Hi Roger, Thanks for the detail. I can now picture exactly what you're describing. I'll give this method a try when next have a spare moment to experiment a little. The strips I've been using are basically cushion felt cut from a large sheet (which is how I buy most of my felt) but I wonder if there is a better material for this. I've not really had any problems with leakage except where string spacing between notes is excessive. Cheers Graeme Harvey New Plymouth NZ > Graeme, > > I use three strips. The newest felt in the temperment area. Stuffed > between every unison. !!! felt !!! felt !!! felt !!! etc . (BTW if > you're having trouble setting temperment, try a new felt.), the second > newest in the high treble above the break, making neat short loops and > sliding them behind the dampers, (tough in some pianos). And the third > most worn strip in the bass, (closer strings, thinner felt). Then I set > temperment, and octaves chromatically into the treble, tuning all middle > strings. Next to the bass, tuning chromatically whatever single string > is singing. (You'll catch on to the pattern in the tuning pins of > singing stings quickly.) > > Then I pull out all the felts, yes, all the felts!! And stuff the mid > section felts back in, this time between every other unison. For example > !!! felt !!! !!! felt !!! !!! felt !!! etc. This is where I use > whole steps, in tuning the unisons, and where it seems to go very > quickly. You'll notice that the available pins/strings needing tuning > are in a straight line. I do the top set of pins in whole steps to the > top. Then the bottom set. > > Then I go to the bass, and tune down, using whole steps again, and again > you'll notice the pins needing tuning are often in a straight line. Then > I 'turn the corner' and tune the rest of the bass strings coming back up. > > Next, I pull out the temperment strips and tune the other available > strings in whole steps, also in a straight line. > > I have had only to use rubber mutes three times, at the breaks and on the > top C. (And of course for checking and tweaking.) > > I tried pulling out the felts and tuning one side of each unison, and > lost time because it was extra motion, plus it has to be done > chromatically. > > I found by taking the time to stuff the felts back in again at every > other unison I save a lot of motion. > > I originally had learned to tune by moving the rubber mutes around, and > found the tedium driving me crazy. With the felts and this method I can > leave my hands at their work, not reaching for mutes or felts, just tune, > tune, tune. > > I once did a quite satisfactory fine tuning in 17 minutes. (A very > friendly Baldwin spinet, but I don't think it would have passed the > exam...) My fine tunings average 35 to 55 minutes, for which I charge > $65.00. I used this tuning sequence method for my RPT tuning exam and > scored very high. (two points short of CTE score, and some 100's) > > My pitch raises, including putting in the felts, average 13 to 15 > minutes. (For which I charge $35.00) > > (BTW, felting grands can be done just once with four felts, and going > into every other unison alternating your felts. Tune all middle strings > and singles, pull out one set of felts, tune a set of unisons, pull out > the other set of felts, and finish the unisons.) > > Roger Hayden, RPT > > On Thu, 27 Jan 2000 22:18:43 +1300 "Graeme Harvey" > <gharvey@netsource.co.nz> writes: > > Roger, > > I've just come in on this thread, somehow missed the start. > > How do you strip mute the treble section? Do you slip the action > > forward or > > what? I strip up to about C5 (52) at which point I run out of space > > above > > the hammerline. I'm just curious. I was taught by two tuners in the > > workshop > > I spent my early years in, one used single mute and the other strip > > muted > > the temperament only. > > These days I strip mute down to last bichord. > > > > Of course there isn't any reason why using your method you could fit > > both > > strips simultaneously, (below the hammer / damper line above say A4 > > ) tune > > the centre strings, then simply pull out one strip leaving the other > > in > > place covering every other outside string. This makes sense only if > > you are > > removing the action to mute in the first place. > > > > Graeme Harvey > > New Plymouth NZ > > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: Roger C Hayden <rchayden2@juno.com> > > To: <pianotech@ptg.org> > > Sent: Thursday, January 27, 2000 7:37 PM > > Subject: Re: Strip Muting/unisons > > > > > > > I like strip muting and whole step tuning, too. I discovered it > > while > > > doing time/motion studies on the fastest method of tuning (for > > me). The > > > stop watch told me what was quicker. > > > Strip muting the whole piano, leaving the middle string singing, > > and then > > > tuning all them I found quick. > > > > > > Then strip muting again every other unison, leaving the middle > > string and > > > one outside (out of tune) string singing let me set these strings > > in > > > next, doing them by whole steps, because getting to the end of > > several > > > short trips seems psychologically so much easier than one long > > tedious > > > trip. > > > > > > Then I pull the strip out and tune the other set of outside > > strings, > > > again working in whole steps. I found this much faster, because I > > can > > > strip mute a whole piano in under two minutes, which doesn't > > compare with > > > handling a rubber mute upwards of 200 times. > > > > > > And I agree that whole steps seem to keep the ear fresher, and > > when in > > > the treble undampered strings, a note that continues to sustain a > > whole > > > step away from where you are now tuning doesn't seem to interfere > > as > > > much. > > > > > > The psychological element of whole step tuning is critical. I, > > too > > > average five tunings a day, have done seven tunings many times, > > and a > > > couple of days, ten. Chromatic scales are very intense to listen > > to. Ed > > > Pettingill, who taught me much twenty years ago, found tuning to > > be very > > > nerve racking. I do not. Ed used rubber mutes and chromatic > > sequencing. > > > (Of course he's also a violist.) > > > > > > Roger Hayden, RPT > > > > > >
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