Pitch Raise Sequence

[Farrell]

Ahh Ha! I got an answer for you. "Why would you have any overpull at all at
88?" Ya don't.

Example: Piano is 50 cents flat A0 to C88. Start pitch raise (PR) @ A0. Use
about a 17% (or so) overpull for bass. Up from the bass break, use 25%
overpull (of course now, the next string you PR will actually be starting
from about 70 cents flat) for all tenor strings (a teeny tiny bit less for a
few wound strings in tenor, if present). Start with a 33% overpull with the
first treble tricord (the first ones will be about 70 cents flat to start).
Continue with 33% overpull, remeasuring (more frequent remeasuring with an
unevenly flat piano) at reasonable intervals (I find that by the last octave
I might be starting with an 80 + cents flat string). The last few notes, I
will not overpull quite as much as the SAT is suggesting. I turn the PR
overpull off when I get to A#86, B87 or C88 (it's a critical calculation
based on moon phase, earth's magnetic field polarity fluctuations, etc.) and
maybe pull them a few cents sharp. The last unison on C88 gets NO overpull.

I find that on 80%+ pianos that start off 50 cents flat or less, the above
method will get me within 2 cents on 80%+ of the notes (less in hi treble)
(I am estimating the percentages - but I don't think I am exaggerating too
much - at least it seems that way ;-). In bass and tenor especially, I will
often find a dozen center strings that I do not move on my tuning pass, and
often find a good dozen or so unisons that I do not touch (not always, but
often - of course more often on a 10-cent PR than a 50 cent PR).

Of course, if my foot switch breaks and my auto-stepping goes crazy and
sneaks to a point half an octave away and I gotta retune a whole bloody *&%$
half a piano AGAIN (after of course ANOTHER pitch adjust), I just give up.
BUT don't ask, because I love my SAT III and I would never say anything bad
about it. :-(

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

----- Original Message -----
From: "Ron Nossaman" <RNossaman@KSCABLE.com>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Saturday, September 09, 2000 12:38 PM
Subject: Re: Pitch Raise Sequence


> >Hmmmm. This is not my observation. The SAT recommended overpulls of 25%
in
> >tenor and 33% in treble generally work well for me. That would suggest
more
> >overpull in treble (larger pitch correction plus larger overpull).  :-)
>
> Hmmmm again. I guess I really don't know what the actual overpull is in
the
> treble doing it aurally. All I have to go on is overpull relative to what
> I've already overpulled an octave down, so I don't have numbers. The aural
> process requires a progressive lessening of overpull (relative to an
octave
> down) as you go up the treble, ending with a very nearly pure octave at
88.
> OK, I have a question. If you SAT pitch raise from the bass to treble,
> tuning unisons as you go, why would you have any overpull at all at 88,
> since the rest of the piano should be all nicely compressed and at pitch
> and that last unison shouldn't knock the adjacent notes down appreciably?
> Doesn't compute, unless I'm not understanding how the overpull estimate is
> stated.
>
>
> Ron N
>