Oops?

[Susan Kline]

At 03:07 PM 11/4/2001 -0600, you wrote:
>You have to
>reduce the overset through the section in error about 10% and then go
>back up to the  original overset.
>
>Does anybody have ideas on this?
>
>Warren

Well, Warren, since I don't carry around any of the little machines,
I'd just aurally tune the mess away, and tell them that it will need a tuning
again soon, to improve the stability. I usually say "6 months or
sooner if it bothers you." Some do, some don't, some do but not
within the 6 months -- it's really not my problem, once the advice
has been given.

If a piano is this far down, I make the first pass AT 440 without overpull,
and then I make the second pass with overpull gradually increasing
in octaves 5 and 6, and then tapering off. The third pass I try
to do a normal tuning, and see what I get. The overpulling isn't
as exact as the machines can do, but one ends up guessing pretty
well after enough experience. The main thing is to do the
initial passes quickly. I usually get away with only two passes
in the bass, but I usually need to find a few strays in the treble,
even after three passes. I explain to the owner that the pitch is
still a moving target, and the next tuning will probably be better.
Having just watched me attack the thing, they understand when I
tell them that they can't make up for a couple of decades of
neglect in one sitting.

Susan