A few weeks ago I tuned a fortepiano in Toronto. The last tuner had stopped doing it, so the owner, who was very happy with his work was at a loss. I found it very little out of tune, despite several months since it was last done. It is a reproduction of of a Dulcken, built by Tom and Barbara Wolfe, a truly superb instrument. I live 120 miles away; if I were closer I would teach the owner to tune it herself. Ted Sambell ----- Original Message ----- From: "Anne Acker" <a.acker at comcast.net> To: "College and University Technicians" <caut at ptg.org> Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2006 11:18 PM Subject: Re: [CAUT] RE : Fortepiano stability > Well, here is today's real life concert situation for a fortepiano, just > to show you it shouldn't be a royal pain. > > Drove from Savannah to Daytona Beach, FL last night. My fortepiano slept > outside in the van overnight, beachside. it usually lives in carefully > controlled 45 percent rh. > > Loaded the fp into the big concert hall 8:30 a.m. they hadn't turned on > the a/c or the lights yet. I insisted they get all the lights up to what > we'd have in the evening...both pianos open. > > proceeded to tune the Steinway (Paul Badura-Skoda was playing all Mozart, > first half on my fp, 2nd half on the Steinway, and a lecture discussing > the pianos before the concert). > > started tuning my fp at 10, rehearsal scheduled for 12-3. Done at 11. > It was barely out of tune..just some unisons and a bit in the treble and > the lowest bass notes out a bit. Center was dead on. I keep this piano > at 430, which makes it very happy indeed and sounds good there. > > went back at 2:45 to see how Paul and the pianos were doing.....just a few > unisons slightly out, one repeittion suffering slightly from the increased > humidity...more unisons out on the steinway than on the fp > actually....wanky partly rebuilt steinway, not too well done with some > funny sounding strings, but they only were willing to pay for touchup > tuning, so, oh well.. Checked everything anyway, since there was lots > of time. > > checked it quickly at 5:45.....just fine. lecture at 6, concert at > 7:30....touched up a couple unisons at intermission....piano staying in > excellent tune...house lights by the way, were increased, so it was hotter > than before the concert, and the room was noticeably hotter from the > bodies. > > So there you are, this is just a little Zuckerstein I modified, reworked > the stringing.e.g. It did a super job. Paul Badura Skoda was > thrilled. " Wunderbar!! Perfect Tuning! " > > Fortepianos are not inherently unstable unless the instrument is either > not well built or not well strung. Same with harpsichords by the way. > > Anne > > > > > > > > > > > > From: "Robert A. Murphy" <Robert.Murphy at oberlin.edu> >> Geoff, >> >> "Stable" is the right word. I've found that stable relative humidity >> is the primary key to a stable fortepiano tuning. However, in >> concert/recording situations that feature these instruments (of which >> I've done enough to pull just about every hair out of my head...) the >> reality is that you must work with what you have. >> >> The next word that comes to mind is "grooming". We're talking about >> trying to reason with a moving animal here! Grooming the tuning >> requires a slightly different thought process (and technique/s) than >> locking-in a tuning on a modern concert grand. Here's a general >> approach I take to fortepiano/harpsichord tuning in concert situations. >> >> 1. Get the instrument(s) into the hall - at least back stage - no less >> than a full day before the performance (2 days is better). In a pinch, >> tuning an instrument in another room and moving it on stage within an >> hour or less of the performance can do nicely if the hall's environment >> is extreme from the where the instrument came from. >> 2. I agree with Steve - see if the stage crew can "go easy" on the >> spot lights shining directly on the instrument. >> 3. Approach tuning a fortepiano like you would a pitch-adjustment on a >> modern piano (i.e. go as fast as you reasonably can on the 1st and 2nd >> passes and refine things only on the 3rd and subsequent "groomings"; >> take mental notes