Procedure for unison tuning two pianos.

[antares]

> Vinny wrote;
> 
>> I am an oral tuner, and will be tuning two Yamaha consoles
>> together.  If I make sure the A's are in exact tune with my
>> fork and with each other, and then proceed with my
>> temperament, should that be accurate enough; or are there
>> other methods?

Hi Vinny and list,

In the past, I have done many many double tunings without a tuning machine.
I have tried all kinds of procedures, such as :

Putting the pianos opposite from each other, so that it is easier to check
them at the same time with two hands.
Putting the 2 next to each other and stretching the arms and shoulders to
your physical limit.
Having somebody else play the notes of the other piano.
And more, 
but :

I came to the conclusion (in the end) that
a. If you have complete confidence in your work and you use the very same
method, your tunings will be quite accurate
b. if you have done what you could, and there may be, even then, a slight
difference, no one will hardly notice.
and,
c. a tuning machine is a tremendous help, and although I felt a certain
reluctance, out of conservatism, towards machines, I am now of a completely
different opinion.
First of all, if we use the 'right' machine, the result can actually be a
very accurate and even beautiful tuning. Furthermore, we still have our ears
and can thus correct  slight errors (just in case). Lastly, we can learn to
tune and judge even better when our ears are accustomed to always the same
high quality tuning.

I now look at a tuning machine as if it were the difference between brushing
a mile-long hallway (for instance in big a hotel) by hand and doing the same
job with a vacuum cleaner (I have seen people do this in Indian hotels in
India, where sometimes those poor suckers sweep the floors for ever and
ever, just because the hotel management wouldn't give them a proper vacuum
cleaner....btw...in Holland, a vacuum cleaner is called a 'dust
sucker'...how do you like that (;>)).

Nevertheless, I am absolutely NOT against tuning by ear, I have done more
than enough of that myself, but I just want to be more practical, and tuning
two or more pianos with a very trustworthy and accurate machine is just very
practical, with the very best result, and also.....in a relatively short
time.

Friendly greetings
from

André Oorebeek
Amsterdam, Holland

'where music is, no harm can be'