Moving from Uprights to Grands

[Alan Barnard]

Are you ready for this? Are you sure? Okay, sit down, buckle up, say a
little prayer for strength.

I'm about to let you in on the secrets of the trade, reveal the mysteries
reserved only for the most prepared and initiated supplicant ...

1. Sit down.
2. Open tool case.
3. Tune piano.
4. Accept check with smile and thanks.
5. Leave.

Okay, sorry. Just having a little fun with you. There is no mystery. Angle
yourself facing the bass (assuming you are a righty). Place the hammer so
that it points away from you, as close to parallel with the strings as you
reasonably can. When you get to the top octave, you may have to use a
longer tip, a steeper-angled head, or a tip extension. Also, you may have
to move around to the right side of the piano to tune without the strut and
case getting in your way. You'll quickly figure that out.

You can strip the piano or whatever you are used to, but mute-moving is
easier and less of a hassle in grands. On the unisons adjacent to struts,
you will have to put a mute between two of the three strings and tune the
left or right string first, then move the mute and tune the center string,
etc. You'll quickly figure that out, too.

Have fun.

Alan Barnard
Salem, Missouri


> [Original Message]
> From: <mps@usol.com>
> To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
> Date: 07/20/2005 11:21:05 AM
> Subject: Moving from Uprights to Grands
>
> When someone feels he/she may be ready to begin trying their hand 
> at tuning Grand pianos, (when all they have had experience tuning is 
> Uprights), what should they do first?
>
>
> Thank you very much
>
> Mark
> Montbriand
>
> _______________________________________________
> pianotech list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives