Les Noces

[Lawrence Becker]

At 08:29 AM 3/7/02, you wrote:
>Dave,
>
>The numbers I got off the EX we had loaned to us for a few weeks
>here were: F = 7.1   A = 6.9   C = 7.7
>
>Eric, even though it's gone as of last Tuesday, I'd be interested
>in knowing how those compare to your EX.
>
>Avery
>
>
>List-
>
>Despite much advice to the contrary, I am tuning all 4 pianos to one 
>file.  The two main reasons:  I want to hear what it sounds like; and Eric 
>"suggested" it, and he is the boss of me, now.  Three of the four pianos 
>have remarkably close FAC numbers (this week anyway): Steinway 
>7.4  7.8  7.1, Yamaha 7.3  7.8  7.2, Kawai 7.1  7.7  6.9.  The surprise is 
>the Baldwin, which was rescaled & had Wapin installed prior to our tenure 
>here: 6.8  7.2  6.4.
>
>I am using the Steinway numbers on all pianos, since the day after Les 
>Noces, the Preparatory Dept. Piano Concerto Competition winner is playing 
>it in concert.  I am using +0.5 d.o.b. spread, which is fairly 
>conservative for concert grands.  This way I will have the upper treble 
>fundamentals as close as they'll hold.  In the midsection, where the 
>fundamentals will deviate from lining up the upper partials, the A 
>readings are mostly so close that this is very little change.  And basses 
>tolerate fudging quite a bit, in my experience.
>
>So far today I tuned the Kawai, which did sound the slightest bit odd in 
>the midsection, mainly because it doesn't tolerate octave stretching as 
>well; and also the Baldwin, which sounded fine (even though its FAC 
>numbers deviated the most).  Both of these had the basses tuned aurally 
>when I started, and there were very few changes evident.  Later the four 
>pianos will be lined up within reach of each other, and comparisons will 
>be handier.
>
>Will keep you all posted.
>
>p.s.--Fred, I really like pure triple-octaves in the very top, too.
>
>----------------------------------
>Lawrence Becker, RPT
>Piano Technician
>College-Conservatory of Music
>University of Cincinnati
>----------------------------------