tuning speed WOW

[Stephen Airy]

It still takes me upwards of 2 hours to do one pass on
my R*cc* even when it's only 5 or 10 cents flat, and
it will be out of tune within a week.  Should I start
going through it twice, roughly getting it in the
ballpark on the first pass with a little overpull and
fine tuning on the second?  Do you have any tips on
how to cut my time spent to an hour and 15 minutes or
so?

Also, how does someone do a tuning in 5 or 10 minutes?
 I would like to see it done sometime.  What would you
say would be the fastest a 100 to 200 cent pitchraise
could be done?

--- pianolover 88 <pianolover88@hotmail.com> wrote:
> Bill,
> 
> Nice hearing from you. Let me know whenever you're
> down this way next time.
> 
> Terry
> 
> 
> >From: Billbrpt@AOL.COM
> >Reply-To: pianotech@ptg.org
> >To: pianotech@ptg.org
> >Subject: Re: tuning speed WOW
> >Date: Fri, 11 Jan 2002 20:13:12 EST
> >
> >In a message dated 1/11/02 6:23:46 PM Central
> Standard Time,
> >pianolover88@hotmail.com (pianolover 88) writes:
> >
> >
> > > Amazing. That would imply that a single tune
> would take as little as 15
> > > minutes? That would include strip muting,
> setting the temp., tuning the
> > > bass
> > > & treble (and of course all the usual tests and
> checks) and tuning the
> > > unisons ALL in 15 minutes? WOW! Sounds like
> Fairchild territory!
> > >
> > > Terry
> > >
> >Not really, Terry, Steve Fairchild can get through
> the whole piano in under 
> >5
> >minutes.  Actually, 15 minutes is not an
> extraordinary time.  Some have 
> >asked
> >where I learned how to tune so fast.  It goes back
> to the lectures that the
> >late George Defebaugh RPT and Jim Coleman Sr RPT
> (both Golden Hammer Award
> >winners) used to give.  George had a presentation
> called "Speed & 
> >Accuracy".
> >
> >You don't do "all the checks" when you do your
> first Rough Tuning.  You
> >simply pop the string into approximate tune with
> one or two quick strokes.  
> >I
> >appreciate Conrad's contribution but it really
> doesn't matter much whether 
> >I
> >use the ETD or not.  There are cases when I really
> am in a hurry so I don't
> >have time for the ETD, I just get down to business
> as quickly as possible.
> >
> >In his demonstration, I recall George getting
> through the whole piano in
> >about 9 minutes (although in the class description
> a claim of 7 minutes was
> >made).  I can get through the whole piano in 10
> minutes, maybe a little 
> >less
> >under ideal circumstances and if I am at the height
> of concentration.
> >
> >The key to doing this is to tell yourself that you
> will not try to fight 
> >with
> >the piano once but to tune it twice, both times far
> more easily and with 
> >far
> >less stress than a one pass attempt.  George used
> to say, "You can tune a
> >piano twice a lot easier and quicker than you can
> fight with it once".
> >
> >The 1st pass or Rough Tuning puts the piano
> basically well in tune and 
> >leaves
> >the unsettled strings for the second pass.  This
> does allow you to do aural
> >checks and a really fine tuning on the second pass
> and still be very quick
> >about it.
> >
> >My final job today was a Walter Console which was
> fairly new but which had
> >not been tuned enough and was nearly 1/2 step low. 
> There were also a few
> >hammers which needed spacing, a few keys which
> needed leveling, several 
> >keys
> >which needed easing and all the pedals needed
> several cranks of the thumb
> >screws too.  I did 3 complete passes plus all of
> the other work and was
> >leaving in just a couple of minutes under 90.
> >
> >  I took the time to say that it is a great choice
> of piano, I have one 
> >myself
> >and to comment on the beautiful rugs they had.  No
> rush, just the usual 
> >pace.
> >  One reader asked if I thought I was doing too
> much.  I began to develop
> >tendinitis at age 40 from working very hard but not
> taking the time to
> >stretch first.  I do special stretching exercises
> to keep myself limber.  I
> >visit the Chiropractor monthly for *wellness*
> maintenance.
> >
> >On New Year's Eve I had an unusual acute attack of
> low back pain that may
> >have had something to do with working extra hard
> during the holiday season
> >but probably more with having slept in an awkward
> position the night 
> >before.
> >I had the back pain after having *rested* 8 hours,
> not working.   It took 2
> >days of good rest to settle down.
> >
> >The suggestion that I not do what I enjoy doing and
> earn good money at just
> >so I might not have a few aches and pains does not
> even occur to me.  If 
> >you
> >ask me which would I rather have, thousands more
> dollars in my bank account
> >each month or slightly fewer aches and pains, I'll
> take the money and go 
> >get
> >a good massage and have a steak dinner out to boot
> and still have money to
> >save and invest.  I'll be enjoying the fruits of my
> hard labor now when I
> >really am too old to work.
> >
> >By the way, I wanted to show you my technique and
> explain how you could
> >increase your speed but maintain your accuracy when
> I was out your way
> >visiting but you didn't quite have time for it. 
> Maybe next time you will?
> >(George Defaubaugh was also a Los Angeles area
> resident and tuned at my 
> >high
> >school).
> >
> >Bill Bremmer RPT
> >Madison, Wisconsin
> >  <A HREF="http://www.billbremmer.com/">Click here:
> -=w w w . b i l l b r e 
> >m m e r . c o m =-</A>
> 
> 
>
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