self tuning piano????

[Bill Ballard]

At 5:37 PM -0500 7/1/02, Ron Nossaman wrote:
>Very likely, as accurate as necessary to more than satisfy most folks.

You've got to remember, there are people who enjoy accordians.

>And once the adjustment and measurement of the results of the adjustment cycle
>is workable, what's to prohibit uploadable and downloadable custom tunings
>at the push of a button?

Buy 'em like fonts from QRS. Or buy a utility of convert a 
spreadsheet file and make ('n'trade) your own.

>How about dynamic special effects?

The ingenious part in this system is the rapid conversion of the 
analog signal (amperage in the wires) to digital. Once digital, 
Yamaha's new technology comes into play, the midi/firewire DisKlavier 
Mark VI. The amperage in the piano wire directly drives the real-time 
digital waveform which can be supplied to the workstation on the OS 
of your choice. A giant step forward for mankind, that ability to 
plug your digital effects apps directly into a real live, organic 
waveform. At least a great step forward for computer gamers.

>Slide piano, anyone - or is that just
>another bottleneck? <G>

Don't laugh, there are trombonists for whom the slide is an bottle-neck.

I too, read the entire article in the recent PTJ. It's clear that 
nobody involved in the project has spent too much time in a piano 
factory, or out in the service market. Once their first prototypes 
get out there for two/three years of being thermally tuned and played 
uponst, the wire set will have sagged/stretched enough that the 50¢ 
tuning load he calculated would have to be used just to reach upwards 
to A440. "Couple tree years, it might be more than 50¢ flat, in its 
ambient and unelectrified  state. Even with regular "plug-in 
tunings", there ought to be at least that much stretch in the fresh 
wire to make A440 a real long reach for that ambient/off pitch.

Sure I'm impressed, a 50¢ pitch raise and fine tuning in under 2 
minutes, and it gets you a nice little radiator for those cold, damp 
March afternoons besides. But if you do some heavy lifting, like 
150-200¢ pitch raises, does the wattage go up geometrically or 
exponentially. Is there a fire hazard, and can we be sure the 
background  radiation coming with the predominant InfraRed does not 
cause brain tumors? He didn't mention whether it had its UL-listing 
yet.

That's when, the regional airport limo brings in the Factory Re-Tuner 
(accept not substitutes), to do a manual tuning (again, locked upon 
completion). That might be official Rolls Royce Service, but I hope 
that the Story&Clark  itself is Roll Royce enough to reward the new 
owners. I hopethe piano is up to the challenge. I wish them luck. I 
don't know what the market is for such a self-tuner, but maybe it'll 
get National Piano Month back on Geraldo.

I'm actually not worried by the thought of this new labor-saving 
(that's us, mind you) device. Take In Vitro Fertilization. We've had 
it for 10, 15 years. But I don't see any sign that the general 
population, even after seeing the clear advantages of IVF, has 
gleefully abandoned the time-honored (and honored in the breach) 
conception ritual for this "we'll-call-you-when-it's-ready" service.

Tuning? It really does take a good human being and a good piano. Same 
with the Marines.

Bill Ballard RPT
NH Chapter, P.T.G.

"She will slap you, she will kiss you,
         you will fall in love with her"
     ...........from a promotional t-shirt
       for Kendrick rock'n'roll amps. (YUK)
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