[pianotech] Aural tuning question

[Gregor _]

Duane,

it´s not so difficult like you assume. At least it´s not impossible. Remember the times when there were no ETD´s. 

E.g., a colleague of mine who made the apprenticeship together with me was totaly unmusical and had no idea about intervals. Even he learned it somehow after beeing told what intervals are and sound like. Okay, his tunings were not so good and after the apprenticeship he quit the job and made an apprenticeship as aircraft mechanician (btw, he can´t fly). But he passed the aural exam after 3.5 years.

Dave Davis wrote that remembering a certain song is helpful for remembering the intervals. I totaly agree. For the beginning you basically need only the octave, fifth and fourth and for control purposes the third. A collegue of mine who never played any instrument makes really good
tunings. He just tunes with octaves, fourth and fifth. He does not
check the thirds. At least this is what he did some years ago. Maybe he
refined his technique now, but even that method worked well for him. You can tune unisons by ear? Great, the rest is just training.

Back to your question about aural pitch raising: it´s a great opportunity to train aural tuning. Just because you don´t have to work exactly. Scamping around is allowed and usefull. Forget about contiguous thirds and neglect overpull for the beginning. Just set A4 by fork (or ETD), tune A3 as the octave and then start to tune fifth up and fourth down until the circle is closed and the temperament is done. Then go down in octaves and check the fifth and fourth as control. When the bass is done, do the same up to the treble. Because you neglected overpull you have to do the pitch raise a second time. Great, just another opportunity to practice ;-)  

Gregor







> Date: Sat, 7 Mar 2009 23:28:39 -0600
> From: dahechler at att.net
> To: pianotech at ptg.org
> Subject: Re: [pianotech] Aural tuning question
> 
> Maybe, I need to get to basics for this question.
> 
> I am a barbershop singer, so I have a sense of what a 3rd, 5th, m7th,
> octave sounds like.
> 
> Now, assume for the sake of this question, a non musical person that has
> absolutely no other training and talent, wants to be a piano tuner.
> 
> Without the aid of a ETD and has no concept of note relations (3rds,
> 5ths, etc), how is he expected to learn aural tuning ? And learn it well
> enough to pass the tests ?
> 
> I don't see any other choice for this person to use an ETD - and - never
> be able to pass the test - so - how does he get to be an RPT?
> 
> Duaine
> 
> -- 
> Duaine Hechler
> Piano, Player Piano, Pump Organ
> Tuning, Servicing & Rebuilding
> Reed Organ Society Member
> Florissant, MO 63034
> (314) 838-5587
> dahechler at att.net
> www.hechlerpianoandorgan.com
> --
> Home & Business user of Linux - 10 years
> 
> 

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