Duo Piano

[Travis L Gordy]

Dear Bob:  When tuning aurally; if the pianos are of different makes are sizes,
I tune the one I assume is best first. If the second one needs a pitch change
I hurriedly tune to A440, then if anyone is around (piano owner, child,
custodian, maintenance man etc.)I have them play A4 on the first piano while I
match it on the second. Then I tune A3 and check it. Next I tune F3, and have
my "assistant" play A3F3 third (I may have to show them the notes) to get the
beat rates of the two pianos the same. Thank my assistants very much and
proceed to finish tuning the second piano.

When practical, I like to have the keyboards where I can make occasional direct
checks, particularly for the top and bottom octaves,and particularly if the
pianos are not matched.
For concert performances with matched grands I use the above procedure leaving
the pianos where the performers have set them and have never had a problem.
Usually attend the performance and like what I hear.

I routinely tune a Kawai made Howard grand and Baldwin (Hamilton) studio (use
to be a Wurlitzer studio) "together" in a large church choir room. Pianos about
20 feet apart. Above procedure worked OK.  Actually the pianos sounded great
for a massed choir Messiah rehersal I sang in.

I have recently been using an SAT because of inability to hear the top octave
well enough to tune aurally. For these choir room pianos I tune both using the
FAC setting for the grand. I have not heard the results but the choir director
said they were fine. Guess that's the main requirement.  Not sure what I will
do when next tuning matched instruments for a concert. Just might tune the
temperament and top octaves with the SAT and the rest aurally, mainly because I
usually preempt the SAT on several notes in the 5th and 6th octaves of an S&S
D.

Travis Gordy, RPT


Robert W.Hohf wrote:

> I would be interested to know other's procedures for tuning two pianos
> together.  Here's mine (I tune aurally).  I like the pianos keyboard to
> keyboard, strip both, and tune back and forth.  For instance, I tune the
> temperament on one, then the temperament on the other, then check unisons
> between pianos, correcting bad unisons based on standard tests, sometimes
> testing between pianos.  If there is a bad unison and neither piano is
> "wrong" (which happens sometimes) I sacrifice the secondo to match the
> primo.  Next, I tune center strings of sections 2 & 3 (on Ds) on one piano,
> then the other, check unisons between, and match.  Similarly, I go section
> by section back and forth checking unisons between pianos as I go.  Then at
> the end check unisons and double octaves.  This process takes  me about 2.5
> hrs.  and produces quite a good match between pianos.  Any other ideas?
>
> Bob Hohf
> Wisconsin