos tuned together in an historical temperament for professional recording sessions in a venue where the AC had to be turned off for takes. Afterward I stuck it in a drawer, having experienced difficulties in mastering the learning curve, much of which was due to my stubbornness and preconceptions. Eventually I took the time to master the machine and then I realized just how mistaken I had been all along, and my tuning and tuning practice was transformed. You point out some of the advantageous situations for an ETD, i.e. situations where the noise level may preclude doing a fine aural tuning, shop work, pitch raises, and hearing loss. To that list I would add instruments that present special challenges in inharmonicity and scaling, time limitations, and the general physical condition of the tuner. By the latter I am referring to the fatigue one might experience at any time or after having already tuned several pianos in one day, illness, mental stress or distractions, etc. How many of us can truly say that we are at our peak at all times, especially when it is crucial? And how often do you work when none of the above limitations are not a factor? The ETD does not have bad days, suffer hearing loss, or become ill, nor is it as distracted by background noise and activity as we are. But the crucial point that my colleagues tried to make to me during my days as a uninformed detractor was that I had nothing to lose from using the machine (except for the cost) and everything to gain. The machine did not replace or cripple my ears, but supports them. With my SAT III, I will assert to you in all sincerity that I can now do a more accurate concert tuning in less time, with considerably less effort, and reproduce it time and again with extraordinary precision. And I have never stopped using my ears, which often refine the judgments of the machine. Brian, perhaps you do not realize that some of the most accomplished, gifted and skilled technicians in our profession (and in PTG) use ETD's. It was this realization, in part, that lead me to question my previous stand. I think that I persisted in my delusion for so long because I felt that I was a bit superior relative to my ETD using colleagues with my presumed superior aural concert tuning skills; now I realize that I was probably the only one who thought I was superior--everyone else must have thought I was uninformed and perverse. Brian, my best and most friendly advice to you would be to try an ETD for yourself (long enough to master the learning curve). At the least, you could offer your criticisms and comments from an informed perspective. And, who knows, you might just discover that you done something wonderful for yourself... Sincerely, Charles Jim, "Sounds" like you have the right attitude. I agree that a SAT can help refine a technicians knowledge when used to check aural tuning. I just don't want to become a technician who relies so heavily on a machine that I'm not continuing to refine my skills. I've seen some technicians really benifit from a SAT, especially when older age compremises his or her upper frequency hearing. I've also believed that ETD's are perfect for quick shop work. They even do a good job, if not better job than aural, when hearing is compremised by background noise. I think that one of the strongest benefits in owning an ETD for a shop is that it would allow an apprentice-type to do "grunt" tuning with a high degree of confidence, i.e. chip-tuning. However, concert tuning is another matter. I don't think that it is an accident that most serious artists that perform at our local performance venues specifically request aural concert tuning. I've never had someone call and request an ETD tuning, but I've seen numerous times that I was called specifically because I won't use an ETD. Yes, ETD's can and often do a good job, even for concert work. But no one is going to convince me that as long as I have good ears, that I should let a machine do all of the "thinking." Just my $.02 worth. Cheers, Brian Henselman Charles Ball, RPT School of Music University of Texas at Austin ckball@mail.utexas.edu
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