Hi, Robin, When I saw your question, I knew I had seen something on this in the past on this list. I did a search and shared what I found. If it doesn't work for you, no problem. Regarding videos, etc. no idea. Although I am somewhat interested in this topic, I was not endorsing this method. Maybe you would like to contact the original poster. Tom Regina, SK From: pianobee at bigpond.com To: pianotech at ptg.org Date: Wed, 23 Feb 2011 17:53:25 +1030 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 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. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <http://ptg.org/pipermail/pianotech.php/attachments/20110223/62fb4b61/attachment.htm>
This PTG archive page provided courtesy of Moy Piano Service, LLC