square grand tuning: fun

Tvak@aol.com Tvak@aol.com
Tue, 21 Dec 2004 23:50:01 EST


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List

Everything I know about tuning square grands I learned from what I've read 
here on the list.   Never having done it, and having a fondness for things 
ancient, I read most of the posts about square grands.   And from what I've read, 
it's something you would do only when faced with a firing squad.   Why?   
Because your back will be sore for days afterwards from bending over the thing 
trying to reach the tuning pins and hit the key at the same time.   

Still...I was willing to have a sore back just to have the experience of 
working on one.   

Well, for those of you who haven't had the joy yet, let me say that it ain't 
necessarily so.   I tuned my first square grand this week and it was fun.   
Yeah, I had to stretch a bit to reach the tuning pins but I used my Schaff 
extension hammer and I really had to stand (or stoop over) the piano only to reach 
the top octave.   The other pins I could reach while sitting at the bench.   
(Stool, actually...)

Maybe this was a small square, and thus was easier to reach the tuning pins.  
 Then again, maybe some people are just whiners.   

Maybe both!

This square, a Hallet and Davis, was a charming piano with a quaint sound.   
There were no trichords, even the steel treble strings were all bichords, so 
the tuning went fast.   There were a few bass wound bichords that were 
difficult (impossible) to tune a true unison on, but hey, I had the exact same 
experience with a Steinway 45" vertical today. 

Just thought I'd present a different viewpoint on the experience.

Tom Sivak
Chicago PTG Associate

P.S.
For the record, I'm 5'11", and am not built like an orangutan: my arm length 
is proportional to my height!   (Just thought I'd cut a couple of jokes in the 
bud.)


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