Thoughts on Pin Setting

[Dick Beaton]

Hi all...
I think piano tuners develop hammer technique from experience.  Pianos
differ widely and technique must adapt to the piano.
Dick RPT MT
-----Original Message-----
From: Tom Cole <tcole@cruzio.com>
To: pianotech@ptg.org <pianotech@ptg.org>
Date: Saturday, December 19, 1998 12:49 AM
Subject: Re: Thoughts on Pin Setting


>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
>
>