[pianotech] aural pitch raises

[John Formsma]

I'm just now able to make some replies to this thread.  And, by the way,
though my first name is John, my last name is clearly indicated ....  Whew!
what a time-waster that other John is!
Anyway ... there were four basic areas on which I'll comment: speed and
techniques, fees, Ron N's way, and ETDs still faster.


   - Speed and techniques.
   - I'm not worrying about settling pins -- just getting them closer each
      time to where they should end up. You can kind of approximate
where the pin
      would settle (if you were to take time to set it) by tuning a
certain amount
      sharp. It will settle as you tune, and certainly by the second or third
      pass.
      - Lever technique for verticals is a "karate chop" with my palm.  I
      first saw Jim Coleman doing this in 2000.  Over the years, I've
begun to do
      it as well.  It's actually easier and faster for me than the CyberHammer,
      which I use as well.  The Fujan lever is much lighter and easier to
      manipulate, so I find I like that tool better.  It's actually
faster for me.
       Grand lever technique is usually an impact method, with my hand
staying in
      one position on the lever -- right below the ball end (on the
Fujan).  And I
      usually stand after setting the temperament (which will be set in about a
      minute or so on the first pass, and a bit more time on the second).
      - I strip mute for all pitch raises. Usually one strip in the middle
      section and one in the bass bichords, and two in the treble. The
strips in
      the treble are arranged so that, after tuning the middle
strings, I can pull
      out one entire strip, then tune tune the outside strings.  I
tune by whole
      notes up to the top, then back down again.  This allows one to
stay on the
      same "row" of pins.  The strips are arranged this way -- one strip
      represented by an "X", and the other by an "O."   ||| X ||| O ||| X ||| O
      ||| X ||| O ||| X.
      - Let me hasten to say that the piano sounds horrid after the first
      pass. I'm not after a nice sound on that pass -- just getting it
closer to
      the right tension.
      - I'll use P4s and P5s as quickie "tests" just to see if it's close
      enough. They are one handed and quick, particularly when you get into the
      rhythm of speed tuning.



   - Fees
      - Right now, since it takes about the same time as an average tuning,
      I'm charging my normal tuning rate.  Perhaps I should go up for "wear and
      tear", and I might do that this year.  I have found that this way is less
      stressful because it greatly lessens those internal concerns about
      perfection we all seem to struggle with.  Knowing at the
beginning that this
      "tuning" is not designed to be perfect seems to eliminate that
      "user-generated" stress. And I end up doing a better job because of it.
       Much better than if I were to take great pains to make it "perfect."



   - I'll try Ron N's way of doing it. It sounds like it would work well. I
   use an AccuFork, and will set the starting pitch to 30% sharp of how much it
   was flat.  On the Wurlie spinet, though, I set the starting pitch to 20
   cents sharp, and tuned A3 first instead of A4 (it saves a step in the temp
   sequence, and gets it close enough for a first pass).  Spinets require less
   overpull in the middle section, so I didn't want to get it sharp and have to
   lower it.  And, I tune spinet tenor bichords flatter on the first pass.
    Some of those strings are in the F3-F4 temp octave.  They usually end up
   well over A440 after the first pass if you don't compensate for that.



   - As far as ETDs being faster and making us more productive on big pitch
   raises, David L. is probably right.  I just don't want to buy one. <G>  I'm
   comfortable now with my tool kit "footprint."  Actually, I'd like to make it
   smaller and lighter, and an ETD won't accommodate that with all that I
   currently carry.  I do have a non-functional SAT II that I might have
   repaired for use in the future.  But by the time I could set up the tuning,
   I'll have all the middle strings of the middle section tuned, and moving up
   into the treble.  Unless you can use a generic tuning for a pitch raise ...
   and I'm certainly open to suggestions about this.

Thanks for all the comments. They will make me a better technician.  What a
great thing the list is!

-- 
JF
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