Question About Setting Octaves in the High Treble

[Ric Brekne]

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

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Oh boy  do I disagree ! :)  Not that I doubt David gets a beautiful sounding piano mind you.  Its just that I dont personally adhere to that group of tuners who go for triple octaves.  Tho I do understand why many do.  Curiously enough tho.... all complaints I've ever had from pianists about top octaves have come when they are stretched.  I've to date never run into a pianist what complains about the treble being too low.

My method is to find that spot very close to a perfect 12th that is right inbetween a 4:2 and a 2:1 double and singel octave that yields all three a very <<beatless>> character.  If done consistantly from the middle upwards,   then these double and single octave combinations are both sufficiently wide with respect to the 8th partial of the triple that it falls very nicely into place until about F7.  At that point upwards its very very difficult no matter what one does to avoid these last notes screaming.  That said... I find best sucess getting that clean clean sound holding to a perfect 12th as my anchour.

The aural method I use to accomplish this is as follows.  The following intervals are sounded in order.  5:4 major third,  5:3 6th,  5:2 10th, and 5:1 17th.

Listening to beat rates,  the 17th is to be tuned so that it is slightly faster then the 3rd, even less so but still faster then the 10th, and just barely slower  (under 0.5 bps) then the 6th.   The 6th / 17th is a test for a 12th below the 17th


Playing the intervals in fairly quick order as given above, it is very easy to hear the relative beat rates and place the note to be tuned (the 17th) inbetween. Followed up by close listening to double and singel octaves and the 12th, you quickly get a very consistantly and crispy clean treble all the way up.

Thats how I do it.  

Cheers
RicB

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