Tuning

[PDtek@AOL.COM]

In a message dated 98-10-16 18:21:22 EDT, you write:

>  What do you listen to in the piano
>  and for that matter, what do you look for in the piano before you strip it 
> off
>  and start tuning?
>  
>  Thanks,
>  Jonathan Hoover

I listen carefully to the voice on the telephone that asks if I would please
come and tune their piano.

That wasn't really meant to be a joke. In case no one let you in on the
secret, pianos are ALWAYS in need of being tuned. From there it is a very
subjective matter of who is listening to the piano in question.

If it is YOUR piano, and anything about the tune of the piano offends you in
any way, then go ahead and tune it if you want.

If you have been called upon to tune a customer's piano, you just tune it.
Period. I always listen to the piano first to determine HOW I will proceed
with the tuning, such as pitch raising or lowering, loose pin repair, etc.,
but I never have listened to a customer's piano to determine IF I should tune
it. The fact is, as soon as someone has played a freshly tuned piano for an
hour or so,(and I don't care how well you have set the strings), any descent
tuner can come in and retune the piano, improving the tune. It may be true
that the customer that just called to schedule a tuning did so simply because
it was time to. Maybe the plate could explode and she still would not be
offended by the tune of the piano. On the other hand, she may have a razor
sharp ear and the slow beating of a couple of unisons are driving her crazy. I
don't want to be the tuner that walks in and says, "Hey, this sounds pretty
good, I wouldn't waste your money on tuning this now, lets wait another year."
The last thing you want to do is establish your ear for "in-tuneness" to be at
a lower level than your customer.

OK, maybe in a situation like on a dealer's floor, and he says to just tune
the worst ones, play an arpeggio, a couple of major chords, a few double
octaves, and believe me, the offensive ones will be painfully easy to find. 

Outside of this, just tune it!

Dave Bunch