Tuning styles with octaves

[jason kanter]

John, I'd wager you are accustomed to listening only to a subset of the
partials that are being generated by the octaves. There is no perfect octave
tuning - one must choose which partials one will use. For example, C1 and C2
have common partials at C2, C3, G3, C4, E4, G4, C5 etc. and it is not
possible, as far as I know, for any two of these partials to both be tuned
perfectly in the octave. If you are listening to the C2 partial, you are
tuning 2:1 octaves, if you are listening to C3 you are setting 4:2 octaves,
G3 - 6:3 octaves, C4 - 8:2 octaves (unlikely) etc.
It would be good for you to identify which octave type you prefer by finding
out which tests validate the octaves you prefer.

||  |||  ||  |||  ||  |||  ||  |||  ||  |||  ||  |||  ||  |||  ||  |||
jason kanter . piano tuning/regulation/repair
bellevue, wa . 425 562 4127 . cell 425 831 1561
orcas island . 360 376 2799
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Bec and John" <bjsilva001@comcast.net>
To: "Pianotech" <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Wednesday, June 09, 2004 7:38 PM
Subject: Tuning styles with octaves


> Hello,
>
> I am curious about people who do not tune octaves "perfectly". For
> instance, tuning bass notes flat or sharp in smaller pianos in favour
> of better partials.
>
> My own taste and philosophy is to tune all octaves completely
> beat-less. Even in the bass of small grands, if the note is off-tune in
> favour of a potentially less offending partial that will bother me far
> more than the partial. In the highest range, beats appear with the
> smallest of imperfections and, to me, perfectly clean higher notes (at
> least on a nice piano) are so pretty - even a very slow beat ruins it
> for me.
>
> So I was curious to hear people's explanations for stretching octaves.
> I always figured it was to humour the person they are tuning for,
> although I have gathered from postings on the list that some tuners
> prefer it themselves.
>
> When I was studying tuning I recall reading or hearing someone say that
> if the octaves were tuned "perfectly" they'd be off tune at either end
> of the piano - I found exactly the opposite! :)
>
> Thanks.
>
> - John
>
> _______________________________________________
> pianotech list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives
>