Left Handed tuning/pitch raises

[reggaepass at aol.com]

Interesting and timely thread (for me, at least).  Lots of good input 
about the benefits of tuning left-handed.

I have experienced increasing back problems as I grow into middle age.  
The deep-tissue message therapist who works on me says the imbalance 
between my right and left lats is exacerbating the problem.  The left 
side is normally developed and the right side, highly developed.  This 
is no doubt due to the asymmetrical nature of our work.  Anything I can 
do to give the right side less of a work out and the left side more (in 
exercise as well as work) would be beneficial.  So yesterday I did my 
first complete tuning pass left-handed (and the ratio right to left is 
now tens of thousands to one!).  It was a pitch-raise pass on an 
upright done with an impact-tuning lever.  It was tedious and tiring, 
but the longest journey begins with blah, blah, blah.

Looking back, here is some advise about tuning I wish I had gotten 
decades ago (and headed):


Use hearing protection

Do at least some tuning with your non-dominant side.

Use some kind of key pounder (something between your hand and the key) 
as much as is feasible for your personal hand traffic style (I have one 
I use when sitting and another for standing).

Alternate between sitting and standing positions

Get a tuning lever that is as stiff and lightweight as possible (My 
current weapon of choice n this regard is Fujan.  YMMV.)

FWIW,

Alan Eder


-----Original Message-----
From: pcpoulson at sbcglobal.net
To: bdornfeld at earthlink.net; Pianotech List <pianotech at ptg.org>
Sent: Thu, 29 Nov 2007 10:13 pm
Subject: Re: Left Handed tuning/pitch raises

Michelle: I taught myself to tune left handedly on
uprights using an impact hammer, and would never switch back. I was 
finding that
trying to tune the bass with my right hand was putting a sever strain 
on my back
dut to the twisted position that required. Very bad body mechanics. I 
started
training myself to use the impact hammer on pitch raises, first just in 
the
bass, and then gradually up to the mid treble. I then switch back to 
tuning
right handed up to the top. The technique will come, if you stick with 
it. I
tune grands with my right hand, as there is little or no twisting 
required to
tune the bass.
Good luck,
Patrick C. Poulson
Registered Piano Technician
Piano
Technicians Guild


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