EBVT compared with FAC Prg for same`

[Farrell]

You make a very good point regarding the need to go beyond plugging in FAC
numbers, using offsets and expecting a great Valotti (or whatenver HT)
tuning on the piano. Such use of the SAT (or any other VTD) is nothing more
than a machine tuning (even if only used for ET) that might be OK (perhaps
on a well-scaled piano) or more likely be off ranging from a bit to LOTS!

I have only tuned a few pianos with the Valotti, Young and Meantone HTs. In
the absense of any suitable aural checks for these tunings - and lack of
knowlegde of how to tune them aurally - what I did was to work out an ET
tuning (with appropriate aural checks) that I was happy with (essentially an
aurally modified FAC tuning - as are all my tunings) and record this in the
SAT (there are a variety of methods to save the tuning). After I am happy
with the ET, I enter the HT offsets to that tuning and proceed to "machine"
tune the piano with the SAT. Actually, most of the pianos I have tried HTs
on are pianos that I had tuned previously and have an established ET tuning
for them.

I'm no expert (just getting into the adequate range) ET tuner. Only
experimenting with HTs. Is mine a logical approach that is likely to yield
good results?

Terry Farrell
Piano Tuning & Service
Tampa, Florida
mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com

----- Original Message -----
From: "Kent Swafford" <kswafford@earthlink.net>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Monday, October 30, 2000 6:22 AM
Subject: Re: EBVT compared with FAC Prg for same`


> on 10/29/00 6:46 PM, Billbrpt@AOL.COM at Billbrpt@AOL.COM wrote:
>
> > But this is the way I make
> > my living, taking care of the pianos in my community, in homes, schools
and
> > churches.  I don't go around condemning the pianos I work with, I render
the
> > best service I can.  I have always had the gut feeling that the FAC
program
> > would be useless to me for doing this, and this experience, at least so
far,
> > confirms this.
> >
> > I just really wonder how well the "numbers method" really works for all
of
> > the other people who have tried an HT this way,
>
> Hi Bill -- a couple points:
>
> If you tune a lot of pianos with short scales, you would indeed be seeing
> weaknesses in FAC tunings. Reyburn CyberTuner was developed to take more
> data from pianos than FAC and adjust its calculations better for small
> scales.
>
> RCT used in conjunction with highly developed aural tuning tests delivers
> superior results on all sorts of pianos. The "problem" I see with ANY
> directions, including the ones included here with this post, for tuning
ANY
> non-equal temperament by VTD numbers, is the absence of aural checks that
> can be used to verify the results.
>
> This is why I believe, forgive me everyone(!), that Jim Coleman's well
> temperaments are a dead end, because they exist only as offsets and do not
> include complete descriptions of the intended aural results.
>
> As expressed by yourself and others, the tuning of musical instruments
> continues to evolve, and there is, I believe, still an unexplored
> opportunity to integrate aural and visual techniques in the tuning of
> non-equal temperaments. Tuning ET is not either/or when it comes to
> aural/visual and neither should EBVT. Your aural and visual instructions
for
> tuning this temperament need to be combined, in my opinion.
>
> I can tune equal temperament well because, I believe, I don't limit myself
> to aural or visual techniques but rather fully use both methods. I am
> convinced that a similar integration of aural and visual techniques could
be
> applied to circle of fifths temperaments. It is just a matter of taking up
> the challenge and developing the techniques. RCT, for example, is not
> limited to tuning through the scale in chromatic fashion because it
already
> includes the ability to tune temperament patterns in any sequence of
notes.
> There is a real opportunity to contribute to the profession by taking on
> this endeavor of integrating aural and visual techniques for the tuning of
> the non-equal temperaments.
>
> Kent Swafford
>
>