[pianotech] Aural tuning question

[Cy Shuster]

Duaine,

I would have to say it's almost more important to have perfect rhythm  
than perfect intervals (and certainly not perfect pitch) in order to  
tune aurally.  Here's why.

When I played French horn, I had to be able to look at music, and hear  
the note in my head before attempting to play the note.  The chance  
for error was huge; it was very easy to be off by several semitones,  
especially with high notes, if you're just estimating lip tension.

You don't need that same skill when tuning a piano, because of the  
quiet intervals (OK, so you do need to be able to estimate octaves).   
Once you set A4, it's easy to set A3, at least close.  Then you dial  
in on it exactly with tests like the M3:M10.  With the aural tests,  
you're not listening to pitch; you're listening to the relative speed  
of the beats.  This is why I say a sense of rhythm is more important  
than being able to sing a given interval.

I use an ETD when I need to pitch raise, for speed, accuracy, and  
stability of the piano.  Then I tune it aurally.

In school, we learned to tune historic temperaments first, because  
it's easy to find perfect intervals: they don't beat at all.  Then we  
learned how to temper them appropriately.  If I have a string that's  
way off for any reason, I still do the same thing: find the perfect  
interval (octave, fourth, fifth) and then zero in on where it should be.

Setting a temperament aurally is intimidating to all of us at first.   
It's far easier to start by setting one octave with an ETD, and then  
tuning down aurally, just using the checks for octaves, fourths, and  
fifths.  (Tuning up from the midrange is harder.)  Baldassin's book  
"On Pitch" is an excellent guide to bridge between ETD and aural  
tuning (both directions), and is a thorough reference on aural  
interval tests.

If you're tuning unisons aurally, you've already got one of the  
hardest aural skills.  I admire you for wanting to learn more.   
Knowing just a few aural octave tests can help you get the most out of  
your ETD.

--Cy--

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