Tuning narrow and wide

[Alan Forsyth]

Tony Caught, Adelaide Australia wrote;

>>>"In America when you sit for a tuning exam, can you do the exam on a
Yamaha U1 piano ?....">>>

Probably the easiest piano in the world to tune aurally!


>>>"You set a scale in accordance to a piano, you tune up then down to the
scale you set................ but when you start going down on a poorly
scaled piano you notice immediately that you have a problem so you sort it
out using a combination of methods to level out the sudden jump in
inharmonicity..." >>

Which is why I include the bass break in my bearing scale.

>>>" But this is still all based on the original scale that is set and that
is the way it should be.  ...To deviate from this standard (variations
accepted) is not in my opinion a good practice. To allow a machine to say "
Hey my C1 inharmonicity is way, way, out, so you have to tune the piano with
a scale that will accept me and to hell with every other note." is not
good.......So I guess that the correct way to tune a piano is still by ear.
...........">>>

Which is what I have found, for the temperament scale at least. I have tried
using various electronic devices to set the scale for me and the results
have proved to be most unsatisfactory. The 5ths are awful, the 4ths are
disgusting, the 3rds are absolutely wicked, the 6ths are revolting, and the
overall effect is diabolical.
I have always tuned my scale by ear and then, and only then will I use an
ETD to tune the unisons and octaves from thereon, calibrating the ETD to my
original scale. If any of you users of Tunelab out there who perhaps have a
tuning file for a 1920's Gulbransen upright, will you kindly send me a copy
so I can check if I am perhaps wrong!

Regards,
Alan Forsyth
Edinburgh.

Have your piano tuned for Christmas so you can play Jingle Bells instead of
Jangle Bells!