Hello
Might I suggest you try ghosting as a focusing
technique to hear the beats.
Examples.
tuning a 4th: Tune F3 to Bb3 slightly wide.
Get it close by ear, when you are in range ghost
the 4:3 partial at F5. You can do this 2 ways.
a: audition the ghost solo by depressing F3 and Bb3
quietly without sounding the notes, then strike F5
FF to excite the sympathetic 4:3 beating on F3 and Bb3
respectively. b) play f3 and Bb3 quietly and strike F5
loudly to amplify the 4:3 partial within
the whole sound.
example 2: tuning a 3rd f3-a3
Depress f3 and a3 without sounding the notes, just
to disengage the dampers. Strike A5 forte as a
staccato note. The A5 tone will speak sympathetically
as the 5th partial on F3, and on the 4th partial on
A3.
This sounds the beating portion of the 3rds tone.
When this beating sound is clear in your mind, sound
the 3rd quietly sustained and amplify the beating
partial with loud staccato blows to A5.
example 3: tuning a 5th F3 to C4.
As above depress or sustain F3 and C4 while striking
C5; the partials at the 3rd and 2cond level
respectfully. By striking the C6 you may generate a
different faster beat rate at the 6:4 level. Both
rates are there in the sound together. Listen and
tune to the 3:2 not the 6:4 level.
Example 4 : Octave tuning.
Enjoyed the samples of octaves recently posted.
Hope to post some similar stuff soon.(time!!)
Take A1 to A2,
Ghost A3and make it pure
Ghost E4 & make it pure
Ghost A4 & make it pure
Ghost C#5 & make it pure
You will find that with each step higher in the series
the sound requests a progressively wider octave.
The 6:3 half way between a double octave from the
lower note, and the triple octave is a good
compromise. It is said there is a sweet spot somewhere
between these reference points. I do not uphold onto
these points as fixed tuning spots, but only as known
sign posts indicating where we are in the spectrum.
Ghosting is best used as an amplifier of a
desired reference point. When ghosting is used solo
the whole string is not in normal motion.
I hypothesize the pitch is microscopically
different.(have not succeeded in measuring this
yet..must try)
Try this
A) tune A1-A2 by sustaining A1-A2 quietly with the
left hand and ghosting A3-E4-A5(octave with a 5th in
the middle) by a loud staccato blow with the right
hand. This generates 3 beat rates which you may hear
in clear conflict. Try to tune the best blend of the
confusing rates to nullify there collective effect
insomuch as possible.
B) Try ghosting the whole dominant 7th cord over A1-A2
in various inversions E4-G4-A4-C#5...and even higher
inversion for fun.(I know G4 is not in the A2 series,
but it is in A1, and the first harmonic of the G4 you
are striking is in the A2 series) The point is; we are
experimenting amplifying more complex & more
fully complete parts of the whole tone within the
context of sounding the whole tone.
I find experimenting with this stuff helps in the
following ways as teaching and focusing techniques.
1)the student learns the harmonic series under their
fingers in a practical way...not just in the head.
2)It helps the student hear beats more clearly sooner
by helping them focus at specific levels.
3) It helps clarify the spead of harmonics from pure
and clarify the need for choices, and the acceptable
range choices.
4) It allows individual pianos to speak to the student
about octave choices early in the learning curve.
I likely could go on with benefits, but let my
conclude with this thought. I believe it is true
what Virgil has been saying about the whole sound.
With our machines, and advanced understanding of sound
we have learned to define fixed points of reference
that sometime take away from the complex nature of
tone and subtle difference that may dictate for
pitch. By ghosting over quit sustained whole
sounds with multiple ghosts that represent more of the
whole sound I think we temper our 6:3s in the bass
accordingly to individual strings and sounds.
We are led to balance sometimes conflicting elements
and quirks that appear throughout individual pianos.
My hope is to find time to record demos of the
results of perfect 4:2 6:3 8:4 octaves at various
places in the bass, and also record ghosting
sounds and results it generates to see how that
changes my judgement placing pitch into the whole
spectrum.
As a footnote; I do not actually find time
for much of this fun and games during road tuning.
Sometimes at a concert hall on a good 9 foot it is
interesting to take the time during an early morning
session alone and quiet. Most small pianos on the road
get 6:3 bass imposed on them; for no matter
where I put it the sound still bugs me. I have
concluded for now that this is the best compromise. On
good quality big pianos listening and pondering these
things is fascinating.
Cheers
David Renaud
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