Hi Susan. Thank you so much for your very informative response and help, It is much appreciated. This is great advice! All the Best, Aart On Jan 31, 2006, at 9:18 PM, Susan Kline wrote: > Hello, Aart. I've tuned modern Blüthners a few times, enough to feel > comfortable tuning the fourth string. > > My procedure is this: use two wedge mutes. Insert one between the > second and third string, and one between the third and fourth. Tune > the first string, remove a mute and tune the second string to the > first. Move the second mute so it only mutes the fourth string. Finish > tuning the normal unison, and get it to your satisfaction. You haven't > let the fourth string vibrate yet. > > Now comes the fun part. Take out the last mute, and see what happens > to the unison and its timbre, when played normally. Often it starts to > sound crummy. Pluck the fourth string to be sure it isn't out in left > field, and then move it a very short distance up and down, until the > unison rings sweetly again. Then, for insurance, pluck the fourth > string and see that it is still roughly the same pitch as the others. > The timbre of the unison determines where the fourth string is tuned, > not its exact pitch, but it should be close to the others. I > experimented a little with moving it down to different notes, and got > some good sounds from the main note, but I knew it was designed to be > a unison (in the high treble, at least) so I brought it back up. > > The listening is quite pleasant, and fairly soon the fourth string > won't take much of your time to set. Once the fourth strings have been > tuned well a few times, they seem to offer a stability to the unisons > in the high treble during loud playing. I was surprised by this, but I > have observed it several times. > > I thought about why they built in the fourth string. It doesn't add > volume ... But, tuning the speaking strings first, with the fourth > string muted, I believe I found a good reason for the fourth string. > The normal strings are so clean that they sort of disappear when > played together, if well tuned. You know that experience, when you've > really nailed a clean unison on a clean-tuning grand, and the sustain > disappears and the tone goes all white? The terminations of the fourth > string are slightly weird, and its timbre isn't all white like that. > It puts back the sustain and tonal interest by removing the > unreasonable cleanliness from the unisons. Just (TOTALLY) my own > opinion! > > Best, > Susan Kline > > At 08:46 PM 1/31/2006 -0500, you wrote: >> Hello All. >> >> I just received a call to tune a Bluthner. >> This is the first time I am tuning this manufacturer's piano. >> Can anyone please advise me on the tuning of the fourth string per >> note in the treble that vibrates sympathetically with the other >> three. >> >> Thanks and Best Regards. >> >> Aart Markenstein >> >> >> Aart in America Piano Services >> Hoboken, N.J. 07030 >> 201 406 2594 >> aartinamerica@optonline.net >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Pianotech list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives > > _______________________________________________ > Pianotech list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives >
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