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<DIV><FONT face="MS Sans Serif" size=3><SPAN =
class=510471805-29082004>From Bod
Davis,</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="MS Sans Serif"><FONT size=3>By the way, even when I =
tune
aurally, I don't spend 15 minutes, as you suggest in a previous post, =
setting
the A well inside half a cent<SPAN class=510471805-29082004>.
</SPAN></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="MS Sans Serif"><FONT size=3><SPAN =
class=510471805-29082004>. .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . =
. . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . .. . .
.</SPAN></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="MS Sans Serif"><FONT size=3><SPAN
class=510471805-29082004> To determine if A4 is
within one cent takes 30 seconds if you use tests. I =
can't be
sure about .5 cents unless I checked it with a machine. =
But then
why would I be struggling with a fork? =
</SPAN></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="MS Sans Serif"><FONT size=3><SPAN
class=510471805-29082004> To _set_ it as =
close as
you claim I might need 15 minutes ; ) (well what seems like 15 =
minutes) as I am not the best at matching the fork as I rarely hear =
a piano
dead on. I don't know about half a cent but two cents =
can be
heard without tests and I would not raise the piano only two =
cents on
my own prerogative. If I raised it four cents it would =
be set
two cents above so I can't think of an occasion to where I would set the =
string
to .5 cents. </SPAN></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="MS Sans Serif"><FONT size=3><SPAN
class=510471805-29082004></SPAN></FONT></FONT><FONT face="MS Sans =
Serif"><FONT
size=3><SPAN
class=510471805-29082004> &nbs=
p; You
mention the orchestra floats but that it might could be =
controlled. I
wonder if changes in the hall have some influence. I have
always suspected that a piano floats during a performance to =
the tune
of 2 to four cents. This notion comes =
from when I
was asked by the Musician's Union to tune a pit piano to A441, because =
they
said, the piano is at 440 by intermission (4
cents). There was no guess work as at =
that time
a Korg crystal controlled needle tuner used by =
the orchestra
also checked the piano So I suggested the piano might =
by it
self drift this far down, and I adjusted the needle to
demonstrate, but if I find the piano right on 440 I will have =
to raise
it to here, and adjusted the needle half way between 441 and 442
because it should settle. He agreed and I =
suggested that
if I needed to raise the piano it might need a touch up before the show =
and he
said, "We will call". I quickly found out it showed the =
fork
deviating from the heat of my hand. So I bought
one.</SPAN></FONT></FONT><FONT face="MS Sans Serif"><FONT =
size=3><SPAN
class=510471805-29082004> I was scheduled =
twice a week and always found the piano at =
441. Which
meant that the piano dropped four cents in a full =
house and
then rose four cents in the dark. All it needed was your =
normal
touch up which was amazing considering the use it got. (and how much the =
A
floated) In six months I think I did one maybe two pitch
raises. </SPAN></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="MS Sans Serif"><FONT size=3><SPAN
class=510471805-29082004>---ric (the i stands for "I am
stable") </SPAN></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="MS Sans Serif"><FONT size=3><SPAN
class=510471805-29082004> </SPAN></FONT></FONT>
<DIV></DIV><FONT face=Tahoma size=2>-----Original =
Message-----<BR><B>From:</B>
pianotech-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org] <B>On =
Behalf Of
</B>BobDavis88@aol.com<BR><B>Sent:</B> Sunday, August 22, 2004 11:59
AM<BR><B>To:</B> pianotech@ptg.org<BR><B>Subject:</B> Re: Tuning with a
fork......Sanderson...<BR><BR></FONT></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr
style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px =
solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV>
<DIV>Ric Moody writes:</DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: blue 2px =
solid"> <FONT
face="MS Sans Serif">If you produce a musician (oboist you
say) who says their instruments get weird outside of 2 cents =
deviation
I will take a fresh look (with them) at my premise that =
you
completely disagree with. I know a few musicians but have =
never
asked them if 2 cents or <SPAN =
class=510471805-29082004><FONT
size=3>[] even </FONT></SPAN>two cycles per second is a =
big
deal and wonder if they know the difference. =
</FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV>
<DIV>As an oboist as well as piano tuner, I get a chance to monitor, =
on a long
term basis, both the orchestra I play in and the piano out front. =
I will
agree that the pitch of the orchestra drifts during a performance. =
However, I
don't agree that it's acceptable, and want to do =
everything within my
power to limit it. I think the orchestra sounds best when
it adheres to a standard, whatever it is. I'll address both the =
piano
side and the orchestra side.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>For at least an hour before I tune for a rehearsal or =
performance, I have
the stage manager set the air conditioning and lights where they will =
be for
the show. I figure they're paying me to tune at 440 (usually), so =
that's where
I tune, to the best of my ability. If it's a few cents off, I do a =
pitch
correction, which will bring it inside one cent, and only takes 15-20 =
minutes.
Since this is a piano I tune often, I have a stored tuning for it, =
which is an
aurally tweaked calculated tuning, and I listen each time to tweak it =
further
to make up for seasonal soundboard changes. I get a chance to go =
back two
days later to tune for the second performance, and it is rare =
that the
change is more than a cent; and that is attributable to climate and =
not to
piano instability (different pattern).</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>By the way, even when I tune aurally, I don't spend 15 minutes, =
as you
suggest in a previous post, setting the A well inside half a cent. It =
doesn't
take but about a minute. And yes, I do use an offset for the pitch =
correction.
Maybe it's a philosophical difference, but I don't like to float pitch =
for a
performance. I don't think it's a practical necessity - it isn't that =
hard to
stabilize at 440 with a quick pitch correction. You never know how
pitch-sensitive the pianist will be (I am occasionally amazed), and, =
well, why
not just do it. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I make my reeds so they feel best at 440-441. The "A" I give to =
the
orchestra is 440 exactly. I check the pitch often electronically, and =
it is
typical for the some of the orchestra to drift upward as much =
as 4 Hz on
a bad day (the tone starts to pull apart). I can adapt with embouchure =
up to
about 441, maybe 442, then it becomes uncomfortable, and I usually ask =
to
retune. When we play with the piano, we stay very close to pitch, and
incidentally, sound better.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Bob Davis</DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>