Pitch raise with the SAT

[A440A@aol.com]

Dick Day asks;

> I find that by the time I get to F6 or so all of notes starting around >F4
have gone flat.

         Dick,  perhaps  the flatness is the result of the machine still
being set with the correction in place.  i.e.,  if you are doing a 30c raise,
your machine is adding 7 cents,  by the top octave, your machine says that
the middle is 7c flat, but it will actually be near a440.  Try zeroing your
machine when you reach F6, and then see where F4 is.  (just a thought).

       On the length of time to raise the pitch. The speed of raising is
dependant on the second by second time expenditure.  BE LOOSE !!!  if you
pull a string up and go too far by 5 cents,  don't change it,  let the next
string be a little flat,  it is the average that will determine the final
result.  By allowing yourself this leeway, you will not spend more than 5
seconds per string.  (four notes per minute,  about 20 minutes per piano.)
      It requires effort to " relax  the rules"; when I first started using a
SAT,  I  found myself falling back into the usual routine of unconsciously
setting pins, and trying for clear unisons by the time I was in the middle of
the pitch raise. Don't do it!
Just toss them all near pitch, then spend the time to tune properly.
 Chipping is a wonderful "sketch-pad" for practising this.
         Don't worry, it will gel soon enough, and you will soon be able to
pitch raise and tune to concert standards so fast, that you will wonder why
you didn't do it before. ( since I charge $88 to tune, and $60 per hour for
accessory work,  I just start the clock when I open the tuning case, and stop
when the piano is pitch raised, then tune for the regular tuning fee.
 Customers have all been quite understanding and happy to pay the extra $23,
or $25  for the pitch raise.

Regards,
Ed Foote