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<DIV><SPAN class=740492812-13092002><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff =
size=2>Alan,</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=740492812-13092002><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff =
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=740492812-13092002><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff =
size=2>When I
was a beginning tuner, I had trouble with S&S. It just takes more
experience. Once you have experience with them, it's no
problem.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=740492812-13092002><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff =
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=740492812-13092002><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff =
size=2>I use
a smooth pull lever technique. I've also used the jerk technique, but I =
like the
smooth better overall and think it is much better for those =
pianos
with tight pins and flagpoling tendencies. The trick is learning to =
feel
the tiny movements of the pin in the block. You can't just introduce =
flex or
"twist" into the pin, which is what was happening when the pitch went =
sharp and
then flat. You must go beyond hearing the pitch move and also feel the =
pin move
the smallest amount. Once the pin moves, then you can take the "twist" =
out of
the pin by manipulating your lever without moving the pin in the block. =
It's a
physics thing happening--if the pin moves and you remove the twist, it =
has to be
at least some different than it was originally.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=740492812-13092002><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff =
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=740492812-13092002><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff =
size=2>Keep
at it, and it will come. Happened to me, too. :-)</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=740492812-13092002><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff =
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=740492812-13092002><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff =
size=2>John
M. Formsma<BR>Blue Mountain, MS</FONT> </DIV></SPAN>
<DIV><SPAN class=740492812-13092002><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff =
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=740492812-13092002><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff =
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr
style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px =
solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV class=OutlookMessageHeader><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=2>-----Original Message-----<BR><B>From:</B> =
pianotech-bounces@ptg.org
[mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org]<B>On Behalf Of</B> Alan R.
Barnard<BR><B>Sent:</B> Thursday, September 12, 2002 7:16 =
PM<BR><B>To:</B>
pianotech@ptg.org<BR><B>Subject:</B> Steinway vs. The Tuner, Round
One<BR><BR></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I don't have a lot of S&S =
experience (in the
Ozarks? Gimme a break!) but I do tune a few.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Tuned an "L" =
infantile horizontal
piano today and got thinking while wrestling with it. Pinblock =
quite
tight (somewhat jumpy pins), string movement resistance quite high, =
and the
collarless pins VERY sensitive to pressure in any direction--up pitch, =
down
pitch, flagpoling, whatever. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I find many notes very hard to pull =
in for sweet
unisons. I was personally taught by Randy Potter how to tune stable =
strings
& pins but found that moving the pin in teeny notches is very =
hard--too
high, too low, too high ... </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>If I got it just a hair over pitch =
and tried to
settle everything with back pressure on the hammer, it dropped way too =
much.
Finally, with time running out and getting a little desperate, I =
started
dropping pitch (about a 45 degree turn of the hammer) and tuning "from =
the
bottom" with a smooth steady pull while wanging the string pretty =
hard. Most
of the time I could stop right on pitch --even on strings I had spent =
WAY too
long trying to tune the "normal" way.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>But I worry about how stable they are =
as I could
not "set" the pin in the usual way.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Is this pretty typical =
Steinway?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>What about stability in these
circumstances?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>What hammer techniques do y'all use =
on the
beasts?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>NOTE: While tuning, I was rehearsing =
a
pretty negative inner dialog about Steinway and all of their =
"genuine Steinway parts;" thinking how expensive they are and how much =
they
look like every other piano, etc. BUT after I tuned it, I played it. =
Even for
a small piano, what a beautiful, sweet sound. Oh, the subtleties ...
</FONT></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>