tuning timing

[Michael Jorgensen]

Here's an answer from a unisonist, (one who finishes unison as one
goes--mostly)

1.  Pitch raising/lowering whole piano -12-15 minutes
2.  temperament octave middle strings  -5 minutes
3.  middle strings down to bass break--2 minutes
4.  finish unison up through temperament  and perfect temperament --12
minutes
5.  progress up to top of piano at rate of about one unison per minute--43
minutes
6.  Bass (done when I need to relax or mood dictates-10 minutes
Final checks 5 minutes

This is for a concert quality tuning.  When time short it comes out of #5,
and a bit of #6.  I just bang along faster than a uni a minute, (60 mph), I
just push er up around 90 to 120 and give the top octave a mere 2 minutes.

-Mike Jorgensen

Charles Neuman wrote:

> I'm curious how long it takes you all to complete each part of the tuning
> process. I'm not as concerned with the overal time as with the proportion
> of time spent on each section. For example, setting the temperament,
> midrange, high treble, and bass.
>
> The high treble seems to eat up a lot of time. The unisons are harder for
> me there since the beats are more sensitive to hammer movement. By the
> time I get to the last octave, I'm ready to scream, and the notes start to
> sound like a metal spoon hitting a frypan. Perhaps a nice grand would have
> nicer sounding notes up there. It seems like a drag to spend so much time
> on notes that will rarely be played.
>
> Charles Neuman
> Plainview, NY