Forgive the length of this but in answer to Terry's request and to better solidify my thoughts before I give this presentation this week I've written it up and posted it here. I've not proofed it as carefully as I should were I actually publishing it so forgive any typos or awkward constructions that may have slipped through. The problem with tuning speed, accuracy and stability has, in my view, less to do with learning to hear the relationships between notes than it does how to get the pitch to the target and keep it there quickly and efficiently--how to control the tuning hammer and tuning pin. If we were able to simply turn a dial rather than have to manipulate a tuning pin, tuning would be much easier. The closest we get to that is the screw stringer piano which eliminates the torque problem of tuning (though not the friction through the bearing points). But that's not the prevailing system. The goal in tuning is pretty simple: get the speaking segment to the target pitch, get all the string segments at equal tension and get the tuning pin in a state of equilibrium. There are a couple of things, however, that conspire against us in achieving that goal. First, the tuning pin twists before it turns in the block. Second, the position from which we apply force to the tuning pin tends to flex the pin in a direction about 90 degrees from the position of the lever. For example, if we have the tuning lever at 12:00 and apply pressure on the plane on which the pin rotates to move the pitch sharp, the pin will want to lean over in the direction of about 3:00. The longer the head/tip, the higher off the block that the coils sit, the higher on the pin that the tip makes contact, the more flexing force is applied to the pin. When tuning in the sharp direction, then, before the pin moves in the block those two forces drive the pitch sharp. The common mistake with new tuners is to assume they've moved the pin in the block when all they've done is twisted and flexed the pin to change the pitch. When they leave and the pin and segments return to a state of equilibrium, the pitch moves, the tuning doesn't hold. As we tune, the tension in the string segment just leaving the tuning pin rises first and as friction is overcome at the bearing points the tension in the speaking section follows. If the piano doesn't render well, meaning that the friction at each bearing point is high (and there's always some friction there), then the amount of change in tension that we've applied to that first section will not immediately be reflected in the pitch in the speaking length (that's where playing the note firmly comes in to play and is the purpose of the test blow). Since the pin is twisting and flexing before the pin actually moves in the block (if you use this standard approach) we will need to overshoot the target to compensate and then release the tension in that first segment back toward the speaking length until the pitch settles where we want it, and in the process remove the flexing and twisting from the tuning pin which also effects the pitch. If we didn't calculate correctly the amount of movement on the pin we needed, we'll have missed our target and we start over. If we stop short of equalizing the string segments and putting the pin in a state of equilibrium, the tuning won't hold. When friction at the bearing points is high (poor rendering) we have more problems as it's harder to be certain that the tension in each segment has equalized. In the worst cases of poor rendering (aside from the difficulty in achieving stability) our initial increase in tension in that first segment can push that segment past the break point if the tension is not released quickly by virtue of the string sliding over those bearing points, and the string will break, usually at the tuning pin or the weak point in that segment. So using the traditional methods, we overshoot, settle back, test blow, check, overshoot, settle back, test blow check until we've achieved our goal. If we're highly skilled (I'll talk about what I think that means in a second) or lucky we hit our target early. If not it may take us several attempts and our tuning speed is compromised. If we learn to hear the out of phasing early in the envelope (as Ron Nossaman mentioned) we will save some time. But the more attempts we make, the more we change the tension in the segments, the less secure we are as to when things are really at equilibrium and the longer it takes until we can move securely to the next string. Thus the more we tend to want to pound and test, the more physical stress we put ourselves through and the less secure we are in knowing whether that tuning will remain stable. Consider this, if we take 15 seconds per tuning pin on 230 pins we can tune the piano in 57 minutes. If on 200 of those pins we take an extra 10 seconds that adds 33 minutes to the tuning. Over the course of 1000 tunings that's 23 days, a working month. It's in our interest to find a way to be more efficient. There are basically three types of tuners: Those who simply react to the pitch and continue to manipulate the tuning hammer back and forth until their ears tell them that they've