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<DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000=
000
size=2> <FONT
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Ric</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000=
000
size=3> Frankly the idea that a good tuner can't get goo=
d
results when using a temp strip is Hogwash. It sound like your saying someth=
ing
similar. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000=
000
size=3> I've been using complete strip muting for 32 years & I b=
eleive
the stability of my work speaks for itself. I know many others who do as wel=
l
& with the finest results you can imagine</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000=
000
size=3> I will say that the material used for muting can have an eno=
rmous
impact on the stability. Rule no. 1....Do not use supply house temp
strips.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000=
000
size=3> I use the thick green action cloth for years . It's stripped =
to
about 1/2 to 5/8 wide. I use the one that gets thinnest from use =
in
the top treble ,the next most worn one in the capo section & the thickes=
t
newest one in the middle & bass. Using this cloth spreads the strings to=
a
bare minimum with effeicient damping.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000=
000
size=3> The efficiency of the whole tuning system is also less tedio=
us for
me than always moving hands & mutes ... but that's me.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000=
000
size=2><FONT size=3> If using one mute works well for you then thi=
s is
great. It's the results that count. but enough of the myth that strip muting=
can't give excellent results.</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000=
000
size=2><FONT size=3> Dale</FONT></DIV>
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<DIV><BR></DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#000000 size=2>
<DIV>Hi, Susan and Michael et al,</DIV>
<DIV>The whole business of strip muting for either the temperament octav=
e or
even into the further reaches of the piano has always been controversial=
here in UK. Probably like Michael I was trained very
traditionally, to discard the strip mute quite early on and rely on=
one's ear for laying the temperament with just two wedges. It has
always been looked down upon in the profession here if a tuner stil=
l
has to use a temperament strip, almost suggesting that his/her ear is no=
t
reliable enough to do without it. The analogy being a baby's walki=
ng
frame I suppose! Because of this early influence I can=
actually feel 'ashamed' if I resort to using a strip or rubbe=
r
gang mute on a difficult piano. Do i need psychoanalysis? However,=
I
could actually argue pretty stongly in favour of using them with ve=
ry
small grands and uprights where inharmonicity is so pronounced that sett=
ing
an acceptable temperament can take more than one pass, and using this ai=
d
would be quicker. When this topic comes under discussion over here=
it
is generally argued that the temperament is not exactly the same when yo=
u
return to complete the unisons and that the whole excercise can be more =
time
consuming.</DIV>
<DIV>It would be interesting to know what proportion of tuners is 'mute
free'</DIV>
<DIV>Ric</DIV></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
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