self tuning piano????

[Ron Nossaman]

>I would imagine the termination points have to be exact for each string or 
>the same amount of heat will give you 3 different frequencies.

If each string has it's own set of sensors and electric power control, each 
string is individually adjustable (down) in pitch. Shouldn't be a problem.



>   If after it tunes itself does in maintain the temperature during playing?

It is my understanding that it not only maintains it during playing, but 
round the clock until the next tuning.


>How does board movement fit into this...seasonal changes etc.

Theoretically, you just hit the tuning button to touch it up between 
regular periodic tunings.


>I think there are too many variables for this baby to work well.  It will 
>work, but the tuning won't be accurate.
>
>David I.

About the only thing about it that bothers me, other than not having one to 
play with, is that, like Carl said, it needs to be tuned sharp in the first 
place. It doesn't need to be tuned well - just sharp enough to let the 
resistance heating bring the pitch down to where the computer wants it. 
Most anyone with an ETD and minimal dexterity could get it in range - or a 
display could be added to the system in the piano that would tell the tuner 
directly where to put it. The pitch, that is, so neither aural skills nor 
an ETD would be necessary at all. Even if the "tuner" wasn't required to 
possess an iota of tuning skill, in a society of flashing 12:00 VCR clocks, 
the average consumer would still call someone to come out and turn the pins 
rather than doing it themselves. Yep, we'll all be out of the business as 
we know it in sixty years or so as these things become the rule rather than 
the exception. But then, business as we know it now isn't business as we 
knew it when we started - is it? Virtual music by direct neural feed could 
very well bypass the refinement of the self-tuning piano altogether.

In Japan, a (small) number of people who practice and preserve obsolete 
crafts and knowledge considered worthy of preservation are supported by the 
government as living "national treasures". Since they probably couldn't eat 
preserving something for which there is no market, it's an interesting 
approach. Piano tuning may eventually be a "Silver Dollar City" blacksmith 
kind of curiosity some day.

Well, it does involve a hammer.

Ron N