List -- Michael goes a lot further with omitting the strip than I have, but I intend to try all this! He gives some awfully good reasons to work on it. If running out of time (yes, it happens, I'm afraid) I will tune the temperament unisons before the bass, since I want the bass compatible with where the temperament will _end up_, not where I put it the first time through (if I haven't the time for a second pass in the bass.) A drop in the bucket, I now see. Thanks for the ideas, Mike. Susan ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ At 11:07 AM 12/4/97 +0000, Michael Jorgensen wrote: >Hi Brad, > I believe firmly in finishing unisons as I go instead of strip >muting and tuning octaves first for the following reasons: >1. Every check test becomes a test for the unisons also. >2. I cannot lie to myself about a unison being good if it's not when I'm >finished with it and get away with that. This is because I will be >tuning and testing off of it later in the tuning. >3. Compounding of errors is mimimized, and can be used to the advantage >of the temperament. Example would be if a fourth is .5 cents too wide, >that may be an acceptable error by itself, but add a unison with a .5 >spread and you could have a 1 cent error. The temperament is thus >considered with its finished unisons (i.e. unisons can also be used to >improve that wide fourth) Unisons will uncover peculiarities with the >temperament that are otherwised unnoticed. It's good to find these >things right away before you build a whole pianos tuning on a crooked >foundation. >4. ETD tuners tell me that a finished unison can show a slightly >different pitch that of the three strings tested alone. The final total >sound of the unison is what counts, not the individual strings. >5. False beats can be made to cancel each other out which may require >fudging. This must be done while also considering the affect on >temperament. >6. Choose which ever string to tune first of a unison, If one is false, >try a different one. >7. Finishing unisons provides additional test blows and other stresses >to the temperament octave early on in the process, which strengthens the >foundation for the entire tuning. Because I have a finished area, it is >a foundation for the rest of the tuning. >8. I am always working with a finished product so I can better gauge my >time and get a better feel for the kind of results the piano will >allow. Finished unisons gives me a clear picture of how much stetch and >fudging I can really get away with. If I end up running low on time, it >is the extreme ranges of the piano that will suffer which I view as less >important.- I expect flack on this one! >9. Temperament strips add tension to the piano and to those who use >them, please depress the damper pedal, or damper felts will be >distroyed. >10. The best overall test is the sound of the double octaves when the >piano is finished and I am conviced I get a better and clearer tuning >with more consistency of sound finishing unisons as I go. > >-Mike Jorgensen RPT >A devout unisonist. > ---------------------------------------------------------- Susan Kline P.O. Box 1651 Philomath, OR 97370 skline@proaxis.com "Cheer up! Things may be getting worse at a slower rate." -- Ashleigh Brilliant
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