Jason, Well, one thing that may have made a difference is the way information is so easily obtained. For example, I've learned a number of time-saving "tricks of the trade" from this list, a resource that was non-existent in the early 70s. It is possible that some places tuners were doing speedy tunings then, but the word just didn't get around. I was influenced by someone who claimed that you can struggle and struggle trying to get each string exactly right, back and forth, back and forth, and in the end the piano sounds no better than it does if you cut out all the second-guessing. I think that's one thing that really helped my efficiency. I know when I've heard the best a string is going to be and that it's time to move on. I used to tune using an ETD only for assistance in setting the temperament octave, because I felt it was both faster and gave me more dependable results. I've since gone to using RCT for one string of all 88 keys, but it hasn't improved my time any. Forty-five minutes is fairly common on maintained pianos, although a few will take me up to an hour, or more. I do think my work is much more consistent, though, so I'm sticking with it. And maybe age has something to do with it, too. I'm not as interested in working my fastest as I used to be. Regards, Clyde Jason Kanter wrote: > When I was learning this trade (early 70s) my brain was "stamped" with the > notion that you had to allow 90 minutes to 2 hours for a two-pass tuning, > and the preferred method for pitch raising was to do a 30-minute single pass > extra sharp, then come back a week later for a normal, rather long tuning. > > How have people gotten so much faster? What's changed?
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