<!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 5.50.4522.1800" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> <DIV><FONT face=Arial>Kevin wrote:</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial>I've been fully immersed in this work for about = ten years. The learning curve shows no sign of flattening out yet, I just keep = getting new things to look at. Like key weighting, my next area of = inquiry.</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Aw geezze! I figured ten years would be the magic number. I'd have = it all figured out be then! What a way to burst a guy's bubble. Actually, = though that is so very encouraging, because the fun is in learning. I think that is = why I can quote Willis Snyder: "When I go to sleep at night, I still dream of = pianos." Way cool to be that excited about something you love - and I think the = love grows best when new things are constantly learned. It's like a marriage: = If you are not growing, your marriage is dying.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV></DIV> <DIV>Terry Farrell <SPAN = id=__#Ath#SignaturePos__></SPAN> </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=ramsey@extremezone.com = href="mailto:ramsey@extremezone.com">Kevin E. Ramsey</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, September 03, = 2001 12:15 PM</DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: stability of pitch = raises</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>    Terry = wrote:</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>    </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>    "<FONT = face="Times New Roman" size=3>Now this is where my original question came from. What I am = trying to do<BR>here is understand how slow I may be. I assume here that you = have been at<BR>this profession for a goodly number of years. I read so many = posts from<BR>techs that I am doing something wrong if I spent more than 20 = minutes on a<BR>pitch raise. Some claim to do 6 to 8 minute pitch raises. OK, = 61 cents is a<BR>large one pass pitch raise (I realize in this particular case = you did two<BR>more octaves), so lets give this pitch raise 15 to 20 minutes. = Throw in<BR>another 5 or 10 for the extra two octaves. We are still below a = half hour.<BR>Now the tuning claims - never more than an hour - 40 minutes = - 30 minutes.<BR>So how about 45 minutes for tuning? Then we have 45 + 25 = = 70 minutes. One<BR>hour and ten minutes. What you did usually takes me = right about 2 hours, and<BR>I would not have done any voicing.<BR><BR>I'm = not trying to pick on you Kevin - I don't know that you have ever<BR>claimed to = be one of these 20 minute tuners - but is anyone willing to give<BR>an opinion - = Are these claims of 8 minute pitch raises and 30 minute tunings<BR>just testosterone running wild? Or are many/most tuners that quick after 10<BR>years in the field? (Again, I am trying to flush out the truth, = not pick on<BR>anyone!)"</FONT></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3></FONT></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>    No, I'm not one of = those lightning fast pitch raisers. I like to get the pitch as close as = possible the first time. Therefore, I don't as a rule just start yanking things up = as quickly as possible, and I do set the strings while I pitch raise, so = that, once again, I know it's going to stay pretty much = there.    </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>    I've been fully = immersed in this work for about ten years. The learning curve shows no sign of = flattening out yet, I just keep getting new things to look at. Like key = weighting, my next area of inquiry.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>    </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>    I understand your = previous posting concerning first pass, just raising to pitch technique. I've = done the same thing on really old, really flat pianos in order to avoid popping = strings. A little more work, but much kinder on the piano. I've also = heard too many stories about busted plates, and I (Knock on Wood) have never = experienced one.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>    I remember asking = Bill Spurlock one time about doing pitch raises unisons as you go, if = that wouldn't stress the piano too much by having one side of it up to = pitch and the other completely flat. He said that he had done plenty of them as = much as 80 cents flat that way and never had a problem. That was good enough = for me. But on an older piano, which may not be structurally as sound, = sometimes I try to spread the tension out a little first. Just to be = safe.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>    Hope this helps. = Others will do it differently, of course.</DIV> <DIV><BR><BR></DIV></FONT> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Kevin Ramsey<BR><A = href="mailto:ramsey@extremezone.com">ramsey@extremezone.com</A></FONT><= /DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>