[pianotech] aurally pure tunings

[Kent Swafford]

On Apr 15, 2009, at 12:30 PM, Ed Sutton wrote:

> Kent's [OnlyPure] tuning on the 7' Hailun sounded very compelling,  
> but there was little time to test and no real chance to compare with  
> anything else. Kent laboriously tuned all unisons with the  
> [OnlyPure] program. They were the cleanest unisons I've ever heard.


I have to admit that I was taken aback by this statement. It wasn't  
what I was expecting.

However, having thought about it for a few weeks, I guess the  
statement makes sense.

What we have here in OnlyPure may very well be a "game-changing"  
electronic tuning device. As I have continued to work with 'PureTuner  
for several months since writing my Journal article on it last fall,  
the truth is that my estimation of 'PureTuner has grown considerably  
since I wrote the article.

I haven't tuned only a few pianos with 'PureTuner. I have worked very,  
very hard with this device over a period of many months while tuning  
many, many pianos to work out how to take full advantage of the  
capabilities of Bernhard Stopper's software.

Early on, I realized that the characteristic OnlyPure sound depended  
upon, among other things, very clean unisons. I also realized that the  
unique accuracy of the OnlyPure display lent itself very, very well to  
fine unison tuning. In the last several months I have worked very hard  
to improve my hammer technique to improve my ability to tune unisons  
very accurately. I believe it is clear that my efforts, which are  
still ongoing, are beginning to pay off.

In addition to working on my hammer technique, I have continued my  
efforts to improve my ability to tune unisons in the bass, and have  
developed some procedural techniques that help me tune very cleanly in  
the bass while serving the temperament at hand. I call it "coherent  
unison tuning", which tunes mismatched bass strings (which are found  
on most every piano) in a uniform way that enhances the smoothness  
(equality) of the temperament through the scale instead of degrading  
it. (Maybe I should put together another journal article.)

I have had to come to terms with the reality that my OnlyPure article  
in the Journal has brought more response in emails and phone calls  
than any other article I've ever had published in the Journal. I think  
it was the recordings that did the trick. Some heard something in  
those recordings that they haven't heard before.

Of course, a few missed the point of the spinet recording. A spinet  
tuned with 'PureTuner will still sound like a spinet, no question.  
HOWEVER, a spinet tuned with 'PureTuner may very well sound like a  
finely-tuned spinet! What is THAT worth?

Some have assumed that the 'PureTuner "effect" is most applicable to  
the finer, larger pianos. I do not find this to be true at all. In  
truth, the 'PureTuner effect may actually be most dramatic on small  
pianos, because the sound is so unexpected. (I can see I need to put  
together some more recordings of the 'PureTuner effect and of the  
aural checks used while tuning with 'PureTuner.)

There is going to be a time when many are singing the praises of this  
software. Those brave souls who try 'PureTuner now have their work cut  
out for them, simply because so few other tuners have experience with  
this software. They will need to put forth the effort to fully learn  
the capabilities of the software, and as trailblazers they may need to  
help develop the specific procedures that will allow the best-possible  
tunings to be had using the software. The endeavor will be worth the  
effort, in my opinion.

Maybe I'm hallucinating about how good these tunings are, but I don't  
think so. There has been not one bad reaction to these tunings, at  
least, none that have gotten back to me, anywhere I have done them,  
not at the university, large churches, recording studios, nor anywhere  
else.

The benefits of the OnlyPure software are many. No measurements or  
calculations needed before tuning; no stored tunings needed; clean,  
accurate display; unisons can be tuned with the ETD; a distinctively  
pure tuning on most any piano that seems to satisfy the aesthetics of  
Virgil Smith's whole sound tuning; and the list goes on. Anyone who  
thinks this software is simply an implementation of a pure twelfths  
equal temperament that can be exactly duplicated with other devices  
(or easily duplicated aurally, for that matter) is simply uninformed.  
OnlyPure is more than that. Don't be fooled, people.



Kent Swafford
Proud to be an RPT



PS to Ed Sutton --

Show me any fine unisons anywhere and I'll show you unisons that were  
tuned "laboriously"; it's the only way they happen.   8^)

KES