Question About Setting Octaves in the High Treble

[david at davidandersenpianos.com]

Forget about 3rds, 10ths, or 17ths above octave 5.  Use double and triple
octaves.  I also use fourths, 11ths, and 18ths, but mostly double and
triple octaves. If everything in octaves 1 thru 5 is in order, tuning the
top two octaves is all about letting the piano tell you how much stretch
it wants to have a beatless triple octave.

David Andersen

> I am learning to tune the piano by ear and have a question about tuning
> octaves in the high treble and performing the tests on them. Lower down
> the piano and for an octave or two above the temperament octave I use a
> 3rd-10th test to check whether the beat rate of the 10th is the same as or
> slightly faster than the 3rd, to provide an octave that is correctly
> stretched. When I go higher in pitch I use a 3rd-17th test so that I can
> still hear the beats and do the comparison. The problem I am having is
> that when I go still higher, say in the final octave, I can hear the beats
> of the third but I can't hear the beats of the 17th, or any ripple at all.
> I can't therefore compare the two beats rates and check the octave. The
> higher note also dies away quicker so it makes it even more difficult. Is
> there any special technique I should use to be able to hear the beat rate
> of the 17th so that I can check the higher octaves? Thank you very much
> for your help.
>
> Robert Finley