Trouble with Treble (was Re: pianotech-digest V1997 #853)

[Z! Reinhardt]

Hi Jim!

I *hear* you!

I think a lot of the problem is that those high treble notes are often very
blurred for any number of reasons -- false beats, bad terminations,
blown-out bridges, mis-shapened hammers, corrosion on the strings,
sympathetic vibrations from neighboring strings (and the unmatched partials
from that) lingering beyond the decay of the original note as struck ......

Striking the key repeatedly 4-5 times a second helps a little because the
sound doesn't have a chance to fully decay before the SAT starts paying
closer attention to the sympathetic vibrations.  Plucking the strings with
a fingernail or guitar pick is really no help for reasons I really cannot
yet explain (I have some hunches, but I would like to hear from the more
articulate physicists on this) -- the same string will give readings of
entirely different pitches depending on whether it was struck or plucked.

Other thoughts, opinions, anyone?

Z! Reinhardt RPT
Ann Arbor  MI
diskladame@provide.net

----------
> From: james turner <JTTUNER@webtv.net>
> To: pianotech@ptg.org
> Subject: Re: pianotech-digest V1997 #853
> Date: Tuesday, June 02, 1998 2:58 AM
> 
> The discussion about the SAT vs RCT the past few days has been
> interesting.  Sometime this year, I want to get either a RCT or the
> SATlll.  I haven't seen an RCT yet, but it seems to compute a better
> tuning with the more information it records over the FAC of the SAT.
> Will some of you guys comment on this as I would really like to know.  
> 
> Also, is the RCT really harder to read over the LED's of the SAT?  With
> my current SAT ll, I often have trouble reading the last two octaves in
> the high treble.  This has always anoyed me to no end.  Moving the
> machine sometimes help, but often it doesn't.  
> 
> In the bass, even on spinets, the SAT is always quite clean and a joy to
> use.  But when I get into the last treble octave or so, I often have to
> do it by ear because the machine just isn't clear enough no matter how
> long I stare at it.    I sent it in awhile back to have it checked out,
> and the Sanderson's said it was ok.  
> 
> I have never heard anyone else mention this problem with the SAT and the
> high treble so is it just me or what.  If I decide to get a RCT, I hope
> it does better in the high octaves than the SAT.  
> Jim Turner