Temperament Setting Question

[Joseph Alkana]

Jerry Hunt wrote:

> Thanks for all of the great advice. FWIW, I thought
> I'd add a little background on what prompted the
> question.

Jerry,
IMHO, if you are doing floor tunings for a dealer, you can rest assured
that these new pianos are moving around on you even as you attempt to
set a temperament. Better to get that piano rough tuned quickly to some
pitch (usually works out best to tune a little sharp as that's where
they come in the door at) and then try to refine the tuning. Unless the
coils have to be knocked down which can lower the pitch a semi-tone or
more)  If you don't believe me, just watch an ETD tuner go thru a piano.
You will be amazed at how the notes previously set go askew when you
tune further up and down the keyboard. Hasn't got a thing to do with
your technique of setting strings/pins, temperament or witchcraft.
You're simply redistributing and either adding or subtracting force to
the soundboard unevenly as you tune. It's so true: You can't tune a
piano unless it's in tune :-)

Quite frankly, I follow tuners all the time who either don't care or are
too lazy to get a piano stabilized at pitch before attempting a fine
tuning. You see it in those pianos that the treble is way flat, yet the
progression of the tuning up out of the temperament seems really smooth.
What usually happens is they attempt to slam dunk the whole keyboard
with just one pass and consequently wind up with a real smooth
progression of intervals that smoothly drops quite flat. Shoddy work I
say. Oh, well, thats fodder for another topic I'm sure and the mail
police won't like it if I stray too far afield.

Joseph Alkana   RPT