Tunelab

[Mickey Kessler]

Recently I've been working more and more on my aural tuning skills.  I 
bought an old Estey console in pretty good shape (more on this in another 
posting, later), and I've been diligently listening to partials and trying 
to refine my ear -- and hammer technique -- and I was just starting to 
congratulate myself on getting pretty good at it.  My immediate goal is to 
pass the RPT test, aural only.  I've been checking myself with my old Hale 
Sight-O-Tuner, which has served me well over the years.

Then I downloaded Tunelab.  I did one tuning with it.  It took much longer 
than it should have, mostly because I didn't have the auto-note-switch 
capability turned on, and also because I wasn't used to constantly moving 
mutes around.

But the tuning I ended up with was GORGEOUS!  The sound of my junky little 
Estey was incredible -- clean, pure, ringing.  And totally 
unexpected.  Tunelab made the piano a joy to play.  (Well, maybe I helped a 
little.)

It was so good, in fact, that I've become rather discouraged about my aural 
skills.  Not that I intend to give up mind you, but I'm pretty much sold on 
the idea of buying a good Pocket PC (the Dell Axim looks like a terrific 
buy) and Tunelab as soon as I can justify the expenditure.  I still want to 
be a good aural tuner, but that's as much for my ego as anything.  Tunelab 
is terrific.

(Probably several of you are chuckling and thinking, well what did he 
expect after using a SOT?  Okay, maybe you're right.)

Anyhow, that's my experience with Tunelab.  I'm pretty much sold on 
it.  For the price of Cybertuner software alone, you can get Tunelab and a 
Dell Axim, and the results will probably be consistently wonderful.

Mickey Kessler