The tuner controversy

Don drose@dlcwest.com
Sat, 16 Dec 2000 12:03:10 +0000


Hi Richard,

Most clients have no idea whether their piano has been properly serviced.
Ethical technicians are a "must". At best a client might hear a poor
unison. Edt tuning does not provide good unisons, unless the operator
listens to the result. In this day and age of "wonderful tools" I believe
the exam could be quite simple. Tune a unison, and check it for stability.
If you ask 3 excellent aural tuners how sharp c8 ought to be you will
receive 7 or 8 answers--all of them "correct" for the situation. (i.e.
concert tuning? pitch correction? domestic tuning?). Aural tuning is by its
very nature subjective.

In the interests of what is best for the client I would prefer an
inexperienced edt assisted "tooner" to most of the aural tuners in my
location. An edt is just a tool--so you might just suggest that the supply
houses refuse sales of tuning levers. Of course that is a very unlikely
scenario. 

I do believe that at the highest level of "art" aural tuning should be the
preferred mode of service. At the same time that predicates that the
instrument be tuned regularly enough that no note is changed more than 2
cents up or 1 cent down. If theses parameters are not met then very likely
RCT will leave the client with a better result--unless the client wishes to
pay for a pitch correction and then a tuning.

My vote is for the best of both worlds, an edt assisted aural tuner. 

Regards,
Don Rose, B.Mus., A.M.U.S., A.MUS., R.M.T., R.P.T.
Tuner for the Saskatchewan Centre of the Arts
mailto:drose@dlcwest.com
http://donrose.xoasis.com/

3004 Grant Rd.
REGINA, SK
S4S 5G7
306-352-3620 or 1-888-29t-uner



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