stability of pitch raises

[Farrell]

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Kevin wrote:

I've been fully immersed in this work for about ten years. The learning =
curve shows no sign of flattening out yet, I just keep getting new =
things to look at. Like key weighting, my next area of inquiry.

Aw geezze! I figured ten years would be the magic number. I'd have it =
all figured out be then! What a way to burst a guy's bubble. Actually, =
though that is so very encouraging, because the fun is in learning. I =
think that is why I can quote Willis Snyder: "When I go to sleep at =
night, I still dream of pianos." Way cool to be that excited about =
something you love - and I think the love grows best when new things are =
constantly learned. It's like a marriage: If you are not growing, your =
marriage is dying.

Terry Farrell =20
  ----- Original Message -----=20
  From: Kevin E. Ramsey=20
  To: pianotech@ptg.org=20
  Sent: Monday, September 03, 2001 12:15 PM
  Subject: Re: stability of pitch raises


      Terry wrote:
     =20
      "Now this is where my original question came from. What I am =
trying to do
  here is understand how slow I may be. I assume here that you have been =
at
  this profession for a goodly number of years. I read so many posts =
from
  techs that I am doing something wrong if I spent more than 20 minutes =
on a
  pitch raise. Some claim to do 6 to 8 minute pitch raises. OK, 61 cents =
is a
  large one pass pitch raise (I realize in this particular case you did =
two
  more octaves), so lets give this pitch raise 15 to 20 minutes. Throw =
in
  another 5 or 10 for the extra two octaves. We are still below a half =
hour.
  Now the tuning claims - never more than an hour - 40 minutes - 30 =
minutes.
  So how about 45 minutes for tuning? Then we have 45 + 25 =3D 70 =
minutes. One
  hour and ten minutes. What you did usually takes me right about 2 =
hours, and
  I would not have done any voicing.

  I'm not trying to pick on you Kevin - I don't know that you have ever
  claimed to be one of these 20 minute tuners - but is anyone willing to =
give
  an opinion - Are these claims of 8 minute pitch raises and 30 minute =
tunings
  just testosterone running wild? Or are many/most tuners that quick =
after 10
  years in the field? (Again, I am trying to flush out the truth, not =
pick on
  anyone!)"

      No, I'm not one of those lightning fast pitch raisers. I like to =
get the pitch as close as possible the first time. Therefore, I don't as =
a rule just start yanking things up as quickly as possible, and I do set =
the strings while I pitch raise, so that, once again, I know it's going =
to stay pretty much there.   =20
      I've been fully immersed in this work for about ten years. The =
learning curve shows no sign of flattening out yet, I just keep getting =
new things to look at. Like key weighting, my next area of inquiry.
     =20
      I understand your previous posting concerning first pass, just =
raising to pitch technique. I've done the same thing on really old, =
really flat pianos in order to avoid popping strings. A little more =
work, but much kinder on the piano. I've also heard too many stories =
about busted plates, and I (Knock on Wood) have never experienced one.
      I remember asking Bill Spurlock one time about doing pitch raises =
unisons as you go, if that wouldn't stress the piano too much by having =
one side of it up to pitch and the other completely flat. He said that =
he had done plenty of them as much as 80 cents flat that way and never =
had a problem. That was good enough for me. But on an older piano, which =
may not be structurally as sound, sometimes I try to spread the tension =
out a little first. Just to be safe.
      Hope this helps. Others will do it differently, of course.





  Kevin Ramsey
  ramsey@extremezone.com

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