<HTML style="FONT-SIZE: x-small; FONT-FAMILY: MS Sans Serif"><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=windows-1252"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.2769" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV><FONT size=3>Norma said: "Now I realize that I must learn [aural tuning], and soon. If any one has any advice on this I'd sure appreciate it.  (I have the Randy Potter course but I'd like other options and opinions.)   Where do I start?  Tune with 3rds and 6ths and check with 4ths and 5ths or the other way around?  Recommeded sequence?  Any other tips?  I think I need some help."<BR><BR>Okay. Take a deep breath and let your pulse slow down a little .....<BR><BR>Ah, that's better. Now ...<BR><BR>Best advice<BR><BR>No 1: Find an aural tuner willing to spend some time with you so you can see, hear, and try with the voice of experience in the room.<BR><BR>No 2 (and I never really had much of number 1, myself, since I live where the population density is about the same as the average IQ and population "density" can take on a whole new meaning. But I digress:<BR>Attend every PTG tuning class you can get into and your local chapter meetings--even if you are not yet a member, they will be nice to you and you will learn stuff. Check on this ...<BR><BR>PACIFIC NORTHWEST CONFERENCE<BR>April 11, 2007--April 14, 2007<BR>Hyatt Hotel & Convention Center<BR>Calgary, AB<BR>Contact: Michael Lipnicki, RPT<BR>48 Prominence Pt., SW, Calgary, AB T3H 4K8<BR>Phone: 403-287-3679<BR><BR>OR<BR><BR>February 9, 2006--February 12, 2006<BR>CALIFORNIA STATE CONFERENCE<BR>February 9, 2006--February 12, 2006<BR>Burbank Airport Hilton<BR>Burbank, CA<BR>Contact: Jim Ogden<BR>5303 Harter Lane, LaCanada, CA 91011<BR>Phone: 818-952-3451<BR>Email: </FONT><A href="mailto:jnogden@123LA.net"><FONT size=3>jnogden@123LA.net</FONT></A><BR></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3>I've been to California's Conferences, they put on a great one, almost like the national which, this year, is a long way from your house but still would be worth it --Rochester, NY,  in July.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><BR><FONT size=3>No 3: Sign up for the Associates Seminar and attend, if possible. See </FONT><A href="http://www.ptg.org"><FONT size=3>www.ptg.org</FONT></A><FONT size=3> for upcoming times/places</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3>No 4: Read articles related to temperament setting, etc., WHILE SITTING AT A PIANO and trying what you are reading. There have been many excellent positings here. Search google with appropriate key words and put this in the searth window, too, without the quote marks "site:ptg.org" </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3>No 5: Note that you will find it very difficult to learn aural tuning JUST from studying Potter or Reblitz or anyone else. You need to really get a feel for the science and the art of the thing from multiple sources and, mostly, from practice, practice, practice --- BUT make sure you are practicing correct principles and techniques, hence tutoring, classes, multiple readings, etc.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3>No 6: Ask 10 tuners for recommended sequence, you will get 13 different answers. There is no right or best way except I would definitely recommend an A440 fork tuning, not a C fork. It's just where the industry is going, standards wise, and where most teaching and tuning is being done. Some old pros do a great job starting at middle C and might not like what I'm saying here, but it's true nonetheless. As George Defebaugh once said: The band is going to ask to hear your A for tuning, not your C.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3>No 7: Be patient and persevering. You will wake up one day and say "Why did I ever think a had a problem with that?" Promise.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3>No 8: The following tips will save you immense struggling to understand and much frustration. Ready? Pay attention: The various tests for octaves and intervals are ALL for one basic purpose, and that is to tell you if you are on the correct side of the interval, e.g., a slightly wide 5th can beat at exactly the same rate as a correct, slightly narrow 5th. And it's the same for all intervals. You can tune D4 to F3, perhaps, and say, gee, that's a nice marching tempo 8 bps, even though it just happens to be a little narrow instead of a little wide. Getting on the right side of intervals is about half the battle. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3>The other part of the battle is getting the best width for each interval as you tune, and this can only be roughly set by the interval tests, your fine tuning will come from comparing them to neighboring intervals (running thirds, fourths, sixths, for example) or from contiguous intervals such as this: You are happy with your A4-A3 octave and at some point in your temperament you tune D4; you listen to the A3-D4 fourth and decide it pretty much the same rate as other 4ths in your temperament; now you listen to the D4-A4 5th--if it is slightly narrow, rolls merrily and cleanly along at about 3 beats in 5 seconds and is definitely slower than the 4ths, you can be confident that the D is probably in a happy spot .... now check your 3rds, etc.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3>If you tune with slower intervals, 4ths and 5ths, then check with faster intervals, 3rds, 6ths, 10ths. If you tune any notes using the faster intervals, then you must check them with the slow ones, this is axiomatic.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3>Whatever temperament you are following, be sure to learn it well or have it written down so you always work the same way and never accidently tune one note against another that, itself, has not yet been tuned.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3>Learn to hear the correct beat for tuning. Sometimes, playing the interval more softly or ghosting it will prevent false beats from confusing you. Sometimes you have to listen a bit until the strings settle down from the initial shock of the hammer to be sure you are hearing the right beat.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3>No 9: Potter's temperament is as good as any, for a new tuner, and easier than some. You might stick with that. OR you might find it easier to tune with 4ths/5ths, some people do, and he has, if I remember right, a variation allowing that. I would also recommend studying and practicing the Sanderson 2-Octave temperament as you will learn a lot about inharmonicity compensation across the tenor break and a lot about contiguous thirds, which can be immensely helpful in setting a solid you-can-trust-it foundation for the remainder of the temperament. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3>Learn to set a note (string and pin) so that it stays where you put it BUT never trust it completely as you are learning. Always backtrack a little and double-check as you tune.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3>This I owe to our El Presidente, AKA Kent Swafford: It is silly, ridiculous, and nigh impossible to achieve perfection in one pass by tuning every interval perfectly as you go. The thing to do is rough it in, test things, judge, nudge, and fudge, where need be (always setting stable notes) until the whole thing works. Over time, you will get closer, faster, and not have to spend so much time on tests, etc. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3>And when things just aren't working, I will bet dollars to donuts that you have an interval on the wrong side of wide/narrow. Check, check, check.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3>Bonne chance, cher ami, vous serez merveilleux! </FONT></DIV> <DIV><BR><FONT size=3>Alan Barnard<BR>Salem, Missouri<BR><BR></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>