In a message dated 4/11/1999 9:19:17 PM, Barrie wrote: <<So you are telling me that the 3 wise tuners tune a piano load it to the SAT and that same tuning is used all over the Country for different pianos in deferent environments! >> No not at all Barrie. The procedure is to select a piano to be used for testing, usually this will be a grand. The piano is tuned by one of the tuners, then the second one tweaks it, and finally the third one tweaks it. By this time it is a fairly decently tuned piano. The three techs working together then discuss the "best" possible tuning and discuss the scale note by note making agreed upon compromises until the three agree that this piano is tuned as well as it can be. For standardization ET is used but it could be any temperament I suppose as long as it was agreed to by the three and the testee was informed, and the temperament was allowed by PTG bylaws. (I think this would be correct) Anyway, this final compromise "best" possible tuning for this piano is recorded on the SAT. This recorded tuning for that piano is known as the Master tuning. The Master tuning is only for that one piano, no other piano.... period. The use of three excellent tuners 'tends' to even out individual proclivities as to intervals, stretch, etc. It is this 'Master' tuning for that one piano that the testee is working to duplicate and as the SAT has the numbers stored any measurement as to sucess or failure is purely objective. The question might be asked whether a different set of three techs doing the Master tuning on that piano would arrive at a different Master tuning ??? Well I don't know the answer to that but I would think that with the consultation, discussion and cancelling out of individual proclivities by the three that any subsequent Master tunings set for that instrument would be awfully danged close...but I don't know whether this has ever been tested. <<"At the end of the day it is not how you mark the test, it is the standard of workmanship of the membership who have passed the test what counts.">> Abso darned lutely Barrie. :-) Jim Bryant (FL)
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