Thoughts on Pin Setting

[Tom Cole]

Robert,

I learned to tune from someone who had the audacity to suggest that
tuning was done mostly with the tuning hammer and that loud test blows
were damaging to ears, fingers and actions and should be avoided in most
cases. He showed me how he manipulated the tuning hammer so that he
could feel how the tuning pins were settling in the block and also how
the strings were rendering over the bearing points.

Over the years, I've experimented with various techniques and noted what
resulted after different periods of time and types of playing. For
instance, if I use lots of heavy pounding on a piano that gets light
playing, the piano ends up being sharp when I tune it again a year
later. On the other hand, using good hammer technique but light test
blows on a jazz club piano results in very good stability and tuning is
mostly needed to compensate for humidity changes.

I should add, at this point, that I do give a few strong test blows on
the first few strings that I tune to see if my technique is working.
Once I've tuned my tuning method, I can then proceed tuning fairly
quietly and only if I'm unsure of my pin-setting technique will I give
another loud test blow.

What you have described is very similar to what I do. It's useful to
experiment with different ideas because, as you point out, how you
manipulate the tuning hammer needs to be different according to the kind
of pin and string friction you encounter on each note. Also, I usually
try to find out what sort of playing the piano gets (frequent,
infrequent, boisterous adult or beginner child) and adjust my pin
setting technique accordingly. 

You will want to have as many different approaches as you can to create
and test for tuning stability in a wide variety of circumstances. The
techniques that you use can be whatever works for you and is friendly to
the piano. IMHO, you are on the right track.

Tom

Robert Scott wrote:
> 
> I seem to have unconsciously developed a pin setting technique,
> and I would like to hear what you every-day tuners have to say
> about it...<remaining post deleted>

-- 
Thomas A. Cole, RPT
Santa Cruz, CA
mailto:tcole@cruzio.com