[pianotech] Test Blows

[Jeff Deutschle]

In some situations I do use a heavy “tuning blow” while torqueing, or
sometimes flagpoling, the pin flatter. But I prefer to let hammer
technique alone set the pin and render the string and then use a test
blow if warranted. It all depends on the piano.

On Fri, Sep 4, 2009 at 9:29 AM, John Formsma <formsma at gmail.com> wrote:
> Well, Paul. I thought I had indirectly made that distinction. <G> But
> yes, I use light to medium blows as I'm tuning, then a firm blow for
> testing.
>
> It's a good idea to let your arm and hand tell you when you're hitting
> too hard. We struggle to remember that a pianist cannot use more force
> in playing than we do in our test blows. They can make that soundboard
> vibrate like crazy, and that might shake some things loose. But if we
> have done a good tuning (and not tried to make too large of a pitch
> correction during the tuning), things will be fine.
>
> My personal opinion is that stability is more about knowing how to
> move the tuning lever than whacking the heck out of the string. There
> are not an infinite number of ways to leave a tuning pin and string.
> It's all about finding the one spot where they are most stable.
>
> --
> JF
>
> On Fri, Sep 4, 2009 at 1:18 AM, <PAULREVENKOJONES at aol.com> wrote:
>> John:
>>
>> Would it be sensible to make a distinction between "tuning" touch, and
>> "stabilizing" or "test" blows or touch? When I'm tuning, I use a relatively
>> light or medium touch to hear what I want, then give the key a harder
>> (stabilizing) blow with a bit of sustain. I may do that twice or three times
>> on each note. If the note stays where I want it to, or if it actually drops
>> down that whisker of frequency i want in order to create the interval or
>> unison, then I'm doubly gratified. The quiet touch tuning works especially
>> well in the treble, as does setting the string with a short series of
>> stabilizing blows.
>>
>> Paul
>>
>



-- 
Regards,
Jeff Deutschle

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