<html> <body> I was introduced to using a thumper (for lack of a better name) while complaining at a chapter meeting about sore fingers.  Essentially I have (from SAMA) a piece of pin-block tapered down on one end and tipped with ~1/2" of hammer felt.  There is a velcro strap to hold the block to the hand allowing me to play interval checks without having to drop and then pick it up.  Now I can feel it in the wrist if I don't watch the wrist "posture" and stiffly rest my arm weight on it.  Now that it is easier to thump I remind myself to go easy. I noted that Overs mentions rubbing the strings down with a cloth to find and re-set loose unisons.  The idea of pushing a string with a beat-suppressor/hammer-shank is also a very effective idea.  Another method I've heard of is to press the damper pedal and slap all the keys, vigorously activating the sound-board and thereby loosening any low tension portions of a string segment into the speaking length.  Of-course, on an older piano this might be a sound-board/rim glue joint separating tactic. Question is, how much time do these add to setting a pin and unison?  It would have the advantage of not abusing hammers and, I think, a time disadvantage.  I thump and then play a soft listening note, move, thump-thump, and then listen etc.  I've worked on hammer technique to the point I can usually count on moving no more than 2 cents at a time.  I've been working on getting under that but am not consistent yet, may have to get a better, stiffer hammer for more feedback. On new pianos I have found it important to do the back-scale work.  I pitch-corrected a new D some 30 cents and then began the fine tuning pass.  There was too much string noise.  The strings were slightly over pitch so why not?  I went to the back, tightened the loop around the hitch-pin, tamped the string on both sides of the rear bearing, back to front, lightly seated with a sideways push to tighten the bend at the rear of the bridge and then pushed down with a beat-suppressor at the front of the bridge.  Ready for a fine tuning? No! Imagine my chagrin at another 20+cent pitch-correction. >:-o ( I was being paid a flat tuning fee for all the pianos which were supposed to be well maintained.  They couldn't/wouldn't afford more.)  I'm sure I'll thank myself next time I tune it. ;-)  One probably should fill in that well of instability from time to time.  The rear duplexes were all nice and tame afterwards. 8-)  Got lots of nice comments on the work. Sometimes the problem is too-much friction at the front bearing.  On some Chinese makes I've had the strings distorted by the felt just back of the front bearing.  Adding a very little CLP on the strings over the felt helped this (careful on your choice of lube and quantity, you don't want any to migrate back to the pins).  I find that timely tuning intervals--small pitch adjustments--and consistent tuning placement results in much easier unison setting. Ultimately you want to be able to thump as little as possible. Andrew Anderson LISD, UISD, LCC, TAMIU </body> </html>