I tune each piano as best I can and don't worry about it. In my opinion, any slight differences between notes will add to the quality of sound. Imagine if a string section was absolutely playing the same pitches (not likely... '-])...IMHO. David Ilvedson, RPT Pacifica, CA 94044 ----- Original message ---------------------------------------- From: "Susan Kline" <skline at peak.org> To: caut at ptg.org Received: 4/7/2010 6:32:49 PM Subject: Re: [CAUT] Too tall!!?? >>Also, on another note; How do you all like to tune two pianos >>together? One venue has a Baldwin D and Steinway D together, the >>other venue has a Steinway D and B to be tuned together on Friday >>(UGH!) I've done my usual for the 2 9'-ers but; Any tips on the 9' >>and 7' together would be great help. I've never been happy with >>those two pianos together, but that's my only choice. >What I like to do is to pick the better of the two pianos, call it >the "master" and then roll them so I can reach both keyboards at >once. Sometimes both facing each other with just room for me in >between, sometimes at an acute angle to each other. Part way through >I shift one so I can reach the upper or the lower register of both at >once, as may be. >I put the tuning on the "master", and then I set the A and tune the >temperament on the lesser, then check it note by note against the >"master", then move outward, checking now and then. When the lesser >piano doesn't quite want the same pitch (tenor and bass, if the two >are different lengths), I just make it give in, and keep the unisons >between the two dead on with each other. When I'm finished, I check >note by note, the entire scale. >I've been very pleased by the results from doing this. If I can't >move one of the pianos so I can play both at once, I set the A's as >carefully as possible, and tune them separately as best I can, but >the results are usually only acceptable, not pleasing to me. >Newport's SD-10 and Steinway D are never happier than when nested >together, with the lid off the Baldwin. They suddenly are best buds, >in spite of being different, and both gather resonance from each >other, partly, I think, because the entire scale is exactly the same on both. >You can really tell how you're doing when a two piano piece has both >instruments exactly doubling each other, as happens now and then. If >it sounds like the unisons are as good as if it were just one piano, >you've aced it. ("and we are unanimous in that!") >Susan Kline >Newport Arts Center, Oregon State University
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