[pianotech] Pitch raise criteria

[Cy Shuster]

This is one advantage of TuneLab and its spectrum display.  No mutes  
in the pitch raise pass; you see all three strings come up as  
individual mountains.  If it's way off, you can use the "timed note  
switching" feature to have it change to the next note automatically  
(if the pitch is so low it can't tell when you change notes!).

I also use the "instant measure" feature, so when I play the note, TL  
tells me right away that it's, say, 9 cents flat.  I get the feel of  
how much movement will correct roughly that amount, and I usually turn  
each pin just once.  (Incidentally, in overpull mode TL calculates the  
correct overpull for every note, and automatically factors it into the  
target frequency it shows).

The point is to get overall tension in the ballbark, so a handful of  
sloppy strings is acceptable.  It takes me about 15-25 minutes,  
typically.

The target pitch comes from selecting the correct tuning file: either  
one I've made for this piano before, a similar piano, or even just  
Robert's "average.tun" file.

--Cy--

Cy Shuster, RPT
Albuquerque, NM
www.shusterpiano.com

On Aug 2, 2009, at 8:22 PM, Duaine & Laura Hechler wrote:

> Ryan Sowers wrote:
>> Mr. Coleman wrote me back and said that the trick is to get so you  
>> can
>> do a 10-15 minute pitch raise. By focusing on the speed of the pitch
>> raise, he claimed the whole tuning would become more efficient.
> OK - I heard this so many time before - but - exactly - how - do you  
> do it.
>
> Exactly - how do you know what the - target - pitch is -- or are you
> guessing ?
>
> Technique, mutes, no mutes, strip, no strip, etc.
>
> Duaine