<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <html> <head> <META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; = charset=us-ascii"> <meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 10 (filtered)"> <style>  </style> </head> <body bgcolor=white lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple> <div class=Section1> BTW, for pitch corrections prior to = fine tuning just start from A0 and go to the top.   <div> David Love davidlovepianos@comcast.net </div> -----Original = Message----- From: David = Love [mailto:davidlovepianos@comcast.net] Sent: Saturday, February = 11, 2006 7:49 AM To: 'Pianotech = List' Subject: RE: Best Way to = Tune A Piano Using Accutuner III?   To achieve the = best tuning, tune from the center out just like you would an aural = tuning.  Corrections and inconsistencies will be much greater as you move away = from the center, and mostly on the bass side.  Most of the adjustments I = make are in the bass (though sometimes in the tenor/treble transition as well) so = starting at A0 often requires me to go back.  Usually the change is that the = bass is calculated flatter than I would like.  There is also the issue = of where the SAT III changes octaves styles.  In the bass it’s at C3 = which is tuned with a 4:2 comparison versus B2 which is tuned with a 6:3.  = That transition point may not sometimes need to be modified.  The best = method I’ve found if you are really striving for accuracy is to tune = starting with A3 and tune up to the top using your favorite checks as you go: = octaves, fourths, fifths, and thirds or  tenths (which can for me all be = done with one hand) tuning unisons as you go.  I don’t start at F3 = because there are occasions where the bridge begins to hook at that point that = can cause you to have to alter the note somewhat.  Then tune from G#3 = down using again your favorite checks.  The nice thing about tuning down = is that by playing the note one octave above the note being tuned you will = be able to read the dial and compare coincident partials.  For example, if = you are tuning A3 the machine is reading A5 (push the tune button and you will see).  If you play A4 and A3 alternately and read the dial, you can = see whether or not the machine is tuning that octave wide, just or = narrow.  After you get to B2 the machine will change to a 6:3 octave.  If = you don’t like the way the machine has stretched the bass, you can hit = the tune button and go to direct interval tuning where you are listening and = reading your coincident partial of choice.     </fo= nt> Most of the time = the SATIII produces a pretty good tuning without having to worry about modifications, but not always.  The less consistent the FAC = readings, the more likely you are to have to modifiy to get a really fine = tuning.  Even with good FAC readings, pianos are not scaled perfectly and there will = often be some group of notes that require modifying.  When the SAT is used = to set up the RPT tuning test, it is not a pure canned tuning that gets = used.  After the piano is tuned with the machine, it is gone over note for note = and adjustments are invariably made.  One wouldn’t expect = anything different from a tuning you do for a customer.  BTW, I found the = same thing to be true of the Verituner.  Overall, it delivered a pretty = good tuning, but it was not perfect.  The problem with all these = machines is that you have to program the weighting for the type of octaves you will = tune at any given point in the piano.  That weighting changes from piano to piano.  When you tune aurally you (hopefully) pick up those changes naturally and make adjustments on the fly.  With the machines it is = easy to ignore that requirement and tune blind (or deaf).  It just = won’t always work out as well as it could that way.  =    </fo= nt> <div> David Love davidlovepianos@comcast.net </div> -----Original = Message----- From: = pianotech-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org] On Behalf Of Robert Finley Sent: Saturday, February = 11, 2006 6:57 AM To: pianotech@ptg.org Subject: Best Way to Tune = A Piano Using Accutuner III?   <div> For those of you who use an Accutuner III, which way would you recommend using it to achieve a fine = tuning?  I have heard several different and conflicting opinions, and I am wondering what to make of it. </div> <div>   </div> <div> A friend of mine told me he = achieves a good tuning by using the SAT III to perform the FAC calculation, = and then tuning chromatically up the piano from A0, note by note, also tuning the unisons as he goes, and aurally checking the octaves and = other intervals. Someone else told me that this would be the method to use = only for pitch raising and achieving stability, but not for fine = tuning. Another person told me that the temperament should be tuned first = and then spread up the piano by octaves and then lower. Aural = checks would be done to ensure that everything sounds correct and the beat = rates of the intervals are what they should be.    </div> <div>   </div> <div> Your opinion on this = will be much appreciated. Thank you very much. </div> <div>   </div> <div> Robert = Finley </div> </div> </body> </html>