Tuning themes.

[pianoman]

I learned aural tuning from a fellow named Clarence Trump.  Trump, when he
was 17 years old got a job at the Kieselhorst piano company in St. Louis
and rose through the ranks to finally own the company.  When I asked him
who taught him to tune it was a man named Farny.  When Trump shut  down
Kieselhorst and move his store west on Clayton road he renamed it Pianoland
and was the Gulbransen piano and organ dealer as well as Sohmer until
Aeolian got the franchise away from him.
Here is the way I was taught back in 1962 at a fee of $10 per week for him
to teach me on Tuesday and Thursday evenings and Saturday afternoons.
Start with a C fork at middle C.  Tune F-3 slightly sharp to C-4.  Tune G-3
to C (this and all following intervals to be tuned slightly flat).  Tune
D-4 from G-3 then A-3 to D-4 then E-4 from A-3 then B-3 to E-4.  From E-4
tune F#-3 ( this tune the flattest.  Tune C#-4 from F#-3.  Tune G#-3 from
C#4.  Tune D#-4 from G#-3.  Tune A#-3 from D#-4 and if all came out right
F-4 would be in tune with F-3.  If not then work your way backward till you
average everything out.  Meanwhile the progression of thirds starting with
F-3 and A-3 gradually ascending in speed up the scale.  thirds compared to
sixths beat about the same.(F-3 and A-3 and F-3 and D-4).  This probably
sounds crude today but those beginnings served me with gradual improvement
on my own in methods served me well for 18 years of tuning aurally till I
got my first SOT.  I tuned for private clients, churches, new piano
pre-delivery and private clients and even at Powell Symphony Hall using
that basic method.  I have now come to the point in my career that I have
been tuning electronically as long as I tuned aurally.  Like looking back
to examine the shortcomings of other peoples rebuilding work and I can only
say that the method taught me and served me well to keep up with my
competition at the time.  As I got better the competition also got better
and today we are seeing some of the best tuning overall to ever come down
the pike.

James Grebe
R.P.T. from St. Louis
pianoman@inlink.com
"Only my best is good enough"