re inventing the wheel again

[antares]

I remember this discussion about tuning with "ears and tuning with eyes". As
a matter of fact this has been discussed many times during the last years on
this list.
I personally have learned from those discussions the following:
There are quite a number of "pianotech cultures" and different developments
in this world and one of the  mistakes one "could" make is to assume that it
is the same piece of cake everywhere else.
That is definitely not the case. In the US of A for instance there has been,
I think, the strongest impulse and development of tuning with electronic
aid. Most probably, as a result, you will find there the most tuners with
the various tuning machines.
England is quite different... more old fashioned and conservative, and I
suppose that most tuners in the UK tune aurally, or, as one would like :
with the help of their ears.
On the European Continent it is about the same, but it may differ from
Country to Country.
I live in Holland and I have tuned with my earlobes for ages, until >>>>
tadaaaaa! I met this American tuner who showed me his latest SAT.
When I left the store where he worked (years ago already) I said to my wife
: isn 't it too bad.... here we have this talented and developed technician,
and yet, he tunes with a machine!
But... as I came home from that trip, I had to do work for a piano importer
and 16 instruments had to be ready in two days and they had to be in perfect
order.
At the same time maybe 6 other tuners were present to do the same kind of
job, but for other factories. You can imagine that tuning was hell, aurally
speaking.
So, after one hellish day, I went up to one of the managers who had given me
the job and I asked him : don't you guys have that tuning (the PT-100)
machine available somewhere? to which he answered " yeah, we had been
wondering why you never wanted to tune with that thing"?

OK..
so I tried it the next day, and all the other tuners came over to look at
"the thing" and made sniding remarks about machines etc.
Now, some years later, they all walk around with those things and in our own
Piano Association (the VvPN) we have given seminars about the pro's and
contra's of machines.

My personal opinion?
I think machines are a great help! as long as you still know thoroughly how
to do it with "da lobes". and in some cases, it is a fantastic experience
when the battery level is low and you have to, again, do it all alone by
your pinky ears.
Furthermore, I think "I" might get the best result by using the long mutes
all over the instrument (the grand), tune electronically first, then make
corrections by ear, then tune all the unisons and concentrate (i.e. use most
of my time) on making the nicest tone possible.

And if you don't agree...
Well, that's fine too, just keep on trucking!

Friendly greetings,

Antares

PS.
I still think that tuners should first learn tuning aurally and practice in
this way for a veeeeery long time.

and about Australia I know very little, but I would very much like to go
there and meet the techs (Robin?)

> From: "Robin Stevens" <pianotun@pirie.mtx.net.au>
> Reply-To: pianotech@ptg.org
> Date: Fri, 18 Feb 2000 23:47:48 +1030
> To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
> Subject: re inventing the wheel again
> 
> I have been reading the digest for the last 6 months and I am amazed the
> amount of crap I am reading from the "learner Tuners" re tuning scopes Etc.
> Firstly I must state I am a self employed Piano Tuner of 42 years with a
> very good business and a vast amount of experience in the REAL WORLD.
> I am  very much in favour of using Scopes Etc. BUT I must stress you can not
> base your tuning business on the results of viewing the results of a scope.
> I would like to list what I think is the order of importance
> 1.  Practice tuning unisons by EAR until the three strings sound as one AND
> DO NOT proceed until this is achieved.
> 2 Learn the basic principles of setting the scale or Bearings or what ever
> you
> Yanks call the foundation of your tunings.
> Once that you are happy with your settings of the initial octave then
> practice just copying what you have set through the range of the piano.
> 3. Learn to be very aware by EAR of "not nice sounding intervals"
> At this stage of your learning you will be THAT FAR AHEAD of what the
> average customer can hear it will surprise you.
> I have tuned pianos orally  for 30 years, but the last 12 years I have used
> a Yamaha PT100 for the following reasons.
> 1 All piano tuners loose their upper frequency range with age.
> 2 I tune 5 or six pianos a day and I find that using the scope where I
> only listen to one note at a time
> is less tiring on the ear.
> 3 Unless you master or have a basic feel for oral tuning you will for
> ever be in the control of the designers of these super scopes which have
> seemed to convince you that you need to upgrade at a frequency that would
> make Bill Gates envious.
> 4 Remember that the customer in the REAL WORLD  is calling you for one
> of the following reasons.
> 1 They have just received the piano from Grandma (has not been
> tuned for the last 30 years)
> 2 they have just moved the piano from across the room ( told it
> must be tuned when moved)
> 3 Sounds terrible ( putting the trip to the Rubbish tip off for
> another year)
> 4  Note or notes not working ( If you are not confident re
> faulty or  non playing notes start to get
> worried because this is the main reason for them calling
> you.
> 5 Lastly there is a very small group of piano owners who follow
> the Makers instructions and
> have them tuned regularly ( this group very well catered for
> by the established Tuners)
> Finally remember that all is not doom and gloom
> Remember what ever tuning result you present to your 1st or
> 100th customer,if you have the
> true love and devotion to this noble craft, your interest in
> the Customers piano will not fail to be
> noticed.
> Customer skills are far more important (and pay more) than any desire to
> tune to a accuracy of 10 decimal places
> Robin stevens
> South Australia
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
>