in tune, perfection

[Tom Servinsky]

Clyde,
You make a very good observation. Are we at the supreme accuracy or is the
optimal level just around the corner?
I think on a whole, if there was to be an strong observation, is that the
level of tuning (in general) has raised across the board with the wide use
of ETD's. Today, tuners with limited years of experience are able to pump
out pretty decent tunings with the aid of ETDs which would have taken years
to master as an Aural tuner. Today it's hard to distinguish the tunings from
a tuner with limited years of experience vs.tunings from seasoned tuners who
have been in the business for decades. In general I think the public has
seen an overall increase in the average product most tuners have to offer.
Credit the ETD for that advancement.
But getting back to your question/observation about the accuracy issue...can
it be improved beyond with what has already been achieved?  Maybe for an
inexperience or moderate aural tuner, the ETD is going to help deliver a
much higher product than they would normally be able to achieve. It's like
what the spell checker has done for most of us who contribute on this list.
But with a good, well seasoned Aural tuner I still contend the ETD's a
distant second. The good ETD's are not surpassing the human ear as much as
they are merely trying match what has been successfully achieved for years.
 Its not a much as the final product has been improved as much as the
efficiency and ease to get to the near final stages have been improved.
Thus more volume can be achieved and earning potential obviously increases.
>From reading responses from many who chime in on this list, stress level
reduction is also high on everyone's list with using the ETDs.
For me, however, from someone is started out as a aural tuner, then became
increasingly addictive to the SAT,then eventually fell in love with aural
tuning all over again, and now uses the SAT only sparingly, the challenge
and satisfaction of aural tuning on an ever-increasingly more musical level
becomes more paramount for the sake of preserving the artistry of high level
tuning.
Tom Servinsky, RPT
----- Original Message -----
From: "Clyde Hollinger" <cedel@supernet.com>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Saturday, December 29, 2001 6:17 PM
Subject: Re: in tune, perfection


> OK, my friends, this subject line motivated me to write something I've
been
> turning over in my mind for several weeks.  Will the art of tuning as we
know it
> today ever be surpassed in accuracy?  Or, if it could be, is there any
point in
> seeking greater accuracy, given the limits of pianos and human hearing?
Perhaps
> we have reached the upper limit.  Is that right or wrong?
>
> I am tempted at this point to write why I think this might be the case,
but what
> are your thoughts?  Please note that I am talking about the profession as
a
> whole, not the need for each individual technician to continue honing
his/her
> own skills.
>
> Regards,
> Clyde
>
>