tuning forks & pitch raises

[John M. Formsma]

Bill Bremmer wrote:

<<<<You do it essentially the same way.  The rule of thumb is that you need
to tune 1/3 sharper than your targeted pitch.  If your starting pitch is 3
beats flat of your fork, for example, you tune your starting pitch one full
beat sharp of the fork.  Of course, if you have an electronic tuner, you can
make a more precise calculation but that does not necessarily mean that your
results will be that much "better".>>>>

Right.  I should have clarified my question.  If a piano is only 3 cents
flat, no problem.  I think I could handle that with a metal fork.  :-) But,
how do you know that a piano is, say, 35 cents flat using only a fork?   It
could be 25 cents flat.  Knowing how flat a piano is determines the
sharpness of my beginning pitch, which seems to be the great benefit of the
Accu-fork.  While the Accu-fork may not be able to let you know that the
pitch is flat 42.8 cents, it can tell you that it is between 40-45 cents
flat.  With only a metal fork, do you just make an educated guess as to
whether the piano is 25 or 35 or 45 cents flat?

The reason that I ask is because I have not used a metal fork since I began
tuning aurally.  I use the Accu-fork.  I know that principles of using the
metal fork, but prefer the convenience of the Accu-fork.

John Formsma
Blue Mountain, MS

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-pianotech@ptg.org [mailto:owner-pianotech@ptg.org]On Behalf
Of Billbrpt@AOL.COM
Sent: Sunday, October 31, 1999 10:40 AM
To: pianotech@ptg.org
Subject: Re: tuning forks & pitch raises


In a message dated 10/31/99 7:54:16 AM Pacific Standard Time,
jformsma@dixie-net.com (John M. Formsma) writes:

<< With all the talk recently about those who are using the metal forks, how
 does one do pitch raises aurally--i.e, how does one determine how flat a
 piano is and how sharp to tune it so that the pitch will fall, leaving the
 piano fairly close to pitch for fine tuning?

 With the Accu-fork, it is simple since it has a slider adjustment allowing
 one to easily determine the pitch of a piano before a pitch raise.  How is
 it done with a metal fork?

 Just curious.

 John Formsma
 Blue Mountain, MS >>