left-handed tuning

[Allen Wright]

Michele,

I like tuning left-handed on uprights (and right-handed on grands  
based on the same reasoning) because of the nature of the feedback I  
get when the pin is being pushed up as I'm raising the note or pulled  
down as I'm lowering the note. It seems like a mixed signal when for  
example in a grand, tuning left-handed, you find yourself pushing the  
pin away (bending the pin - and thus the string - flat a bit) while  
the pin is simultaneously raising the pitch by turning in the block.  
Does this bother anyone else, I wonder? This wouldn't be an issue if  
we were all putting the tuning hammer at exactly 12:00 on every pin,  
but I doubt that anyone does - I tend to be off axis a bit one side  
or the other, depending on whether it's a grand or upright.

I was forced to tune left-handed on all pianos for a few months when  
I had a right shoulder injury, and it never seemed quite as easy on  
grands as tuning right-handed.

I tend to tune the bass on uprights with my right hand (the body  
position seems more comfortable) and then from the bass break up sit  
in the other direction and tune with the left-hand (which seems  
especially easier to me in the high treble, if I want to stay seated,  
or with a piano that might be against a wall).

But everyone discovers out what works best for them, I suppose.

Best regards,

Allen Wright, RPT
London, UK

On Nov 30, 2007, at 1:40 AM, pianotech-request at ptg.org wrote:

> I have a question I’ve been wondering about for some time and I’m  
> going to try to explain it correctly.
>
>
>
> I tune uprights left handed.  A while back, I had some nerve damage  
> to my hand doing an especially tough pitch raise and started doing  
> pitch raises right handed and fine tunings with my left.  I  
> discovered that pitch raises are easier to do right-handed (for  
> me).  It’s easier to pull than to push and it seems that I land  
> closer to the pitch.  It always seemed like I had to go too far  
> sharp to land the pitch correctly when I was doing pitch raises  
> left handed.
>
>
>
> Just wondering if any other lefties have had similar experiences.
>
>
>
> Michelle Smith
>
> Smith Piano Service
>
> Bastrop, Texas





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