smooth delicate and creamy

Michael Gamble michael@gambles.fsnet.co.uk
Sun, 9 Nov 2003 18:23:45 -0000


Hello Andrew
You said:
"I'm curious, what do you mean when you say, "pich correct too much"?"
It was Don Rose who said:
>"Probably the big "mistake" is that you are trying to pitch correct too
>much. Next time you tune a piano that is mere 4 cents flat (at A4)--take
>the time to measure A3, A4, A5, and A6 after you have finished. I suspect
>you will find they are not where you placed them originally."

With which I thoroughly agree.
I think the analogy will be found in simply allowing one string of a guitar
or fiddle to go VERY flat. Just see what has happened to its adjacent
strings! They have gone sharp#. Now take the piano with 240 odd strings at
much higher tension than the guitar or fiddle and you can visualise what Don
is getting at. If you tune much higher than needed (pitch correct too much)
the end result will be wrong. In pitch rises you have to carefully consider
the effect of changing the pitch so that it ends up almost (and sometimes
absolutely = equivalent to a hole-in-one) bang on target. I have made quite
a study of this phenomena and derived from my findings a very simple system
which, when applied to a piano as much as a semitone (100cents) flat will
get it to pitch (A=440) in one pass. See archives for "Quadrant System" - or
it might be under "Raising Don Rose to Standard Pitch" - And I still hope he
forgives me the liberty I have taken!
Regards
Michael G (UK) in darkest Sussex Downs with sporadic fireworks



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