[pianotech] Honky tonk tuning

[Tony Caught]

Hi Robin,

 

Easiest way is to tune piano as per normal then set ETD at either 12 cents
sharp or flat as you desire. If you are tuning the piano a semi-tone flat go
sharp, the reverse if you are in pitch

 

Regards

 

Tony

 

Tony Caught

acaught at internode.on.net

0427 850 737

 

From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf
Of Robin Stevens
Sent: Wednesday, 23 February 2011 5:53 PM
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Subject: Re: [pianotech] Honky tonk tuning

 

Tom this sounds like a very time consuming procedure. Is there any video
clips of this result?

Robin 

 

From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf
Of Tom Dickson
Sent: Wednesday, 23 February 2011 1:56 PM
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Subject: Re: [pianotech] Honky tonk tuning

 

Hi, Robin,
This is from the ptg archives:
 

There is an official way of tuning a piano
honky-tonk style. I meant to reply to others who asked in a previous thread
(out of tune) what the 6+ 6- method was when I mentioned it. It's what I
call the 6 up 6 down method.

You tune to normal equal temperament, but when you tune the unisons you
raise the right string by 6 Hz (beats) and lower the left string by 6 Hz.
This is starting at A440. As you progress downwards you must gradually
decrease the out of tune beat rates progressively so that by the time you
get to A220 the right string should be 3 beats up and the left string 3
beats down. So on and so forth. Leave the bass alone where you have bichords
and monochords. Going upwards from A440 you must increase the beat rate
progressively so that you double the beat rate for every octave; by A880 the
right string will be tuned 12 beats sharp and the left string 12 beats flat,
and so on. Octaves must be tuned perfect. You should actually try it, but it
is by no means easy.
 
I repeat what I wrote in a previous post in the  "out of tune" thread about
2 weeks ago;

"If anyone has had to tune a piano for Ragtime music, the 6+,6- method, you
might have experienced that extraordinary secondary wave that looms up from
somewhere when you play block chords. It is actually quite intoxicating. I
have no idea of the physics that is going on here that produces this
phenomenon."
 
from Alan Forsyth alanforsyth at fortune4.fsnet.co.uk
<mailto:alanforsyth%40fortune4.fsnet.co.uk>  
Mon, 17 May 2004 

Hope this helps in your quest!
 
Sincerely,
Tom Dickson,
 
Regina, SK, Canada
 



 

  _____  

From: pianobee at bigpond.com
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Date: Wed, 23 Feb 2011 09:03:18 +1030
Subject: [pianotech] Honky tonk tuning

Had a unusual request from a customer to tune his old German piano to the
honky tonky sound. I was just tempted to tell him just play it how it is
even though it was one step flat! It's too old to  raised due to not so
tight pins and 100 year old strings. I remember about 40 years ago when
Winifred Atwell was the queen of the honky tonk sound she came to Adelaide
South Australia where I had the job of checking the tuning of her straight
strung English piano plus the Steinway O she hired from the firm I worked
for. I think that the method was to tune the piano normally and then let one
string down for the vibration affect. With the advent of PDAs nowadays I am
wondering how many cents sharp or flat the third string is changed? It would
made it more even if I tune the piano first then change RCT setting for that
detuned string to - +10 or whatever. I don't think that the bass strings are
detuned. Has anybody amongst the old timers on this list remember tuning for
this artist?

Thanks

Robin Stevens ARPT

South Australia

PS A youtube search has many clips of Winifred Atwell playing.

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