<HTML>In a message dated 2/25/02 12:56:09 PM Central Standard Time, SimsPiano@AOL.COM writes: <BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px">Hi, I've been taught to do a hard test blow on each string as I tune.   I've been wondering if the following might be a more efficient way to tune using a test blow. 1) Tune the entire piano using no hard test blows, but working the hammer back and forth to try to take all torque out of the pin once the pitch is right. 2) After the whole thing is tuned, go back and give each key a few hard test blows. 3) Now touch up whatever went out. What I figured was that on trichords and bichords, you're only hitting one test blow per 2 or 3 strings instead of 1 per string, which means either 2 or 3 times fewer test blows. By the way, I use a SAT and start A0 and go up the keyboard. Comments?? Thanks, Corey </XMP> </BLOCKQUOTE> Corey I don't quite understand what you mean. In the first sentence you say you give "a hard test blow on each string as I tune." But then at the end you say "you're only hitting one test blow per 2 or 3 strings." If you are giving a test blow for each string, then you are giving each note 3 test blows. At least that is what you should be doing. Actually, you should give 2 or 3 test blows for each string after you have tuned each of the unisons. In other words, you should be giving  6 -9 test blows for each note. This should be more than adequate to hold a tuning. It would not be a bad idea, however, to give each note another 2 or 3 test blow after you have completed the whole tuning. (Don't forget to give another couple of test blows on the corrected strings after you made your corrections). Wim </HTML>