Tuning stability and efficiency

[David Boyce]

In his weighty tome Theory and Practice of Piano Tuning. A manual on the 
art, techniques and theory, Dr. Brian Capleton observes on Page 298:

" Tuning a "muted scale", in which a strip of felt is inserted between the 
trichords, is a helpful part of the learning process, because it allows the 
student to concentrate on tempering issues without the complication of 
tuning unisons. It also allows the student to begin tackling tempering 
intervals and tuning a scale, even before mastering unison tuning. Tuning of 
the scale professionally, however, should ALWAYS be done by using a wedge, 
completing the unisons note by note, as scale construction proceeds.  The 
drawback of this, for the learner, is that it requires excellent unsion 
tuning skills as a pre-requisite. Any poorly tuned unison trichord will have 
its movement or weakness inherited by every tempered interval of which it is 
a member. It will especially show up in the perfect fifths".

That's his observation, anyway!

Best,

David.