[pianotech] "Repeatable" tuning

[Dean May]

Excellent point, Ed, but it doesn't always win the argument. I was called
back to a church where the music director was a retired school music teacher
(I find they can be the worst. They think they know  what they are talking
about and everyone assumes they do). The complaint was the piano was
horrible after 30 days. I went back (Yamaha P22 w/ full DChaser) and it was
pretty dead on, definitely NOT horrible. I retuned the piano at no charge.
Got another call back. This time I insisted that the complainer be present
when I got to the church. When I asked him to show me what he was having
trouble with I knew I was probably in trouble: no octave test, no chord
test, he played individual notes chromatically down the scale until he got
into the upper second octave or so. "Hear that? It isn't right." No, I
didn't hear anything. Unisons were good. I then tested and octaves were
good, intervals were good. I got out the Pocket PC w/Tune-Lab. It showed the
notes on pitch which I showed him. I then demonstrated, deliberately
detuning octaves, then retuning aurally so he could hear it come into tune,
and then showed by the Tune Lab that it actually was in tune. He didn't seem
overly convinced. Then he asked me to detune the tenor notes by 5 cents or
so because his bass singers were having trouble getting their pitches. At
that point I understood that this man had no clue. I said I couldn't do that
as politely as I could, buttoned up the piano, gathered my tools and left. I
did lose that account but I can't worry about it.
 
Former RCT user here (I even have an uninstalled full version sitting on the
shelf). I love my Tune Lab. The analog graph at the bottom is the sweetest
thing for helping with unisons in octaves 6 and 7. And it makes pitch raises
of more than 75 cents a snap, no mutes needed. Tune Lab costs half the
price, doesn't have the odious protection key, has the superior feature of
the analog graph, makes pitch raises easier, is nicer to use in the extreme
treble. It is a little more difficult to use initially, but you can download
a fully functional demo to help you get started. 
 

Dean

Dean W May                (812) 235-5272

PianoRebuilders.com    (888) DEAN-MAY

Terre Haute IN 47802


  _____  

From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf
Of Ed Foote
Sent: Friday, January 28, 2011 10:00 AM
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Subject: Re: [pianotech] "Repeatable" tuning



>>Although I do sympathize with Ed Foote's mention of recording studios
needing to have things the same. That instance, however, is a very limited
instance in the scope of the rest of the musical world; therefore, we
shouldn't let that dictate how we should measure repeatability. (Not that Ed
is doing that -- I understand where he is coming from.)

 
Greetings, 
   There is more.  If anybody has noticed, string players can get real
defensive when the subject of intonation comes up.  Last month, a violinist,
(arching eyebrows and all), asked me if the piano was exactly the same as it
was during 
the earlier  practice session.  I said yes.  
    She asked, "Exactly?".  
   I took out the SAT, set it to B6, hit the note, and watched the lights
stop.  I told her it was within .1 cent of where it had been,( I know,  I
know,  a little bit of a fudge in the theoretical world), and she had no
problem accepting that her perception might have changed,(which I know is
plausible).  If  I told her that it sounded the same to me, I don't think it
would have been as convincing, since that puts the discussion on a "Who's
ears and memory is better"? 
These machines have value in numerous directions.  
Regards,
Ed Foote RPT
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