Boston Grands

Newton Hunt nhunt@jagat.com
Mon, 24 Nov 1997 11:52:01 -0500


Hello, Jerry,

Anyone with my last name HAS _GOT_ to be a good tuner.

Here are a few of my tricks.

First extend your M3s down to A2.  This will give you a two octave
spread.  Contiguous Major thirds need to have a 4:5 beat rate ratio. 
This applies to ANY two contiguous thirds.  Carefully adjust octaves and
thirds to arrive at this ratio for all cont. thirds.

Major sixths (example F3-D4) have a complementary same speed M3 (F3-A3.
Let your fifths float, but aim for almost pure fifths, but do not allow
your fourths to get out of hand.  You are stretchisng the octaves so the
fifths will slow down and the fourths will speed up slightly.

Bear in mind that inharmonicity changes from piano to piano and from
area to area of the same instrument and you must tailor your
termperament to fit THAT piano, so rely more on the ratio than on speeds
of thirds.

ALso note that the M6 with an inside M3 contains the M4 A3-D4.  You can
use this fact to evulate M4 speeds.

Also the following intervals should progress evenly; F3-A3, F3-D4,
A#3-D4.

Use contiguous 4ths and 5ths as well as 3rds.  Cont. 4ths and cont. 5th
should have the same beat speed.

A#2-F3 (M6) and A#2-C4 (M10) should have the same beat or the M6 very
slightly faster.  If they are the same you have a pure F3-C4 M5.

Using these tricks should eventually give you a nicely fitted equal
temperament for that piano.  Practice, with improvement, tends toward
perfection.

All examples apply equally to any location in the termperament.

Have fun going crazy like the rest of us.

	Newton Hunt
	nhunt@jagat.com

P.S.  I have not tune any Boston, but this will apply to any piano.



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