<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; = charset=iso-8859-1"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.2722" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY id=role_body style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #000000; = FONT-FAMILY: Arial" bottomMargin=7 bgColor=#ffffff leftMargin=7 topMargin=7 = rightMargin=7> <DIV><STRONG>I had six bloody months of it at college; the main purpose = was I think for "industrial training". </STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG>Chipping also of necessity meant that you had to be able to = tune and recognize semitones.</STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG>Also, the chipping process seems to train your ears to = filter out extraneous noises, by virtue </STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG>of the action and dampers being removed, which has been of = great benefit in the real world;</STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG>I can tune in noisy situations, except where there is a = vacuum cleaner of course!</STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG></STRONG> </DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#ff0000><STRONG>"</STRONG>PTA do not require a = chipping test...."</FONT></DIV> <DIV><STRONG></STRONG> </DIV> <DIV><STRONG>I wonder though if they require that a muting strip is not = used in tuning the temperament?</STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG>One thing that puts me off the PTA is why should I take a = test when I have qualified after 3 years </STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG>full-time at a college? And there is also the requirement = that no ETD's are allowed even though </STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG>it</STRONG><STRONG> was a compulsory part of = the course at college; in this day </STRONG><STRONG>and age, that's like writing a = letter </STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG>with pen and paper instead of using e-mail.</STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG></STRONG> </DIV> <DIV><STRONG>AF</STRONG></DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; = BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV> <DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: = black"><B>From:</B> <A title=Byeway222@aol.com href="mailto:Byeway222@aol.com">Byeway222@aol.com</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A = title=pianotech@ptg.org href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">pianotech@ptg.org</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Sunday, October 09, 2005 = 1:46 AM</DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Chipping</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV><FONT id=role_document color=#000000> <DIV>  <DIV>'Chipping-up' has always been the bedrock of tuning training on = the full-time courses here in UK.  The first series of  tests = was the completion of a pitch raise in decreasing time scales. I really can't = remember what the ultimate goal was, but it was probably something like = 20minutes to raise the pitch a resonable amount using just a plectrum on a strung back.<BR>The guys who really perfected the technique were those who = worked in piano factories and went through a phenomenal number of newly strung = backs in a day.   It was a very depressing sight to see a guy, often = blind, sitting in often a smallish room with scores of strung backs stacked = like library books beavering away non-stop.    I would have = thought that this has been the practice in USA in the past, before automated = stringing in factories.<BR>However, there has always been a certain amount of controversy as to its real value to  'on the road'  tuners.   My own experience, and that of many tuners, is not = having pefected a consistant and useful commercial speed using this = technique.  You have to be doing a lot of it for it to be time saving.  I = think most of us perfect our own way of action-in pitch raising.<BR><BR>One of = the initial values of 'chipping-up' in the college training system, = however, is to quickly familiarise the new student with the geography of the strung = back and to encourage a fast and confident initial approach to the whole = business of tuning.  It is acknowleged that this is an initial 'rough = tuning'  and there is no point in hanging about and getting neurotic about it = being perfect.  Just get on with it.  Accuracy will develop with = technique and experience. It really is an effective way of negating the = over-cautious aspects in the personality of many beginner students.  I = wish I had appreciated this more when I did my own training.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>The previous post is right in saying that the PTA do not require = a chipping test, and their standard test appears to be OK.  My own experience of the PTA has been a mixed one, and although i have never = been a member, I did attend some pretty good 3 day conventions in the = 1980's.  I would doubt though, that even now, their conventions have such a broad = based character as the US ones.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Ric</DIV></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></BODY></HTML>