concert tuning procedure @ intermission

Michael Musial musepiano@hotmail.com
Sun, 10 Feb 2002 16:03:39


Hi

Bill Bremmer wrote:

>I approach this problem in two ways using the
>  False Beat Eliminator only as a last resort.   When a string just won't 
>settle, I pull it sharp  by an amount that would ordinarily be way too  
>much such as 10-30 cents.  A hard, sharp blow  brings it down instantly.  
>Sometimes, further  hard and sharp blows bring it once again way  flat.  I 
>may try pulling sharp again, maybe a  little more. When this just does not 
>work, I pull  the string a little sharp, then give a good and  quick jab 
>with the False Beat Eliminator.  This  will usually cause the string to go 
>very flat, as  much as 50 cents or more but when it is pulled up  again, it 
>will stay put.

Here is the tool I use to handle these troublesome
strings. It is a modified Oral-B toothbrush.
Since it is made of plastic or nylon I don't have
to worry about marking the plate every time I set
it down between uses.

http://www.neesium.com/piano/elim/

I do not use it a lot, but it is in my main
toolkit to bring out when dealing with upper
grand treble strings that tend to move in spurts.
After putting the string slightly above pitch I
will mainly apply gentle downward pressure to see
if that is sufficient to bring the pitch closer
than wrestling the pitch up and down repeatedly
hoping it lands in the ballpark. Sometimes giving
the note a light test blow while applying some
downward pressure will get the string to jump
into a different position closer to the pitch I
am shooting for.

I usually do not apply the type of pressure
associated with false beat elimination.

Occasionally, with really obstinate strings,
applying slight pressure on the hitch pin side of
the bridge or the tuning pin side of the capo will
work.(I rarely do this) Just double check the
results with a few good test blows before moving on.


Michael Musial
Reedsville Pa


_________________________________________________________________
Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp.



This PTG archive page provided courtesy of Moy Piano Service, LLC