achieved their goal. A higher level of skill is achieved by those that hear a relationship between two pitches, judge how far they need to move the tuning pin in the block, move the pin that amount which they can feel in their fingers (in spite of what they hear because of the twisting and flexing of the pin) and then settle things to land on their pitch in the fewest number of tries refining and verifying with their ears. A even higher level can be achieved, however, by those who are not only able to know the amount of movement in the block that is required and feel that amount of movement in their fingers, but they are also able to manipulate the tuning hammer and pin in such a way that they can offset the twisting and flexing by applying a counter force to the tuning pin. The benefit of this approach is that there is no overshoot of the target, thus no unnecessary change in the tension of the first segment leaving the tuning pin, less string segment equalization to achieve and thus greater stability and the ability to tune directly to the target pitch (I also think you'll break fewer strings). So how is that done? The first thing you need to do to be more efficient is to learn to feel the tuning pin move. There is no substitute for this skill. At some point in everyone's tuning career you have to learn to feel the pin move in your fingers if you want to achieve a high level of skill. Sometimes you can hear the pin move with a distinctive little click, but not always. Some blocks don't click. When you learn to feel the movement of the pin in the block you can then begin to associate a certain amount of pitch movement with a certain amount of pin movement. But it's not that simple. The amount of pitch movement associated with movement in the block will be different in different parts of the piano. Short string segments react more to small movements, longer segments react less. At some point, you need to begin not only to feel the amount of pin movement but to associate that amount of movement with a certain amount of pitch correction in each part of the piano. You do that by paying attention. Also, an approach that creeps up to the target in a series of smaller movements will be more efficient than trying to move there in one larger movement. Overshooting your target wastes time. Having a tuning lever that transmits feel more efficiently is extremely helpful. I find that lighter, stiffer levers are better that way. Levers that are too long can be a problem too. So how do we understand the idea of applying a counter force? Let's look at a grand piano. The strings leave the tuning pins in the 12:00 position. So let's now break up the entire circle around the tuning pin then into four quadrants. The first quadrant (12:00 - 3:00); the second quadrant (3:00 - 6:00); the third quadrant (6:00 - 9:00); and the fourth quadrant (9:00 -12:00). When tuning grand pianos (if we're right handed tuners) we tend to tune in the first quadrant, somewhere between 12:00 and 3:00. The exception is the high treble when tuning standing on the right side of the piano often puts the lever in the 4th quadrant, or in the 11:00 position. Why does this matter? Let's assume we're tuning sharp. If we're in the 1:30 position there are two forces that are acting to move the pitch sharp in advance of the pin actually moving in the block. First, the pin twists. The top of the pin where we are applying the force twists before the lower part of the pin moves in the block and the pitch wants to move sharp. Second, the pin flexes. Our pulling of the lever toward us on the plane of rotation of the pin tends to flex the pin over in a direction about 90 degrees from the position of the tuning hammer. So if the hammer is at 1:30 the pin is flexing in the 4:30 direction which is away from the speaking segment and that force also drives the pitch sharp. So two forces tend to drive the pitch sharp of our target before we get actual movement in the block. The twisting force we can't do much about. We have to turn the pin in the direction that we want it to move in the block. But what about the flexing? If we put the tuning hammer in the 12:00 position and simply press down toward the speaking section, flexing the pin that way, the pitch will go flat. So, what if we could flex the pin in such a way to push the pitch flat in order to exactly offset the twisting of the pin which tends to drive the pitch sharp. The net effect on the pitch of that applied combination of forces would be zero until such a moment that the pin actually moved in the block. So how do we do this? Let's assume we're tuning sharp, if the lever is put in the 12:00 position (let's just use that for the moment) and a downward pressure is applied along with a turning pressure, and if we find the vector at which there is no pitch movement then we can continue to apply force until the pin actually moves in the block and the pitch moves. We can then release the pressure off the pin, releasing the twisting and flexing at the same time and the pitch will remain stable. The increase in the tension of the first string segment leaving the tuning pin will have happened in concert with the rest