[pianotech] The big discussion

[David Love]

With grand pianos I tune each outside side string to the center string as I
progress through the piano and my two mute method means that I'm not playing
the note with all three strings open until a second pass unison check
(unless I want to backtrack and check).  Using two mutes it's tune center
string, move right hand mute to the right, tune right hand unison, move left
hand mute to the right, tune left hand unison.  That way only the center
string and one side are open at any one time.  At the tuning of each side of
the unison I drop in the octave below as a test and, as you say, that often
reveals something if it's amiss. After I'm done I go through again and test
octaves and unisons.  It's a much quieter pass.  Something to keep in mind
in terms of our perceptive abilities, the narrower the field, the finer the
discriminations we can make.  So when you are going through and listening to
notes that are generally very close if not spot on, you will be able to hear
finer differences than if you are trying to make the same fine
discriminations while you are engaged in the original tuning pulling in
pitches from all over the place.  Second and relatively quietly played
passes always reveal something, albeit subtle.  

With uprights, btw, using a single split mute the final unison is pulled in
with three strings open.  With a split mute, tune center string, move mute
to the right, tune left hand unison, tune next center string (since the mute
is now in place for that  new note), move mute to the right, tune left hand
unison of the note just tuned and then the right hand unison of the
previously tuned note which will now have all unisons open.  Less mute
moving that way.  

David Love
www.davidlovepianos.com


-----Original Message-----
From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf
Of Ron Nossaman
Sent: Saturday, January 29, 2011 10:18 AM
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Subject: Re: [pianotech] The big discussion

On 1/29/2011 11:01 AM, Ryan Sowers wrote:
> I believe it means that when doing the final tuning of the third string
> of a unison, all three strings are left open.

I wasn't aware there was anyone tuning who *didn't* finish unisons with 
all three strings open. Is that really done? The best test of a unison 
I've found after you get done messing with it is to play the octave to a 
previously tuned unison. Even though individual strings sound fine in 
the octave, and even though both unisons sound fine individually, it's 
surprising what playing the two together will uncover. The more strings 
you get involved, the better your chances of uncovering something you 
weren't aware of.
Ron N