> I'd appreciate some feedback on major pitch raises, as in 150-200 cents. > I've read all this stuff on five minute pitch raises and can't quite > figure out how one gets the time down to some reasonable period. I'm > usually about 45-60 minutes on each pass. Here from a economicaly suppressed country is my devalued 5cents worth: In the last few days I have needed to do two pitch raises, today it was a Knight which was about a quarter tone flat. To be even more specific than I probably need to be; I tune with a C fork, so my proceedure is as follows: I use a papps wedge when tuning, I set middle C a few beats above pitch depending how flat it is, I tune C down to G up to D down to A forths and fiths etc and end up at F above middle C, for a pitch raise that interval in screaming, but it is not important for a pitch raise. The unisons are rough (you dont spend time setting them), then (a sip of coffee) start tuning the octaves up, mute off the right hand of the 3 strings, tune the left, then middle then the right, again this is tuned rough but pulled up just above a perfect octave. And so, proceed up the treble and then back down from the scale to the bass. As it happened I timed myself today and it was 8 mins on this piano - now the result is a pitch raise - the piano is chromatic if played but, it is still out of tune but it is now an out of tune piano above pitch = my definition of a pitch raise. >From here (finish the coffee) I then give it a rough tune, from which I am dropping the tuning pin onto pitch rather than pulling it up. Then, a rough tune takes as long as it takes. And, from that point (after another cup) I can give it a fine tune. Did all that in hour and a half. > Specifically, how do you determine of string breakage is going to be an > issue? On "older" pianos, do you just jerk the strings up madly, even > risking string breakage? I just "did" a very old one stored in a barn, > telling the owner NOT to have it tuned as it positively would break > strings, and four broke, with piano still at least 50-cents flat after > three passes. On the other I had, it was a last century John Brinsmead straight strung overdamper. I told the owner before hand due to age and what I was going to do that strings might break (none did). As this was a semitone flat I set middle C at about a quarter tone sharp. This took longer to raise pitch as being an overdamper it was harder to place my wedge and with rust on some coils I loosened the string and then pulled it up, as well as a few loose pins I had to attend to. half an hour for that pitch raise, longer for the tunings and will pop back again next week to check it = included in the price. > Just looking for some pracitcal wisdom. > thanks > les bartlett > houston Hope the above is Would have been sooner to answer but caught in the world's time zone Brian Lawson _______________________ Lawsonic Pianoforte Services PO Box 751097 Garden View Johannesburg 2047 South Africa Voice Mail +27 (0)88 127 6584 http://www.bigfoot.com/~lawsonic ICQ: 28573941
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