Currently I'm using, and enjoying, one of Dan's "standard" tuning levers, tubular steel with a welded head joint. Very stiff, light, fits into pianos well, and fits easily in the tuning kit. And I'm looking forward to trying the "over the stretcher" lever a.s.a.p.
Ed S.
----- Original Message -----
From: G Cousins
To: CAUT
Sent: Saturday, October 17, 2009 10:19 PM
Subject: Re: [CAUT] Bechstein model B tuning stability
Alan,
Give Bob a jingle next week and see what the status is for the lever.
I've already got one "pre"ordered. IMHO Dan is always very thoughtful and thorough in his research.
Hoping to break it in on some of those Baldwin zillion ply glue blocks. grin
Gerry
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To: caut at ptg.org
Date: Sat, 17 Oct 2009 19:44:04 -0400
From: reggaepass at aol.com
Subject: Re: [CAUT] Bechstein model B tuning stability
Gerry,
Granted, there may be times when it is desirable to be able to flagpole a tuning pin in a deliberate and controlled manner. That aside, I attended Dan Levitan's class at Grand Rapids and was sufficiently impressed with his tuning lever that I tried to purchase one on the spot. It looks like it could significantly increase control of the tuning pin while being far more ergonomic than any other design (since you sit on the bench and hold the end of the lever right in front of your chest, moving it left or right as needed).
Alan Eder
-----Original Message-----
From: G Cousins <cousins_gerry at msn.com>
To: CAUT <caut at ptg.org>
Sent: Sat, Oct 17, 2009 2:55 pm
Subject: Re: [CAUT] Bechstein model B tuning stability
A good friend, Dan Levitan (NY PTG) has designed a tuning lever to virtually eliminate the flag pole issue during tuning. Unconventional in lok but extremely effective. Last I heard, PianoTek is planning on manufacturing and selling the tool. Dan has also written several articles for the journal regarding the subject of flag poling the pin and techniques for minimizing it during tuning.
Gerry C
West Chester University of PA
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: fssturm at unm.edu
To: caut at ptg.org
Date: Sat, 17 Oct 2009 12:19:38 -0600
Subject: Re: [CAUT] Bechstein model B tuning stability
On Oct 17, 2009, at 10:27 AM, David Love wrote:
A very conscious rotary motion with even a slight forward press (sounds like a golf swing) and a closer to 12:00 hammer position.
I'll second this notion, very much including the "forward press." If the twist of the pin is enough to pull the string through and past friction before the pin turns in the block, a downward pressure on the hammer is an excellent technique. The idea is to balance things so that the turn of the pin in the block, and the movement of the string past friction points, are coordinated, they happen perfectly in sync. So use a 12 o'clock position of hammer, and apply pressure downward or upward on the end of the hammer lever (essentially "flagpoling" the pin forward or backward), so that when you feel the pin begin to move in the block, the pitch just begins to move. This will vary depending on tightness of the pin and amount of friction on the bearing points, so you have to calibrate what you do to the piano, and to the individual pin.
It's not always possible to do this perfectly, but you can usually get quite close, and this technique makes things far less confusing - you know where you are at all times. Another factor is a good stiff hammer. I got a Fujan recently, and it is amazingly better than anything else I've tried. The feel of the pin is much clearer, and calibration of how much to push or pull (or "impact" - nudge) is much more precise, since there isn't any significant "spring" stored in the hammer lever itself. All muscular effort is directed at the pin.
Regards,
Fred Sturm
University of New Mexico
fssturm at unm.edu
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