Nice post Dave. I agree completely.
While I used to be strictly an aural tuner and a stubborn one at that,
thinking aural was the "only way," I purchased Cyber Tuner only after it
finally did what I thought it should do. I use it in conjunction with my
ears always checking the tuning afterward to make sure things are where they
should be.
I too, have saved my best concert tunings onto it. When I need to tune for
a 2 concert duet which I do often, it comes in very handy as I can put the
exact same tunings onto both pianos which usually saves me about an hours
worth of time.
You are 100% correct when you say, we MUST be able to distinguish what is
correct from what is not correct. We can only do this aurally. No machine
is perfect. No ear is perfect either. While some are better than others, I
can say from first hand experience in talking to Dean Reyburn that Dean
tells people (he told me anyway) that the machine is not meant to be
substitute as a replacement for our human ear. It is an aide to it. We
must still be able to use our ears to tell us what, if anything in the
tuning is not correct and we must be able to correct it and not be afraid to
disagree with what the machine produces.
A friend of mine uses Tunelab. He likes to say, when my ear doesn't agree
with the outcome, guess who always wins? ME! I like to win! As he smiles.
Jer
-----Original Message-----
From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf
Of David Renaud
Sent: Saturday, April 04, 2009 11:35 AM
To: Pianotech
Subject: [pianotech] aural vs edt
I am an active CTE and perhaps can add some thoughts to muse over.
Point form so you can pick what you want to respond to.
1) EDTs are fantastic tools. As an aural tuner for 20 years integrating
EDT use has made me a better tuner. The ability to analyze my unisons
and stability has tightened up my unisions and improved stability. The
ability to analyze what I do aurally has given definition, clarity,
and consistency to choices of stretch. The ability to save my best aural
tunings on concert instruments has been an aid worth a fortune this last
month with bronchitis, on 6am tunings, and on long long days. From an
Aural tuning advocate let be first be very clear on this; the EDTs
we have today are fantastic tools, I approve of their use, they are here
to stay, aural tuners can learn much from EDT analysis.
2) EDT only tuners can also learn much from aural analysis. Any smooth
tuning stretch curve generated from samples as taken by cybertuner,
tunelab and such does not account for each and every string scaling change
and accompanying inharmonicity jump. As small as these jumps may be they
remain significant. When staring from a quality machine tuning and
subjecting the tuning to careful aural tests for smooth progressions of
intervals the machine tuning even on a nice piano like a Yamaha C7 will
move away from the generated curve significantly and jump back with each
string size change. Fine concert tuning requires smoothing out interval
progressions this way. Verituner and perhaps others will listen to
individual note inharmonisity and generate compensation for same. When asked
if we can use Verituner to generate a master tuning I am told it
still takes a few passes to gather enough information for this. The ear
I think must remain the boss, as good as EDTs become careful aural listening
will be the judge by the finest musicians and tuners.
3) If we will not preserve this aural tradition who will?
4) I need subs for my 4 regular concert venues from time to time....
I can not hire an EDT only tuner. What will they do if it crashes? What
will they do if your battery dies? What will they do
if they run over your kit with your car and kill the EDT(happened to one
tech I know) Tell the artist sorry, no tuning on stage today for the show.
I can not take this risk with my major clients when I send in a sub.
Therefore, you want to grow a business to include concert tuning, the top
musicians, and all the related references, Its less likely
to happen in this city without aural skills.
5) To many times I hear EDT only tuners who brag about "perfect" tunings,
"the same every time" that do not listen and trust the machine get followed
up with complaints. I subcontracted to one for a time and had to quite
because of complaints. No listening was taking place and the some of the
follow ups were scary tunings.
6) My personnel conclusion is integration is way of the future and is best.
Aural tuners can learn from EDTs, EDT tuners can learn from Aural
testing skills. Lets learn the best of both worlds and raise standards
all round.
2 cents worth for now
Cheers
Dave Renaud
from the Great White North
5)
this way.
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