honky tonk tuning

[Dave Nereson]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Carl Teplitski" <koko99@shaw.ca>
To: "Pianotech" <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Sunday, May 16, 2004 6:29 PM
Subject: honky tonk tuning


> For some time now, I've been thinking of sending this post
> to the list , to see if there was a definitive answer . I've
> procrastinated,
> because I thought it might be a dumb question.  What I would like to
> know,
> is this. Is the tuning we hear on Rag- Time recordings, a special
> tuning, or
> just a piano which happens to be badly out of tune. I know of course
> that
> many pianos badly out of tune, sound like this, but on these recordings,
> they
> seem to be quite consistent across the keyboard, which leads me to
> believe that
> this piano was tuned exactly for this particular recording.  What I'm
> trying to say is
> that the piano sounds like the out of tuneness seems to be very even
> thru - out.
> If in fact my suspicions are correct, I would be interested in knowing
> what the
> tuning looked like on paper, ( like E.T. , or some of the other tunings
> ).
> For instance, how the beats were arrived at.
>
> Carl / Winnipeg.

    I can almost guarantee that no tuning, never mind rocket, science was
used.  And it depends on which recording.  I have a recording of Art
Tatum -- that's THE Art Tatum -- where they didn't bother to tune the piano
and it sounds like it was deliberately given a "honky-tonk" tuning.  I'm
sure it was just neglect and lack of respect for jazz as a "serious" idiom.
    On some ragtime and "Dixieland" recordings, the "honky-tonk" sound is
obtained by putting thumbtacks in the hammers or by using, in place of the
middle pedal mute strip, a "rinky-tink" strip, still available in the Schaff
catalog, enabling you to let the hammers get chewed up for only 43 bucks,
when the thing probably costs 5 bucks to make (or you could make your own
for about the same cost).
    On other recordings, they simply used the piano "as is", that is, not
tuned for 5 years or so.  Or, if they deigned the artist worthy of the
expense, maybe they actually hired a tuner to tune one or two strings of
each unison in tune, and the third string out of tune by a few beats.
    Unless the pianist was aware of temperaments, beats, etc., I doubt the
"honky-tonk" tuning received any more consideration than just, "Make it
sound like an old upright in a Western saloon."
    Now, for more serious recordings of ragtime, such as those done by Max
Morath and others during the late 1970's ragtime revival, where historical
accuracy and appreciation of the ragtime idiom as a valid American art form
was of some concern, the pianos are IN TUNE.  It's usually only the
stereotyped presentations of ragtime that receive the rinky-tink treatment
or honky-tonk tuning - straw hat - sleeve garter - pizza or ice cream parlor
approach.
    --David Nereson, RPT