Geoff, It is my opinion that tuning unisons as you go gives a more accurate and stable tuning. However, the piano must be very close to pitch before the fine tuning. Otherwise, you have to compensate for pitch change, and you sacrifice some accuracy. I find two main things about the quality of the tuning: 1) my unisons are generally more stable this way. It's probably mostly because I work on them AS the octaves above are being tuned. I.e., making slight adjustments to the unisons below as they drift a tad. 2) The exact place for the upper note of the octave seems to "come in" clearer when the unison below is precisely tuned. This might be because all strip muting allows some bleedthrough from the muted strings. We generally learn to filter this out. But when you're working without a strip, you eliminate this "junk" noise. I find two main things about the procedure: 1) It makes you get great unisons b/c you can't hear the octave perfectly without great unisons 2) It takes longer, so be prepared to spend a few more minutes, but also enjoy the sweet sound that is not generally attained the other ways. Tuning the temperament with unisons as you go will also produce an incredible tuning...if your skills are sufficient, of course. :-) I find that for practical purposes, stripping the temperament then bringing the temperament unisons in is good enough for most situations. But, when I have time, or just want to, I'll tune all unisons as I go even in the temperament. It's fun, and you get better and faster. And there is a difference in the sound, too. It's there, and you know it when you get it. It's not worth the effort on every piano (spinets, etc.). But on those quality pianos, whether a grand or vertical, it will make them sing. I bet Maestro David Andersen would let you observe his tunings. JF On 7/8/07, Geoff Sykes <thetuner at ivories52.com> wrote: > > > Greetings all -- > > I know that when using an ETD the preferred method of tuning is from the > bass up to the treble, tuning unisons as you go. Tests have apparently > proven that this provides a more accurate and stable tuning when completed. > > Traditionally, aural tuning means strip muting the entire piano, and after > setting the temperament, all the center strings are then tuned moving > first down into the bass and then up into the treble. After the center > strings are tuned then unisons are set starting in the bass and moving up > through the treble. > > In doing an aural tuning, is there any reason why one could not, or perhaps > should not, strip mute just the middle section of the piano, in order to set > the temperament, then immediately set the unisons in the temperament, > pulling out the strip mute as you go, followed by moving down into the > bass tuning the first string and setting unisons as you go and subsequently > up through the treble? > > In other words, which aural tuning method of the two described above, would > produce the more accurate and stable tuning when completed? > > -- Geoff Sykes > -- Los Angeles
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