Tuning styles with octaves

[Don]

Hi,

Sometimes two sets of partials will match by accident. The rest don't
however. There is no such thing therefore as a truely "beatless" octave. If
you tune aurally your ear will tend to "lock on" to the loudest beats and
ignore the softer ones. It still behooves you to find out what octave style
you prefer, or which "size" suits your client. Sometimes the client will
have a strong preferrence which may be accomodated by using octave testing.

At 10:38 PM 09/06/2004 -0400, you wrote:
>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
>
>

Regards,
Don Rose, B.Mus., A.M.U.S., A.MUS., R.P.T.

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