Verituner

[David Andersen]

Hello, list----

I've been following this thread with interest and pleasure; as one of the,
apparently, few and Jurassic
pianotechs left who do not and have not used an ETD, I love hearing from
Antares that the Verituner
literally reinvigorated his career; I love the fact that most pianos will be
tuned better and easier by far with a machine than with the so-so aural
tuning talents, however sincere, of the majority of techs out there.

I tune aurally because it's incredibly fun for me.  I got into this business
because I LOVED to tune a piano from the first day, and I was incredibly
good at it.  "Solving the puzzle" on a world-class piano is one of the
greatest pleasures I have in life.  Of course, by the grace of God, my
talents, a Golden Rule paradigm, and just longevity, I have come to a place
in my career where I don't work on anything except world-class grand pianos,
and most days I work on one instrument, two at the most. I have been an
acolyte of Virgil Smith for years; everything he has taught me or told me
about aural tuning has proven to be true.  I can say now that by my method
of laying the bearings, I can set an ideal temperament on any piano with a
level of precision and stability that is new for me in the past 2-3 years.
For me, throwing away the temperament strip and going "old school---" just
my tuning lever, an A440 tone generator, and two mutes(thanks again, Tom
Servinsky) reinvigorated MY tuning
career, and propelled my tunings into a level of precision that I really
didn't know existed.  I love pianos so much, and I'm thrilled that that love
still burns after so many years.  Getting more precise as a tuner has
spilled over into my abilities as a regulator and voicer as well.

The amazing thing is that I've discovered that my body knows, every time,
where to put the note, how to voice the hammer, how to customize the action
regulation to provide the most pleasing touch, a real sense of feeling the
hammers at the end of the shanks---"like butter."

It's just a matter of trust; trusting my intuition or deeper intelligence
rather than the chattering monkeys that occupy my head every waking second.
This is a beautiful gift, indeed, that this craft has given me: the ability
to trust my own perceptions, and not be unduly influenced by others who I
deem "better" or "wiser" than me.
This gift has enriched all the other areas of life, as well.  Thank you,
piano technology.
And thank you all, List, for your continually stimulating and funny threads.
I'll see you Californians plus selected others at the Convention next
week.......xoxo
David Andersen
Malibu, CA