To the List and to Antares: What a nice,calm,collected and intelligent response! A lot of wisdom is presented here in an honest, yet personal, manner. Much wisdom can be attained from this offering. I hope it is wide-read. Bob Bergantino, RPT Willoughby Hills, Ohio ----- Original Message ----- From: "antares" <antares@euronet.nl> To: "Pianotech" <pianotech@ptg.org> Sent: Friday, October 18, 2002 6:32 PM Subject: not perfect? > > > > > > From: Don <pianotuna@accesscomm.ca> > > Reply-To: Pianotech <pianotech@ptg.org> > > Date: Fri, 18 Oct 2002 14:30:53 -0600 > > To: Pianotech <pianotech@ptg.org> > > Subject: Re: a different interpretation of 'tone', or 'color'. > > > > Hi Antares, > > Hi Don, > > > > I don't think I can agree that there are "perfect" anythings. Machine or > > not we are still the frog on the log that can jump 1/2 to the end...on any > > jump. We just get closer and closer. > > This is hard to understand for me Don. > For all the professional years behind me I have tried and tried very hard to > make the very best tunings. > Time and again I heard my own work from the back row and felt ashamed of > what I heard, and the next morning at 8 we all start over again. > > Then I learned at the Yamaha Academy that, although I was not such a bad > tuner, I still made many mistakes and that I was sososo. > So again I learned, and was able to slowly correct my mistakes and slowly > get better day after day and, as I said, course after course, just like all > the Yamaha students... > ask them, and they will agree immediately. > > So finally, - one time - in my little life, after years of training, and > with the help of the best teachers, and with LUCK, I was able to make this > incredibly beautiful and perfect tuning. It was the last final exam tuning > at the last Yamaha course. > That last training had cost me my health. I was a nervous wreck, I had lost > many kilos, I could not sleep anymore and my wife (who was also in Japan and > met me every weekend) told me to quit immediately because I looked so bad. > But I did not quit. Of course not! It was all or nothing. > > OK... so now years have gone by and I happen to have this marvelous ETD, and > I recognize immediately the very same tuning I made for my final exam at the > Yamaha academy. > I use the checks and controls I have learned and it all fits, it is > beautiful, no...it is perfect! > > And now you tell us that "we are still the frog on the log that can jump 1/2 > to the end...on any jump". > > What I do understand, I hope, is that we are talking about the same tuning, > called ET. > Many wars have been fought here about different kinds of tunings. > When I talk about the perfect tuning that rolls out of my ETD I mean ET. > That ET is like a Chinese puzzle.... It is incredibly hard to make all the > pieces by hand so that they fit perfectly, and...within a relatively short > time (we have to eat, right?). > That ET (and much more) we now can buy. > > Every ETD user is probably just as happy with his/her box as I am. > Our tunings may vary slightly and maybe one is just a little better than the > other, but so what? Those tunings are very balanced and beautiful, and then > there comes a moment when an instrument is balanced too. It is in excellent > shape, it is right on pitch and we do not have to change a whole lot. > So we like the moment, have an easy time and, when in the right mood (nice > customer and a very good espresso), try to make the very best out of it. > > That's the moment when we are able to make the perfect tuning, as long as we > agree on the limitations of our ET. > > How come we should not be able to agree on this? > OK, I understand that there are always nit pickers, but I have made it so > clear now and.... I am not a nit picker, I just aim for the very best and I > know now that I will never be able to improve the ETD tuning we talk about. > It is like the highly trained chess player who tries to win from a computer > nobody can beat anymore. > > > >The Verituner seems to be an excellent > > tool. If it were "perfect" however, there would be no need for the end user > > to "customize" the tuning curves it produces. Tunelab Pro, RCT, and SAT 3 > > all offer customization as well. That means the technician must have "good > > taste". > > Sure, but that is, as you say, a matter of taste, so if you like a little > customizing, you program that and you get what you want. > I do not like to alter the VT tuning because this machine adapts itself to > all the tones/characters of the piano. > Yet, with the VT too there are ample possibilities to do 'something' with > the tuning you want to make. > And then, after you have programmed your tuning, it comes out the way you > want it, and if you love it and than it is perfect. What more do we > want...... > > (On purpose I did not want to talk about the Verituner because I know that > there are other ETD's which are very good as well and this is not a contest > between ETD's) > > > > I agree that tuning devices are wonderful tools. I *don't* agree that > > learning to tune by "ear" to concert level should be a requirement simply > > because those tools are so very very refined. It should be a goal to strive > > towards. > > But I did not mean that we should learn to tune by ear to concert level. All > I meant was that it could be very practical if your box closes down (for > what ever reason) that you are able to continue the 'story'. > > > > Perhaps all technicians should at least be competetant musicians as a goal > > as well. This would tend imho to improve our "taste". > > So I think that most tuners have a certain talent for music but were, for > some reason, not able to develop that particular talent. > > > I'd love to have had the wonderful training you have received. > > Unfortunately, not many of us get the opportunities you have had. > > I realize that and I AM very thankful as I know that it is very hard, > generally speaking, to go to factories. > > > > friendly greetings > from > > Antares, > > Amsterdam, Holland > > "where music is, no harm can be" > > visit my website at : http://www.concertpianoservice.nl/ > > _______________________________________________ > pianotech list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives
This PTG archive page provided courtesy of Moy Piano Service, LLC