I wouldn't say "extremely hard test blows" but he is of the school that the pin should be manipulated while giving the string firm and frequent blows. The C&A people at Steinway make the same recommendation (as do others). I heard a presentation of Mohr's not too long ago in which he advised, in a half joking manner, that if a technician was tuning your piano and played the notes gently as they tuned, that you should throw them out. I have found that tuning with firm and frequent blows does help stability--though I find it is more necessary in the treble (capo sections especially) than lower down. The greater extrusion of the tenor and bass tend to keep things moving more naturally. As a general rule I find that the piano requires firmer blows as you ascend the scale. You don't need to use "extremely hard test blows" while tuning. In fact, I don't like to use "extremely hard test blows" at all. If you tune while playing the note frequently and firmly, a final whack to the note doesn't really help and might even be counterporductive. It doesn't hurt, by the way, to play a bit more softly when you want to listen carefully for accuracy. David Love davidlovepianos@earthlink.net > I've heard stories that Franz Mohr used extremely hard test blows when > tuning. Of course, I've also heard that his tunings were rock-solid > stable. There seems to be a correlation here. > > Any further comments? > > Corte Swearingen > Chicago
This PTG archive page provided courtesy of Moy Piano Service, LLC