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Now is the time for all good tuners to tune to _S_scientific
_A_ural _T_emperaments.
If you have been using SATs for any length of time you may have
noticed that FAC measurements tend to change from one season to
another. The "A" measurement especially will rise with the
increase of humidity. This will skew the tuning of a good piano
unpleasantly.
I dislike seeing "A" above 8 and 9 which happens in summer
humidity.
Since this is our recital season, and the same piano may be tuned
several times per week, an extra hour or less taken now to tune
that piano that is already in tune and checking it against good
FAC numbers for that piano and store the perfect tuning.
Use strip mutes to strip as much of the piano as you like (Middle
through treble is my choice).
Use high quality and _new_ plastic electrical tape to block out
the aliquot segments (this tape is less likely to leave a residue
for the hour needed).
Take a jiffy lead and glue some soft felt to the bottom (tempera-
ment strip felt is good) and/or have a handkerchief handy.
Aurally verify the temperament using every check you know to get
it perfect. Store any changes made to compensate for scale
irregularities. Then tune down to the bottom, again aurally
checking each note and storing any changes.
>From the temperament start tuning up into the treble checking
single, double and triple octaves and storing all the way up into
the high treble where the weight or hanky comes in.
When tuning the last notes with open octaves check the octave
*very* carefully and block the lower note to get a perfect
measure of the upper note and the store. I like to stretch these
last 8 to 12 notes as far as I can and still have a pure octave.
If you like to stretch them more than that do so but with precise
control and even tonality.
In the future, when you retune this piano, use the weight to
block off the lower strings of the open upper octaves to get a
cleaner and clearer image of the last few notes, and if you are
having trouble with aliquot strings singing or twittering you
might consider dampening the offenders permanently with very
small pieces of bushing felt.
You have now tuned a piano to perfection and stored it which can
be replicated quickly and easily for evermore. It is amazing how
beautiful they can sound!
One word of caution! Store the values of that tuning immediate-
ly! I have lost three exquisite tunings because I did not dump
them to the computer or because someone else overwrote the page
or because I was not thinking or did it myself. Write it out or
store it permanently.
Have a nice tuning season and I wish all you a good summer and
hope to see you in Dearborn.
Newton
nhunt@rci.rutgers.edu
Now is the time for all good tuners to tune to _S_scientific
_A_ural _T_emperaments.
If you have been using SATs for any length of time you may have
noticed that FAC measurements tend to change from one season to
another. The "A" measurement especially will rise with the
increase of humidity. This will skew the tuning of a good piano
unpleasantly.
I dislike seeing "A" above 8 and 9 which happens in summer
humidity.
Since this is our recital season, and the same piano may be tuned
several times per week, an extra hour or less taken now to tune
that piano that is already in tune and checking it against good
FAC numbers for that piano and store the perfect tuning.
Use strip mutes to strip as much of the piano as you like (Middle
through treble is my choice).
Use high quality and _new_ plastic electrical tape to block out
the aliquot segments (this tape is less likely to leave a residue
for the hour needed).
Take a jiffy lead and glue some soft felt to the bottom (tempera-
ment strip felt is good) and/or have a handkerchief handy.
Aurally verify the temperament using every check you know to get
it perfect. Store any changes made to compensate for scale
irregularities. Then tune down to the bottom, again aurally
checking each note and storing any changes.
>From the temperament start tuning up into the treble checking
single, double and triple octaves and storing all the way up into
the high treble where the weight or hanky comes in.
When tuning the last notes with open octaves check the octave
*very* carefully and block the lower note to get a perfect
measure of the upper note and the store. I like to stretch these
last 8 to 12 notes as far as I can and still have a pure octave.
If you like to stretch them more than that do so but with precise
control and even tonality.
In the future, when you retune this piano, use the weight to
block off the lower strings of the open upper octaves to get a
cleaner and clearer image of the last few notes, and if you are
having trouble with aliquot strings singing or twittering you
might consider dampening the offenders permanently with very
small pieces of bushing felt.
You have now tuned a piano to perfection and stored it which can
be replicated quickly and easily for evermore. It is amazing how
beautiful they can sound!
One word of caution! Store the values of that tuning immediate-
ly! I have lost three exquisite tunings because I did not dump
them to the computer or because someone else overwrote the page
or because I was not thinking or did it myself. Write it out or
store it permanently.
Have a nice tuning season and I wish all you a good summer and
hope to see you in Dearborn.
Newton
nhunt@rci.rutgers.edu
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