On zaterdag, jun 21, 2003, at 14:00 Europe/Amsterdam, Tony Caught wrote: > > > > > Tony Caught wrote: > > > Hopefully the people that write the programs for these ETD's are > listening > and are hard at work rewriting some of the software to overcome the > known > existing shortfalls. It would appear that this is going to be the > tuning > method of the future so lets get it right now before it gets to late. > > Tony Caught > Adelaide Australia > caute@bigpond.com.au I dare say Tony, that if you know how to tune unisons at their most beautiful (and I believe you can do that), and if you know how to really set dem pins solidly....than working with the machine I described to you before will freeze your blood. Yesterday I came to the house of a very good, professional pianist. I usually do not tune for him as that is done by a colleague, so it is not my tuning client. He calls me mainly once a year for servicing his action and for a fresh voicing. Of course I will then first tune his instrument (a Yamaha S400E). This time, he complained about the S400, saying that already two times the grand had gone out of tune really fast, right after his tuner had tuned it. So I decided to do a turbo tuning, with which I mean : a real concert tuning. I then take more care than usual, as if my life depended on whether the tuning would stay or not. I took out 'ma box', decided very carefully on which pitch I should tune and took a full 50 minutes to set strings and pins according to the spinner on my ETD's display. Afterwards the piano was ready for a concert and the pianist was ecstatic! (no pills, just weak herbal tea) The instrument had changed so completely that he totally forgot about regulation and voicing. As it was late in the afternoon, I decided I had had it myself for the day, and I promised to come back next week to finish the job. What I am actually trying to say here, is that because the greatest care had been taken to follow exactly what my box was telling me, all intervals were astonishingly pure (as far as they can be) and the sequential progress was so even that all 88 keys formed one huge family in a very harmonic accordance. This is what we as tuners strive for and what is so very difficult to accomplish a couple of times a day (tuners in Holland working for a boss do 6 a day). My box listens to 8 overtones and is continually referring to a most perfect example. Next to that it aims for the very best and most honest distribution or spread between each interval. I have learned to trust this ability and fare blinded on it. The only condition is that we make sure that we get those strings on the most exact spot where they need to be, but aren't we doing that every day? or aren't we at least trying? I hope this example will make feel a bit more trusting. Antares, The Netherlands see my web site : www.concertpianoservice.nl and : www.grandpiano.nl
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