[pianotech] ETD tuning Vs Aural- Some Wisdom

[tnrwim at aol.com]

In answer to Wim’s question about what criteria, I’d say whether the customer calls you back.  
 
David Love

Another view on this. I'm not discounting the importance of a steady clientele who call me on a regular basis, but for the most part I tune pianos to my satisfaction, not the customer's. Yes, it's nice to have a customer compliment me, especially if they are a professional pianist or a teacher. But if the tuning isn't to my satisfaction, then I might as well not be tuning at all. And knowing that my tuning is of such quality that it passed muster with my peers, gives me even more satisfaction. As Ed just wrote in the Journal, "(tuning) is a gift to my customer and to myself".

I'm not discounting the use of an ETD. I think using my SAT has greatly improved my tunings. And on their own, they are probably better than some aural only RPT's tuning. But as I have stated quite a few times now, the ETD is a tool to be used to get to the end result. It should not to be used as the end result. If you don't know how to aurally check the end result of the ETD, then all you're doing is turning pins to match a digital display. And that is not, in my opinion, tuning a piano.  

Wim


-----Original Message-----
From: David Love <davidlovepianos at comcast.net>
To: pianotech <pianotech at ptg.org>
Sent: Tue, May 29, 2012 4:33 am
Subject: Re: [pianotech] ETD tuning Vs Aural- Some Wisdom



Once again, the assumption is that an RPT who tunes by ear delivers a better or more accurate tuning than a non RPT who tunes with a machine.  It’ s just not necessarily so.  You can pass the RPT test at 80% in each section.  Are people satisfied with individuals delivering a B- tuning just because they do it aurally?   Given the choice of who tunes my piano and all other things being equal (unisons and stability), give me the non RPT who can stop the lights over the 80% RPT.  And if you agree, then tell me at what percentage do you switch over to the RPT.   
 
In answer to Wim’s question about what criteria, I’d say whether the customer calls you back.  
 
David Love
www.davidlovepianos.com
 

From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of Jason Kanter
Sent: Monday, May 28, 2012 7:19 PM
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Subject: Re: [pianotech] ETD tuning Vs Aural- Some Wisdom

 
Strikes me that the ETD-only user vs. the fully qualified RPT is like the optician vs. opthalmologist. One can do the measurements but need not, and probably doesn't, understand the complexities and can't handle complications. 

 

Jason

On Mon, May 28, 2012 at 1:45 PM, <tnrwim at aol.com> wrote:

I own only one hammer, and just barely enough mutes to block off a couple of strings. (I don't use a strip mute). The charger for my SAT IV stays at home. I have no extra batteries, no extension cords, and one car. (my wife has a car, but needs it). I've been doing it this way for 38 years. About once every 3 or 4 months my battery runs out during the middle of a tuning. That's when I use the same back up as Gary uses. 

 

Wim



 



 


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