My motto is work smart, not hard! But if you toon only by ear, good for you too! Terry Peterson ----Original Message Follows---- From: "Elwood Doss" <edoss at utm.edu> Reply-To: Pianotech List <pianotech at ptg.org> To: "Pianotech List" <pianotech at ptg.org> Subject: RE: RE : Tuning Date: Mon, 10 Jul 2006 10:13:25 -0500 There are still schools who teach aural tuning. I teach a class in piano tuning and teach only aural tuning. If my students want to eventually learn using an ETD, they can buy one after they finish the class. I don't use one and don't intend to purchase one unless I get so hard of hearing I need it to help with my tuning. I may be a bit slower than those using the ETD, but my customers appreciate the extra effort I make to make sure their piano is well in tune. Often a customer will sit through a tuning (how they can stand it, I don't know) because they are fascinated with being able to start with one pitch and tune a whole piano by ear. If you use an ETD, good for you...different strokes for different folks! Joy! Elwood Elwood Doss, Jr., M.M.E., RPT Piano Technician/Technical Director Department of Music 145 Fine Arts Building The University of Tennessee at Martin Martin, TN 38238 731/881-1852 FAX: 731/881-7415 HOME: 731/587-5700 ________________________________ From: Marcel Carey [mailto:mcpiano at videotron.ca] Sent: Sunday, July 09, 2006 8:49 PM To: 'Pianotech List' Subject: RE : Tuning HI, I have a trainee that learned aurally and is almost just out of school. She started aurally, but with the pianos we are dealing with, the biggest problem is setting the pins. They are sure hard to turn. At the beginning, she didn't want to use the ETD I offered. But after a week of frustration (mostly from my part cause she was taking way too much time to listen), I forced the ETD on her telling her she would get much more experience setting pins accurately (you can see it drifting if not set). Also, the most important interval in piano tuning is still and always will be unisons. These are still done by ear. For a beginner, the use of an ETD will lessen the time to set temperament, give the person the chance to turn more tuning pins per day (concentrating on unisons) and make the employer (me) happier because I know what the tunings will get done. I still tune aurally some days and some pianos. It makes me feel good. But some days, I'm glad I have it. Sometimes I will cheat on the machine if I don't agree, but like some others said: It's a tool, and a darn good one at that. Marcel Carey, RPT Sherbrooke, QC ________________________________ From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of David Lawson Sent: Sunday, July 09, 2006 4:40 PM To: pianotech at ptg.org Subject: Tuning G'day to you all. As an oldie, and an aural tuner, and knowing very little about electronic tuning devices, I am amazed at the amount of reference there is to the later. Are there still people being taught aural tuning, or have those days gone? I find the ear to be the best way to judge what is required from a tuning of a particular piano. I may be wrong, however using an ETD seems to me to be similar to playing a digital keyboard, you get what they give you. Am I way off the beam, or just a little too old to judge? Love the banter. David Lawson Wangaratta Australia.
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