Aural?

[Richard Brekne]

Actually this approach is not difficult, I am not exactly sure how Bill goes on
about it, but I also use Tunelab and RCT in such a fashion. For me it involves
just referencing and zeroing the ETD on a note after I have tuned this note by
ear. I use this reference to help in decisions about related octaves. Could
actually temper a piano in similiar fashion but I havent found that neccessary
yet. The result is that the ETD hasnt done a friggen thing exept directly
confirm beat rates I am listening for.  This gets kinda handy when you run into
an octave that just dont sound right no matter what you do.. switching partials
and rezeroing on my reference note I can quickly find out for absolutely sure
what partial is out of wack and if there is anything I can do about it. Its also
a neat way of helping deciding double octaves. AND... best of all useing an ETD
this way is probably the most enlightening experience you can have about the
behaviour of partials in octaves and other intervals. I highly recommend getting
good at direct partial referencing for any ETD user.

Farrell wrote:

> I am interested in understanding your use of the Sanderson AccuTuner. Your
> approach appears unique.
>
> > I have no need at all for the FAC type calculation.  I, in fact don't even
> > know how to do it and don't even want to learn.  To me, it is useless.
> *I*
> > and *I* alone determine the intervals and the stretch.
> >  I still do the wound
> > strings on most pianos entirely by ear and when I reach the 7th octave on
> > many pianos, I stop looking at the SAT.
>
>
>
> Terry Farrell
> Piano Tuning & Service
> Tampa, Florida
> mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: <Billbrpt@AOL.COM>
> To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
> Sent: Friday, September 29, 2000 12:41 AM
> Subject: Re: Aural?
>
> > In a message dated 9/28/00 10:50:01 PM Central Daylight Time,
> > ramsey@extremezone.com (Kevin E. Ramsey RPT) writes:
> >
> > << Hi, I have an unusual history. I first started tuning (snip, snip) I'm
> > still humble, although I seem to have an answer for everything. And by the
> > way, I do use my ear every time I tune, but mostly it's to check the
> results
> > I'm getting, which are quite good. Tuning's not hard, voicing a piano is
> what
> > counts. >>
> >
> > My own experiece is so similar to Kevin's that I can hardly believe I
> didn't
> > write what he did.  I am basically an aural tuner and was for some 21
> years
> > before I tried to use the SAT and it took me two years before the SAT was
> > anything more than an encumberence to what I always felt I could do
> "faster,
> > better and cheaper", as they say, by ear.
> >
> > I have no need at all for the FAC type calculation.  I, in fact don't even
>
> > know how to do it and don't even want to learn.  To me, it is useless.
> *I*
> > and *I* alone determine the intervals and the stretch.  I still do the
> wound
> > strings on most pianos entirely by ear and when I reach the 7th octave on
> > many pianos, I stop looking at the SAT.  I do not "count" beats.  I may
> make
> > a couple of initial estimates but after that, everything is done by
> > comparison of either exactly the same, slower or faster but without there
> > ever being a precise, numerical rate of beating affixed to any particular
> > interval.
> >
> > I wear ear plugs always.  The piano is so loud, I can hear all the beats I
> > need to hear right through them.
> >
> > I have often noticed that some of PTG's very best tuners learned all by
> > themselves.  In my opinion, it takes that kind of personality to be in
> this
> > business: a self-starter, musical talent, experience, perception and a
> desire
> > to work very hard at very small details that seem insignificant to others.
> >
> > I have often been confronted with the "how dare you?" admonition regarding
> > the way I tune and the fact that I most often use a temperament and octave
> > system that I designed myself.  I laugh to myself the number of times that
> > someone has looked me up and down and said, "You?, YOU?, ***YOU***?  You
> > think ***YOU*** know better than all of the people who contributed to the
> > volumes of HT's and the conventional wisdom of today?   ****YOU****!!!???
> >
> > The answer, is yes, I do.  There wasn't a single method in all of the
> books I
> > ever read that was good enough for me, so I came up with my own.  My
> methods
> > however are the synthesis of all of the many things I have learned along
> the
> > way by the many great PTG technicians, most of them Golden Hammer Award
> > winners who each has had his own style and perspective.  I've always
> believed
> > that a good student does not simply regurgitate the knowledge that has
> been
> > acquired but makes something new and evolutionary from it.
> >
> > Bill Bremmer RPT
> > Madison, Wisconsin
> >

--
Richard Brekne
RPT, N.P.T.F.
Bergen, Norway