Tuning question

[Jerry Hunt]

I was re-reading an article in the July 1995 Journal by Michael Travis,
RPT: PACE Lesson Plan Tuning Lesson #22, Treble: Part 2 - Checks and
Balances. I don't know if Michael subscribes to this list, but am hoping
someone can help me in sort out a couple of things.

1) Under "Background", the article states: 
   "...…it is possible throughout most of the treble on a decent piano
   to tune a middle path- achieving a fair balance between the single
   octave, the double octave and the twelfth, with no objectionable
   beating among these consonant intervals… We should bear in mind that
   this is the type of tuning appropriate for the PTG Tuning Exam, in
   which single octaves throughout the treble and high treble should be
   clean sounding. This means, of course, that the upper treble and
high    
   treble double octaves and twelfths will become increasingly narrow
as    
   you go up."

   My question: My understanding is that the objectives for the PTG
   tuning test are not necessarily the same as those of "real" tuning.
   Consequently, do I understand correctly that the checks as
summarized    
   in the above statement and detailed in this article are geared
   towards producing a good tuning exam tuning, and not necessarily a
   good "real tuning"?

2) In describing the checks:
   "To avoid leaving a note flat in octaves 5 or 6, we want to make
sure    
   the double octave is wide in octave 5 (M3<M17), tapering down toward
   pure (M3=M17) only as we reach the upper end of octave 6, and that
   all single octaves are wide at the 2:1 level (M10<M17)"

   Question: If M3-M17 tapers toward pure (i.e M3=M17) as you go up,
   would not M10-M17 also taper towards equality (i.e. M10=M17, or
   nearly so)?

3) In describing the hands-on excercise, the article states:
   "Nitpick the C5-B5 area by playing parallel chromatic and whole-tone
    series…"

   Question: I think I understand the parallel chromatic series, i.e. a
scale of chromatic 17's, but am unfamiliar with "whole-tone series".

Thanks for your help
-- 
Jerry Hunt
Dallas, TX USA
Associate member PTG