[CAUT] Too tall!!??

[Jim Busby]

Chris and David,

Years ago I had a 9' Chickering in a church and they wanted me to tune their upright Baldwin with it and do a concert. I did. I tuned the upright to the SAT for the 9'.  After the concert the upright went back to it's room and sounded amazing... (bad) Aren't we in a fun business?

Jim

From: caut-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of Christopher Purdy
Sent: Wednesday, April 07, 2010 8:42 PM
To: David Ilvedson; caut at ptg.org
Subject: Re: [CAUT] Too tall!!??

I agree.  I think each piano has it's own "personality".  I tune both pianos separately and allow them to have their own voice.

Chris


On Apr 7, 2010, at 10:32 PM, David Ilvedson wrote:


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<mailto:skline at peak.org>>
To: caut at ptg.org<mailto: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

Christopher D. Purdy R.P.T.
Registered Piano Technician
School of Music, Ohio University
Rm. 311, Robt. Glidden Hall
Athens, OH  45701
Office (740) 593-1656
Cell    (740) 590-3842
fax      (740) 593-1429
http://www.ohiou.edu/music



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