<html> <body> Hi, David, Well said...clean presentation of a difficult topic. Thanks. Best. Horace At 07:26 PM 10/19/2004, you wrote: <blockquote type=cite class=cite cite> <dl> <dd>hey kids----I sent this the first time w/out finishing it---not the first time I’ve made my move too soon. <g>       <dd>  Stretching the bass? I heard of stretching the top octaves but how does one stretch the bass? <dd>thanks, <dd>Julie, </dl> Oooohhhhh, a huge can of worms. How the bass is tuned is how most artists judge a piano. IMO. I’ll say 95%---and I’m being a bit generous---of the tunings I follow up on within 2 to 14 days---and usually in a well-controlled micro-environment of studio, store, or expensive house/venue. (and remember, friends, we’re in fabulous Mediterranean Southern California---stability made flesh)....uhh...anyway, 95% of those tunings are from a little to a LOT sharp in the bass, in my system. The trick, the challenge, the game, is to get the note juuust on the flat side of “beatless;” if you pay attention to your body at this time, you’ll feel the octave move down in your body; Checking the 5th above, you’ll hear (if you’re patient and can wait a couple seconds for the garbage to pass) an almost beatless interval, the 5th being slightly, and I mean slightly flat--- 1 beat per 3-4 seconds.  Checking the fourth, it will be way more active than the 5th, and on good pianos, you can clearly hear the 4th beating slowly, perhaps .5 to 1.5 bps. I listen to 4ths and 5ths all the way down to A0.  They’re the best, best automatic stretch calculator for the bottom of the piano. IMO. Let the games begin----- Best, David Andersen </blockquote></body> </html>