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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> Cory, </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> You might be trying =
too hard, my
friend. First of all, is this on a piano which you have determined =
only
needs a one-pass tuning? In that case I would recommend doing test blows =
on each
note before you make up your mind. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> My preferred =
technique ( Not
patented, no royalties, etc.) is to give the piano two passes; every =
time. It's
so easy to get it close on the first pass, and then to be just nudging =
pins on
the second pass, knowing that the piano is already stabilized on the =
first
pass.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> But the real reason =
I'm writing
this is to note something that I have noticed lately. Say I pitch raise =
a piano,
five cents or so, and when I'm done perhaps the piano, because of a =
stiff
board-thick plate combination (either one or both) the piano ends up a =
couple
cents sharp. I bang away while settling the pin, to get it back in tune, =
only to
find later that it's creeped up in pitch again. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> I HATE IT WHEN THAT
HAPPENS!</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> =
What I think
is happening, is that you can pound a note too hard. The blow from =
the
hammer draws tension into the speaking length, and later the string =
equalizes in
the waste end, drawing the pitch sharp. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> It's good to give a =
piano those
test blows, nobody wants all those call-backs from notes that go out. =
Different
pianos respond differently, we get used to them with experience. But =
I've always
been a firm believer in hard blows, and now I'm thinking maybe you can =
go too
far.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> I remember Jim =
Coleman Sr.
commenting on this phenomena, and sure enough, now I'm starting to hear
it.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
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=SimsPiano@AOL.COM
href="mailto:SimsPiano@AOL.COM">SimsPiano@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> Monday, February 25, 2002 =
11:48
AM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Test Blows</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>Hi,<BR>I've been taught to do a hard test blow on each =
string
as I tune. I've been <BR>wondering if the following might =
be a
more efficient way to tune using a test <BR>blow.<BR>1) Tune the =
entire piano
using no hard test blows, but working the hammer <BR>back and forth to =
try to
take all torque out of the pin once the pitch is <BR>right.<BR>2) =
After the
whole thing is tuned, go back and give each key a few hard test
<BR>blows.<BR>3) Now touch up whatever went out.<BR>What I figured was =
that on
trichords and bichords, you're only hitting one <BR>test blow per 2 or =
3
strings instead of 1 per string, which means either 2 or <BR>3 times =
fewer
test blows.<BR>By the way, I use a SAT and start A0 and go up the
keyboard.<BR>Comments??<BR>Thanks,<BR>Corey</BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>