Tuning forks (and ETD's)

[Tom Cole]

Brian Henselman wrote:
> 
> 
> It's not the machines that I object to.  My objection is to each
> human's tendency to follow the path of least resistance.  Just because
> something is easier, or more accurate, doesn't insure that it's still
> better.  If this were true, then we will have have become nothing more than
> the servants to the machine, be it a spell checker, or an ETD.


Brian,

Re your point about getting an ETD "prematurely", before aural tuning
skills are fully developed, I would tend to agree. None of the people
I've known, who bought the machine early on, ever mastered an aural
temperament and upgraded to RPT. Someone on this list may have or may
know someone who has but I think this is much more the exception than
the rule. So, I'm with you on this point.

Some members of our chapter are struggling with tuning and I'm almost
tempted to suggest visual tuning to get them up to speed more quickly. I
stop myself short of doing them this "favor" if there is a chance that
they have the ability to develop their ear.

(from another post):
> ...However, I cannot imagine that it is half as much FUN to tune a
Model D in Bass Concert Hall with a SAT as it is to tune it aurally. <

It's hard to argue the benefits of tuning with an ETD with someone who
has not spent some time with one (but here I go anyway). You are
obviously very serious about aural tuning and by all means, sir, keep at
it and there's no need to be apologetic about it. I certainly don't
regret my 25 years as a strictly aural tuner.

Actually, I do enjoy tuning a model D visually. I enjoy the sounds of a
Steinway concert grand while I'm tuning it and, of course, when I check
out the tuning when I'm done. I don't stop listening just because I'm
looking at a computer screen. You never forget how to ride a bicycle by
ear <g>. I tune unisons as I go so I check them aurally. I listen for
noises and voicing problems. Incidentally, I can pay better attention to
stability when I have the visual display to keep track of the pitch. 

I do use aural checks occasionally and never just go on "auto pilot".
I'm still there with my ears, only I'm now in a supervisory capacity.
Just as famous artists have used apprentices to pull their prints,
stretch canvasses or do underpaintings, I can delegate to the ETD some
of the more mundane tasks and rightfully take credit for and enjoy the
finished result. The enjoyment comes from having the confidence produced
by the successful colaboration of my ears and RCT; the ears alone can be
rather self-congratulatory.

> Don't you ever miss just listening to the piano "blossom" as you tune it aurally?
Isn't part of the "tuning experience/adventure" lost in the translation?
Does IT (tuning with an ETD) ever give you that "rush" of excitement or
sense of personal pride and accomplishment?

I remember vividly some experiences of having a temperament sequence (in
a well-scaled instrument) "sing", of suddenly hearing partials I never
heard before as my ear-brain apparatus did a quantum leap. Tuning was
more exciting when I was learning things daily; it was more of an
adventure when I had fewer skills and had to figure things out more. 

But as I matured into the profession, there were other aspects to master
and tuning became progressively more instinctive and required less
effort. Other things emerged as exciting.

The advent of sophisticated ETDs set a new standard which caused me to
rethink how I tune pianos. Judging from the feedback I've been getting
from musicians I tune for, as well as my own ears, I am getting better
results. And this has increased my sense of personal pride and
accomplishment.


I like your analogy about the spell checker. They can breed dependency
and often leave errors that could only be caught by a _homonym_ checker.
But I will use one in a word processor just because they're fun and save
time and an occasional trip to the lexicon.

The bottom line is that the tuner is responsible for the tuning, not the
ETD.

Tom
-- 
Thomas A. Cole, RPT
Santa Cruz, CA
mailto:tcole@cruzio.com