David Andersen's whole-note tuning

[John Formsma]

On Nov 28, 2007 10:13 AM, David Andersen <david at davidandersenpianos.com>
wrote:

>
> On Nov 27, 2007, at 12:40 AM, Cy Shuster wrote:
>
> > I've tried this on some 7' pianos recently, and in the bottom
> > octave or so, all I can hear in fourths is a loud, staccato beat
> > about 10 cps or more. It's just a machine-gun sound, that I don't
> > know how to interpret.
> That's not what to listen for. Sounds like you're still putting it
> sharp (hence the partial-matching machine gun.) In the bottom,
> sometimes you have to wait for 4-5-6 seconds before the inharmonic
> garbage subsides and the slow roll of the 4th peeks through the
> clouds. In most pianos by the time I'm tuning A1 and below I'm mostly
> listening to double and triple octaves.
>

One can also use the double octave and the octave-fifth (inside the double
octave) all the way down the bass.  Example: when tuning F2, make F2-F4 beat
the same as F2-C4.  It will be slow beating with each of these.

This divides it up really well.  The octave-fifth beats noticeably if you're
too narrow.  The double octave beats noticeably if you're too wide.

You can use this in the treble as well.


>
> > Any tips?
> One more...in the bottom of the piano, tune the note low, and come UP
> to the "stillpoint." The double octave, on a good piano, should be
> beatless and pacific.


One thing I've learned this year with bass tuning is how the 6:3 and 12:6
octaves relate.  We train our ears to listen to the 6:3 partials when tuning
the bass.  As you go lower, particularly in the last octave, the 12:6
partials become more prominent.  They can trick you into thinking you're
hearing the 6:3 partials.  It's the same pitch, but an octave higher.
 Example:  When tuning C0-C1, the 6:3 partials coincide at G3.  The 12:6
partials coincide at G4.

On a large piano, the 12:6 octave can be just fine.  But it's a little too
stretched for smaller pianos, IMO.

With "whole-note tuning," I think it's easier to hear.  You don't have to
pay as much attention to which partials are doing what.  It's more
simplistic, at least to my ears, once you get used to it.  But it's good to
have some basic checks.  I mainly use octave-fifths and double/triple
octaves in either extremity.

-- 
JF

www.formsma.blogspot.com
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