[pianotech] CTEs - Thoughts....etc.

[David Love]

Admittedly, I have not.  My knowledge about how the master tuning is done
comes from a couple of discussions over the years.  In both cases, that I
can recall, the procedure went something like this:  The piano was tuned
using an ETD (Accutuner in both cases).  When it was done then the three
techs went through it and tweaked until the got what they liked.  My
recollection is that in both cases it was not the temperament that got
tweaked but other parts of the piano to comport with the general guidelines
4:2 mid section, 6:3 bass, 2:1 treble as is indicated in the review
materials that one receives prior to taking the test.  That would mirror my
experience as well, btw, that the temperament section rarely needs
correction from a calculated tuning (assuming you actually hit the marks)
and that it's the crossovers and some anomalous areas that sometimes can
stand to be refined.  I don't know whether that is the standard procedure or
not or if there is one since it is being reported in various ways.  But that
was my understanding.  Since examinees are given pass guidelines as
indicated above I would hope that there would be some consistency in how the
master tunings were done.  

I'm certainly open to arguments as to why an aural test of temperament
section (and the octave section for that matter) is necessary for RPT
status.  So far I have not been convinced by anything I've heard.  


David Love
www.davidlovepianos.com

-----Original Message-----
From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf
Of Joseph Garrett
Sent: Saturday, May 12, 2012 4:26 PM
To: pianotech
Subject: [pianotech] CTEs - Thoughts....etc.

David Love said:
"Except that the exam is not scored on "pleasing". It is scored on
objective criteria the foundations of which are laid down electronically.
If pleasing were the criteria for passing the exam then we would expect to
see no deductions for musical sounding well temperaments or octave
stretching which exceeds the exam protocols which many will say are much
more conservative than they use in real life"

David, 
Hmmm? Your comments lead me to believe that you have never been part of
doing a Master Tuning. The process is all done aurally! There is no
"...foundations of which are laid down electroncally."! At least THREE
Techs, one of which has to be a CTE, must agree on every note...AURALLY.
Because the Equal Temperament is the most accepted that is what is used. It
is Universal, even tho there are many who hate it.<G> I think you need to
be involved in, at least, one Master Tuning and then you would know.<G>
Best Regards,
Joe


Joe Garrett, R.P.T.
Captain of the Tool Police
Squares R I