Ghosting

[Billbrpt@AOL.COM]

In a message dated 2/6/00 12:38:51 PM Pacific Standard Time, pjenkin@gwi.net 
writes:

<< Thanks for the reply on ghosting.
 I was shown (briefly) how to use this technique in the bass, as a check.  I
 didn't take very good notes, and have since totally lost the explanation.
 I have looked in the tuning material I have on hand, and found nothing.
 Can anyone help with either another explanation or a good written source?
 thanks again.
 Pam Jenkins >>

This is not a technique I use but some people swear by it.  It's worth while 
trying it to see if it suits your style.  When you are trying to tune an 
interval in the bass, C1 from C2, for example, your ear will hear all of the 
partials from both notes.  If you have decided that you want to tune a 6:3 
octave, which would probably be a good choice, hold down the keys C1 and C2 
without sounding them.  (You can hold them open with the Sostenuto pedal if 
the piano has one and it is working properly).

Now strike but do not hold the note C4 which is the coincident partial for 
those two notes and that kind of octave.  You will hear a resonance from both 
of the strings which are open.  If you want that interval to be a perfect 6:3 
octave, tune the lower note until the resonance you hear is steady with no 
beat.  You can also compare other coincident partials.  This is a very clear 
aural demonstration that proves that when one set of partials match, all 
others are slightly off.

Sometimes very low bass strings are ambiguous about whether they are right or 
not because there are so many audible partials and so many mismatches.  Using 
the Ghosting technique can be a way to sort things out and make the best 
compromise.  Sometimes Electronic tuners can make a very large error because 
the ETD has focused on a strong partial that is more apt to be identified 
with a note a full step lower.

If you read what Virgil Smith RPT says about tuning, you always listen to the 
"whole" sound, as he puts it.  When I tune these low bass notes, that is what 
I do.  There is a rich array of audible partials and I simply find the spot 
where the octave sounds the most in tune.  I would recommend doing the same, 
but using the Ghosting technique to prove that you have the best compromise 
among several sets of audible partials.

Hope this helps,

Bill Bremmer RPT
Madison, Wisconsin