of what the tuning as a whole is doing - is treble >> going sharp and bass flat, or vice-versa? - then compensate a little >> for this movement in your next pass) >> 4. On final pass, unisons are more important than octaves... or any >> other interval for that matter. If working on a 5-octave instrument, >> on the final pass switch to a T-hammer (if you've been using a >> goose-neck up to this point) and "flick" or tap the hammer back and >> forth to help lock-in the unisons. Also, when setting the string I >> find a quick double- or triple-strike on the key works better than a >> single hard blow. >> 5. When really pinched for time, concentrate your final passes on the >> temperament octave and then move from there to the the very top of the >> instrument. The tenor and bass can drift quite a bit without being >> unsettling to 99% of the audience. >> 6. Pitch is relative. If the instrument is drifting wildly, go with >> the median pitch that the instrument seems to be happiest with (any >> large pitch adjustment of over a couple of beats per second should have >> been done the day before the concert tuning). >> 7. Temperament is also relative. In a less-than-ideal humidity >> setting, chances are good that your tuning will pass through SEVERAL >> temperaments during the performance... >> 8. PRAY! >> >> Lastly, in your particular situation, if they can't give you a minimum >> of 1 hour per piano (40 minutes might suffice if you have a really >> stable RH) then see if they can move an instrument to the green room >> where you can tune while whatever else is scheduled is happening on the >> stage. Then move it back on stage just before your scheduled time and >> tweak it after you've gone through the other instruments, first. >> >> My 2-bits... >> Robert >> ------------------------------------------------------------------------ >> --------------------------- >> Robert A. Murphy >> Piano Technician & Curator of Fortepianos >> Oberlin Conservatory of Music >> cell: 517.285.3269 >> shop: 440.775.8275 >> >> >> On Nov 14, 2006, at 11:20 AM, Stephen E Kabat wrote: >> >> > Geoff- I've found that temperature is a big factor. Try to kept lights >> > down, and stabilize the temperature as much as possible. I don't think >> > it's your tuning technique at all- I've found these instruments to be >> > less stable than harpsichords. >> > Good luck >> > Steve Kabat >> > -----caut-bounces at ptg.org wrote: ----- >> > >> >> To: "'College and University Technicians'" <caut at ptg.org> >> >> From: Marcel Carey <mcpiano at videotron.ca> >> >> Sent by: caut-bounces at ptg.org >> >> Date: 11/11/2006 08:22AM >> >> Subject: [CAUT] RE : Fortepiano stability >> >> >> >> Hi Geoff, >> >> >> >> I'm no expert, but I find that some instruments don't respond so well >> >> to hard blows. If you find that your unisons are going sharp, you may >> >> be hitting too hard and creating stability problems. Or is it just >> >> the temperature change... This is a major factor with these >> >> instruments. >> >> >> >> Marcel Carey, RPT >> >> Sherbrooke, QC-----Message d'origine----- >> >>> D: caut-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org] De la part >> >>> de Geoffrey Pollard >> >>> Envo: 11 novembre 2006 07:37 > : College and University Technicians >> >>> Obje: [CAUT] Fortepiano stability >> >>> >> >>> >> >>> Hi all from Oz, >> >>> >> >>> I'm tuning 3 fortepianos for the Mozart triple piano concerto series >> >>> this week and next, here in Sydney, for the leading baroque >> >>> orchestra. Have just staggered home from Sat night after Friday >> >>> night's first concert. Tuning stability was not good - and I am >> >>> looking for any help from fellow CAUTs on techniques to nail tunings >> >>> that will last more than one movement. I have about 2 hours >> >>> pre-concert for tuning - 40 mins each. I'm hitting hard, and the 3 >> >>> are becoming more obedient, but the arrival of 1.500 audience seems >> >>> to unsettle them! Unison and octave drift. Any advice from >> >>> fortepiano gurus out there? >> >>> >> >>> Thanks, >> >>> Geoff Pollard >> >>> Sydney Conservatorium of Music >> >>> University of Sydney >> >>> >> > > >
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