[CAUT] using as ETD

Dr. Henry Nicolaides drsnic4 at hotmail.com
Sat Apr 10 07:18:14 MDT 2010


Saving your hearing, sanity, stress, time and etc.  I started like most did in the 60's and 70's and thought I did a pretty good job.  I've used the old Conn Strobetuner, Peterson, TuneLab, and Verituner.  I was one of the few who used a Yamaha Tuning Scope that I bought in 1979 that was stolen out of my car and then fenced to a local tuner who called me to find out if I knew how to use it.  I had all the accessories!  Never did get it back...anyway I rely on aural skills and depend on the ETD or the other way around.  I save my tunings for consistency and as a time saver on the college instruments.

Henry Nicolaides
Southern Illinois University.

From: jim_busby at byu.edu
To: caut at ptg.org
Date: Sat, 10 Apr 2010 07:04:50 -0600
Subject: Re: [CAUT] using as ETD



















Wim, Paul,

 

I agree. I tuned aurally for about 20  years then about 12
years ago I bought a SAT. Hated it, for about a month anyway. Then, (and I
REALLY don’t want to start this ETD vs. aural debate!!), I measured my
aural tunings and examined where some discrepancies were, and found that more
often than not I actually agreed with the ETD. Sure, I’m confident that
my aural tunings are solid, but my opinion is this; nearly every ETD tuning
can be enhanced by good aural listening/tweaking, and every aural tuning can be
smoothed out or improved by careful examination using an ETD. So there. I
said it. 

 

Don Mannino did an excellent class about tuning and showed a graph
of the same piano with his best aural tuning and then with an ETD. Different.
The ETD curve was smoother and nearly perfect, whereas the aural curve was “bumpy”.
Was one better? I dunno. Don seemed to agree that both are good, especially
combined, and that an ETD is only another tool in our box.

 

I do know that sometimes when I’ve only got one nerve left
and there’s lots of noise around where I’m tuning that my ETD has
probably saved the lives of many custodians and small children…

 

Jim Busby BYU

 



From:
caut-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of tnrwim at aol.com

Sent: Friday, April 09, 2010 10:02 PM

To: caut at ptg.org

Subject: [CAUT] using as ETD, was Re: Too tall!!??



 

 





hey Jeff..I'm strictly aural, so your message, though helpful to
some, is all Greek to me.  Someday, I'll fall to the great gadgets out
there. 



thanks 

Paul 









Paul





 





I would highly recommend you get yourself a gadget. I can
almost guarantee that it will greatly reduce your stress level. You might even
be able to tune all the pianos you want to tune very week, and still have time
to do the repairs you so desperately need to take care of. 





 





About 20 years ago, my wife, who had been using a SAT, had to
stop tuning because of a bad elbow. I had been an aural tuner up until then. I
didn't want that $1200 gadget to sit on a shelve, so I decided to start
using it. Almost immediately I could feel my stress level go down. In the
past, every fall, between church and work, I was a total stressed out
wreck by the time Christmas came around. But the year I used the
SAT, I actually enjoyed Christmas. 





 





I know it sounds like a lot of money, and there is a learning
curve, but trust me, it will be one of the best investments you'll ever
make, and you'll be so happy you got one. 





 





Wim





Wim 



 



-----Original Message-----

From: Paul T Williams <pwilliams4 at unlnotes.unl.edu>

To: Jeff Tanner <tannertuner at bellsouth.net>; caut at ptg.org

Sent: Fri, Apr 9, 2010 9:24 am

Subject: Re: [CAUT] Too tall!!??



hey Jeff..I'm strictly aural, so
your message, though helpful to some, is all Greek to me.  Someday, I'll
fall to the great gadgets out there. 



thanks 

Paul 








 
  
  From: 
  
  
  "Jeff
  Tanner" <tannertuner at bellsouth.net>
  
  
 
 
  
  To: 
  
  
  <caut at ptg.org> 
  
 
 
  
  Date: 
  
  
  04/09/2010
  01:43 PM 
  
 
 
  
  Subject: 
  
  
  Re:
  [CAUT] Too tall!!??
  
 


 













Hi Paul, 

Been out of town, so I know I'm coming in late on this. If you have SAT III (I
don't know about IV), you can also experiment with the library tunings for
these two pianos, and not just a new FAC. Those would be pages 135 (B) and 138
(D). The tunings that come from the factory were calculated with the old
mathematical curve used by SAT II, and you get very different results --
usually less stretched -- than with a new FAC. 

  

Another option is to use the F4 tuning function, which only calculates from
C3-F6, then match the bass and high treble aurally, or however you'd like, and
quite often your FAC will even work just fine. Good chance that F4 of both
pianos has a similar F4 stretch, but I don't have any handy to check right now.
 I often prefer the temperament of the middle of the piano when I just use
the F4 temperament, and because the partials change at F#, rather than at the
Cs, you're at the fundamental at F#5-B5, which clears up the lights considerably
through that section. 

  

Other than these additional thoughts, I agree mostly with just tuning them to
their FACs and not worrying about it.  Too much experience with expert
musicians who can't hear the difference to worry about a cent or two that only
we will notice. I once did 6 Baldwin Hamiltons together for a performance, that
there wasn't time to actually syncronize their tuning for. I thought they
sounded horrible, but I was out of time. All I heard were accolades about that.


  

Jeff Tanner 

  

  

-----
Original Message ----- 

From: Paul T
Williams 

To: CAUTlist 

Sent: Wednesday, April 07, 2010
5:24 PM 

Subject: [CAUT] Too tall!!?? 



Hi all. 



this is a new one for me.  The Liszt Fest has started here at UNL through
Saturday.  I just got a message from the stage manager. The pianists say
the piano is too tall! It's on a piano truck.  What would I have them
do....saw off a 1/2" of the legs? (LOL)   I'm thinking a half inch
base under the lyre and bench (although it's adjustable) and paint them black. 



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. 



Thanks 

Paul 





 		 	   		  
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