Stable Floor tunings?

[Charly Tuner]

Thanks Kent for the excellent advice!

Terry


>From: Kent Swafford <kswafford@earthlink.net>
>Reply-To: pianotech@ptg.org
>To: "pianotech list" <pianotech@ptg.org>
>Subject: Re: Stable Floor tunings?
>Date: Sun, 5 Mar 2000 16:23:31 -0600
>
>Charly Tuner wrote:
>
> >After
> >only 3 weeks on the job as a floor tuner, and having tuned 4-5 pianos a 
>day
> >(I guess that's a lot of pin turning for a newbie!), my tuning hand,
> >specifically my fingers and thumb joint is very noticably stiff and 
>painful
> >in the morning and late at night...feels like arthritis..and I'm still a
> >young man! Wonder if this could just be a result of having NEVER done 
>this
> >before, and I may be over-doing it a bit, too much too soon, right out of
> >the gate. Anyway,
>
>Hi Terry,
>
>You already have a good understanding of the problem. In 1982, I jumped
>into an institutional situation and starting tuning large quantities of
>pianos all at once just as you have done. My fingers, wrist, elbows,
>shoulders, and back all hurt back then at one time or another, but these
>days none of those hurt much anymore while I'm tuning.
>
>Aspirin, stretching (yes, you should stretch your fingers), alternating
>heat and cold, good nutrition, and plenty of general exercise and sleep
>are all good.
>
>When you feel pain try to pay attention to "body mechanics." Vary the
>position of your body while tuning as necessary to achieve maximum
>comfort and efficiency of movements.
>
>Check your hammer technique out with an experienced tuner who may be able
>to identify problems. Don't fight your hammer; push and pull on the lever
>only in directions that are exactly perpendicular to the lever. Any push
>or pull in a non-perpendicular direction is wasted effort.
>
>If possible, try to tune a good mixture of grands and verticals. (I know,
>I understand that this can be impossible.)
>
>I strongly recommend the Wonder Wand or similar ball end tuning lever,
>because it maximizes the contact area between your hand and the handle of
>your tuning lever, spreading out the forces exerted on your hand. I also
>always wear a snug baseball batting glove that helps support my tuning
>hand.
>
>Best wishes,
>
>Kent Swafford

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