Help with "bad" tuning...need help

[David Ilvedson]

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Obviously, he's using a pitch fork/aural, which is a good thing=
 for a beginning tuner.  An ETD would have given him an exact=
 measurement of the general tuning of the piano.   I feel and ETD=
 is a necessary piece of equipment in the tuners kit.   Doug=
 could have quickly brought the piano up to pitch and then tuned=
 as best he can aurally.

David I.

----- Original message ---------------------------------------->
From: Terry <terry@farrellpiano.com>
To: Pianotech <pianotech@ptg.org>
Received: Mon, 13 Dec 2004 22:49:55 -0500
Subject: Re: Help with "bad" tuning...need help

Hi Doug, 
 
So please give us some details......
 
"It was not that out of tune, A440 sounded like it was between=
 g-sharp and a, but not an entire half/step off."
 
Was that before you tuned it? Or after? How are you tuning -=
 aurally, ETD? Could you not measure pitch fairly precisely? Did=
 you do a separate pitch raise before tuning? What methodology=
 did you use?
 
Terry Farrell
----- Original Message ----- 
From: Doug Renz Piano Tuning 
To: pianotech@ptg.org 
Sent: Monday, December 13, 2004 8:51 PM
Subject: Help with "bad" tuning...need help


As a new piano tuner, I am learning a lot as I go and tune=
 different
piano=92s and typically I am tuning the older piano=92s and some=
 new/better
ones.  This past Sat. I tuned a piano for a home that had a=
 console
that had never been tuned =91in a long time=92. I warned them that I=
 might
break strings and that it will go out of tune quickly because of=
 the condition
of the strings and the piano itself. Well I was called back by
the customer saying =91the piano is still out of tune and you must=
 not
have checked it before you left=92.  Before I left I told him,=
 =91your piano
is most likely going to go flat somewhat because it has not been=
 tuned
at all in such a long time (20+ yrs) and that it should tuned=
 every 6 months. The
piano was old and recently had some action work, but the strings=
 looked
old and dirty.  I was careful not to break any strings and when I=
 left it sounded
good and the funny thing was the customer said it sounded good=
 after I finished.
It was not that out of tune, A440 sounded like it was between=
 g-sharp and a, but
not an entire half/step off.
 
So, what do I do now? Has anyone been in my shoes before? Go back=
 and
do a =91free=92 fix it up tuning, or tell him, he has to pay for a=
 2nd tuning. Is this
going to risk my reputation? He had the action done by another=
 local PTG member
and I am afraid that if I don=92t go back and =91fix=92 this, I am=
 going to get that
reputation and the other PTG member might tell others about the=
 =91part time=92 tooner,
which I do not want to be and this is why I joined the PTG, to=
 get better. Any
thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated.
 
I thought the tuning was good, inspite of the condition of the=
 piano and the strings.
It sounded alot better, but I knew it was going to need another=
 tuning soon.
 
Any advice, thoughts?
 
Thanks.
Doug Renz
Associate PTG member, Rochester, NY


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