Tuning Tunes

Mike Spalding mjbkspal@execpc.com
Fri, 14 Mar 2003 18:09:10 -0600


This is a multi-part message in MIME format.

---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment
HI Ric,

Once again careless wording gets me in trouble.  Should have said "tells =
me right away IF I HAVE temperament or unison problems".  I know those =
passages pretty well (you have no idea how many times I had to repeat =
them before I could get through them with any confidence at all), so if =
it doesn't sound the way I expect, then I do specific interval checks to =
see what the problem is.  There's this mental wall that I can't =
deconstruct (don't want to..) that separates music from tuning.  I play =
something, the piano sounds good or it doesn't.  If it doesn't, I do =
tests to isolate the tuning problem.

I'm sure there are many more efficient and effective methods, and I'm =
hoping other list members will share them with us.

Mike Spalding


  ----- Original Message -----=20
  From: Richard Brekne=20
  To: Pianotech=20
  Sent: Friday, March 14, 2003 7:50 AM
  Subject: Re: Tuning Tunes


  Interesting comments in light of some claims as to what can or cannot =
be heard relative to temperament concerns by piano tuners. Here is a =
piano tuner who actively employes the playing of a musical piece to help =
him identify exactly temperament problems, and problems with unisons as =
well.=20
  I wonder if Mike might try and put words to how temperament problems =
are sensed in this manner. Surely it is not in the same fashion as in =
attempting to count beats in test intervals. I'd be very interested in =
what you are actually listening (feeling ??) for=20

  RicB=20

  Mike Spalding wrote:=20

    Hey Stars,=20
    I like to start the Brahms Op 119 #1 at measure 24, through about =
50.  It's=20
    F most of the way, and gets all of the bass and tenor ringing.  If =
anything=20
    is going to shake loose, this will do it.  Then at measure 44 or so =
there=20
    are quiet arpeggios that tell me right away about temperament or =
unison=20
    problems.  Also, a Mozart Andante, I forget which sonata it's from, =
in=20
    Gmajor.  Again, it tells me about problems in the temperament or =
unisons in=20
    the tenor / treble.=20

    regards,=20

    Mike Spalding RPT=20
    =20

  --=20
  Richard Brekne=20
  RPT, N.P.T.F.=20
  UiB, Bergen, Norway=20
  mailto:rbrekne@broadpark.no=20
  http://home.broadpark.no/~rbrekne/ricmain.html=20
   =20

---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: https://www.moypiano.com/ptg/pianotech.php/attachments/6b/04/bd/0c/attachment.htm

---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment--


This PTG archive page provided courtesy of Moy Piano Service, LLC