stability of pitch raises

[Eugenia Carter]

Hi Paul,

It all depends....

On the piano, its age, its condition...

and experience. :-)

Yes, it is quite acceptable to tune using an ETD from A0 to C88 and end up
with a tuning that will be very close to its desired pitch. I learned this
technique from Dr. Al and have used it for years. It works quite well for
me. Another technique that I learned from him was to tune all unisons as I
go. In other words, no strip mute is used. These two combinations produce
quick and really stable pitch raises.

A few rules to using this approach:
1. Use a stored tuning close to the kind of piano you're getting ready to
tune, or do a FAC and use that.
2. Measure the piano overall (I measure all the As since A0 is the default
first note). This gives you a general idea of where the piano's current
pitch is but keep in mind that as you are tuning upward, those original
measurements will probably change.
3. Begin at A0, but remember to re-measure at least every octave and
re-calculate the overpull.

Doing a pitch raise using this method should leave the piano almost at
pitch, if not at pitch overall. The piano will still need to be fine tuned.
Using this method, I can pitch raise and fine tune usually in less than 60
minutes....depending....:-)

A few caveats I've learned over the years that work for me...

If the steel strings are considerably more flat than the wound strings,
begin with the first steel string, proceed to C8, then tune the bass. I've
found that in many cases, the wound strings will still need to be gone over
twice, but will not need to be overpulled.

The newer the piano, the less amount of overpull needed. I have no
scientific data to back this up, only empirical evidence. I think it may be
because the wire itself is not as worn, has not lost its elasticity, and
therefore responds quicker. Another reason to check and measure frequently.

The older the piano, the more overpull needed possibly due to the wire's
loss of tensile strength.???? Also another reason to measure frequently.

Older pianos that have rust, obviously haven't been tuned in years much less
brought up to pitch, broken parts, etc., should be treated very cautiously
and the client warned beforehand that strings may break.

Come to TSA in October where I'm teaching this class and I'll give you more
info than you ever wanted. :-)

Hope this helps some.

Gina


----- Original Message -----
From: "Paul Tizzard" <ptizzard@mweb.co.za>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Saturday, September 01, 2001 6:33 PM
Subject: Re: stability of pitch raises