of the segments (friction issues notwithstanding). We will have altered the tension in these segments the least amount possible meaning that the potential realignment of these segments from our test blow will be minimized. We save time, we lessen the risk of exceeding break points in the first string segment, and the degree to which we must put the string out of tune in overshooting our target pitch is reduced to virtually zero. What about the treble section? If we have the tuning hammer in the fourth quadrant (say 11:00), then the flexing of the pin toward the speaking length by virtue of our hammer position (depending on the exact position) will tend to drive the pitch flat. So, in that case we don't need to flex the pin downward the same amount that we did tuning from the 1st quadrant, the lever position is doing that for us. That natural flexing from that quadrant tends to offset the twisting movement and we can tune directly up to our target pitch without having to overshoot. This is similar to what happens in an upright piano. Using the same quadrant structure in an upright if we tune from the 1:30 position we are actually in quadrant 3. The flexing of the pin will be toward the speaking length and will tend to offset the twisting (if we're going sharp). You may have noticed if you tune uprights and grands that with a grand, if your style is to keep the force on the tuning lever on the plane of rotation, that the pitch moves sharp and has to be settled back down. In an upright if you use the same target of moving things slightly sharp assuming they will need to settle back down you probably find yourself frequently having to push the pitch flat having over shot your target. That's because the quadrant from which you are tuning on an upright naturally produces an offsetting force between twisting and flexing. For myself, I tend to tune grands with the lever between 11:00 and 1:00. Uprights between 12 and 1:30. The offsetting force applied will vary with the position of the tuning hammer and the specific requirements as dictated by factors I've already mentioned. There are some caveats and comments. The degree to which you need to provide an offset flexing force will depend on how tight the pins are. Looser pins won't twist as much and therefore you don't need to apply as much offsetting flexing. Tighter pins will require more flexing force. But applying a flexing force can also increase the friction between the pin and the block and make it even more difficult to move the pin. So at a certain point with very tight pins you may not be able to use this approach as effectively. This method also requires that application of slightly more force because of the added friction element. That requirement may create for certain individuals. The degree of flexing that you achieve with a given amount of force will vary depending on how high the coils are off the block, whether there are tuning pin bushings, length of your tuning head or tip, and also the flexibility of the pins (they do vary). These variables and learning to deal with them become part of our experience and expertise over time. The method I use for moving the pin small increments is a sort of press and jiggle rather than a smooth pull. I find that method gives me the best control and feedback. Other questions about how to leave the pin and such I'm not going to address here except to say that the stable position for the pin is not a completely neutral one but rather one in which the pin is ever so slightly flexed toward the speaking length. The reason is that the 160 or so pounds of tension that the string exerts on the pin tends to pull the pin over some over time. If you leave the pin in a too neutral position then gradually the pin will give in to the force of the string and lean over slightly. Your pitch can drift flat some. So the most stable position for the pin will be with the pin flexed just ever so much toward the string in anticipation of this inevitable lean. It's subtle but real. Just a quick comment about pianos that don't render well. If you learn to feel the requisite amount of movement in the block associated with your desired pitch change, then you will be able to provide offsetting flexing, move the pin the required amount and then by a gentle sort of bumping of the pin combined with firmer blows release the tension in the segments and have the pitch crawl up to the target. This avoids the problem so prevalent with poorly rendering pianos of overshooting on the sharp side and then having a very difficult time getting the string to release back toward the speaking length which usually ends up in a back and forth chase that takes a lot of time and produces an unstable and insecure outcome. Generally speaking, this method of offsetting forces combined with a highly developed tactile awareness of pin movement allows you to tune much faster by being able to approach your target more directly and predictably, more accurately, with fewer string segment changes and therefore with greater stability. Thanks for bearing with me on this long posting. David Love www.davidlovepianos.com
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