self tuning piano????

[Mike and Jane Spalding]

Bravo!!

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Delwin D Fandrich <pianobuilders@olynet.com>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Tuesday, July 02, 2002 10:05 AM
Subject: Re: self tuning piano????


> You're absolutely right, Wim. This thing can't possibly work. And while
> we're at it, let's trash a few other ideas that are so far out there that
> they also can't possibly work: the internal combustion engine comes to mind.
> All those moving -- metal sliding against metal, what a stupid idea -- parts
> and trying to vaporize liquid gasoline fast enough to burn with enough force
> to produce power...ridiculous. Not only is the basic idea unworkable, think
> what it will do to the economy. All the wagon makers, horse farms and stable
> workers will be out of jobs, not to mention the rig repairers and wagon
> technicians. Surely the world will be awash in unemployment if the big
> manufacturers go ahead with these foolish ideas. And I understand there are
> a couple of fool brothers somewhere who are even working on a way to get one
> of these engines to power some kind of mechanical contraption they call an
> aeroplane. This aeroplane thing -- as ungainly and as heavy as it is -- they
> hope to get off the ground and make fly through the air. Now everyone knows
> just how stupid that idea is. Why that thing is a whole lot heavier than
> air.
> 
> Well, I'll not go on. It's clear that we must trash every new idea that
> comes along in this business. And the sooner the better. After all, the
> piano business is so robust and thriving just now it would be a terrible
> shame to do anything that might upset things. It would never do to take an
> idea with some obvious problems and develop it over time and actually make
> it work. Like the spelling checker, for example. Does anyone else remember
> how ungainly and awkward they were when they first became available?
> Impossible to use! Not to mention buggy, slow, inaccurate, incomplete --
> really more trouble than they were worth. Besides, if one were ever made to
> work well, think what it would do to the editing industry. Now they are so
> simple and efficient they actually can be set up to run in the background
> and make even pathetic spellers like me look good. And editors -- at least
> the one to whom I'm married -- are busy correcting bad grammar, typos and
> awkward sentence structure. (No, she didn't edit this -- all of the
> grammatical, typos and structural errors are my own.)
> 
> Have a nice, comfortable and non-challenging day one and all....
> 
> Del
> 
> ------------------------------------------------------
> 
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: <Wimblees@AOL.COM>
> To: <Pianotech@ptg.org>
> Sent: July 01, 2002 1:51 PM
> Subject: self tuning piano????
> 
> 
> > In the July Journal is a hillarious article about the self tuning piano. I
> know this story has been on the list before, but I just want to be sure all
> of you read it, just for the fun of it. It is absolutley unreal to think
> that someone could actually justify the invention of this "tool". What is
> even more discouraging is that someone from the piano industry actually paid
> this guy to develop and install the system in a real piano.
> >
> > Here are a couple of misnomers which lead this guy to think the systme
> works. He thinks one of the reasons strings go out of tune is because tuning
> pins slip. To solve this problem, he actually has developed a "string lock",
> to permantly clamp the strings in place, making tuning pins superflous.
> Tuning pins and strings do not move. (unles the pin block is bad).
> >
> > Another problem with the system is that the piano will be re-tuned
> repeatedly to a tuning set at the factory. This tuning will be done by a
> "Story & Clark Master Technician". Oh, I know the kind. The one in the booth
> at the end of the production line, competing with the noise of the stringing
> department. I am sure that will be a great tuning. For comparison, it took 4
> CTE level tuner 5 hours to tune a piano at the convention. Do you think
> there might be a differnce between the two tunings? I wonder if the piano
> can be reprogrammed? Will Ed be able to do his thing on it?
> >
> > Mr. Gilmore's experiment "have shown that varying the pitch of a string 50
> cents requires, on the average, about one watt per string". Oh that's great.
> A pitch raise of 50 cents, with all the strings being tuned at the same
> time. I wonder what the effect on the soundboard will be? Do you think it
> will stay in tune?
> >
> > Mr. Gilmore, if you're lurking, please just concentrate on your job as a
> engineer, and leave pianos to people who have expericen tuning and repairing
> them. I'm sorry you spent so much time and engergy, not to mention money, on
> a system that is a failure. You might be able to sell a few of these things
> to unsuspecting customers, but you have done the tuning industry, not to
> mention the whole piano industry, a great diservice inventing a usuless
> electronic device. You should be ashamed of yourself for even attempting to
> justify your invention.
> >
> > Wim Blees RPT
> > Tuscaloosa, AL
> 
>