Conservative Octaves? (long)

[Stephen R Haasch]

On Sun, 20 Oct 1996 15:46:23 -0400 "Dean L. Reyburn, RPT"
<dean@reyburn.com> writes:
>Dear Jeff;
>Thanks for some very thoughtful comments.  You have raised some
>questions
>on a subject on which I have been working for a number of years,
>namely
>the variation of tuning styles between aural tuners.
>
==============Reply==================

Dean

I am sure that you and most others know this, but for some I think it is
worth replying and refreshing this as part of the discussion.

I struggle as to getting a stretch which I am comfortable with many times
too.  I found that (by reading pianotech in days gone by) that the degree
of stretch I put into the piano depended largely upon the base of
reference and the manner of checks.

If I referenced back always to my temperament, my stretch tended to be
conservative.  If I referenced back only one or two octaves, the stretch
would increase.  If I checked using a 12th or less, stretch was greater.
If I checked using broader multiple octaves, the stretch was more
conservative.  I started picking this up as I would play up from the
temperament a progression through major chords to the top or just using
octaves.  I would keep the sustain pedal down as I did so.  It was
detectable as I played a progression of these up through the scale.

I found that my ear tended to prefer a wide stretch.  My customers tended
to prefer a conservative stretch.  This was especially true in the high
treble.  So I fell to setting my stretch using multiple octaves plus a
third (or what ever) referencing back to my temperament on every
occasion or the octave next to it.

CONCLUSION
The master tuners need to agree on the method of checks before they go in
and evaluate the piano which they master tune.  I would be of opinion
that this information should then be provided the candidate for the test
when it is given.

With this bit of two cents I close,
Steve from Florida