Strip Muting/unisons

[Ward & Probst]

Graeme,
I have used action cloth(also called sticker cloth) for mute strips for
years and find it wears and mutes well. Available in various widths &
thickness, I mostly use a medium thickness torn on a taper, one piece for
the tenor the other in the bass. I have a 3/8 strip for the treble. Covers
most verticals & grands that I service. Particularly valuable when tuning
players.
Best,
Dale
Dale Probst, RPT
Institute Director, TEAM2000
PTG Annual Convention
Arlington, VA--July 5-9,2000
wardprobst@cst.net
(940)691-3682 voice
(940) 691-6843 fax
TEAM2000 website: http://www.equaltemperament.com/PTG/



-----Original Message-----
From: owner-pianotech@ptg.org [mailto:owner-pianotech@ptg.org]On Behalf
Of Graeme Harvey
Sent: Tuesday, February 01, 2000 2:02 PM
To: pianotech@ptg.org
Subject: Re: Strip Muting/unisons


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
> > >
> >
>