general poll-please participate

[owen j. greyling]

Hi Robin,
We do learn more when we use the tools available to us. I feel sorry for the
aural tuner who can't bring his or herself to at least learn from ETD's.
There's such a lot of knowlege to be gained if we want to learn.
Regards, Owen
----- Original Message -----
From: "Robin Hufford" <hufford1@airmail.net>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Sunday, December 23, 2001 4:15 PM
Subject: Re: general poll-please participate


> Owen,
>
>       I think this is a very well expressed post as to the utility of an
ETD
> which I too own but use only intermittently, and, particularly, for
testing.
> What you say here is very much similar both to the comercial utility and
use of
> an ETD and seems very much like the  experience I have had.
> Regards, Robin Hufford
>
>
> "owen j. greyling" wrote:
>
> > Hi Terry,
> >
> > Please do not be offended by my post...........
> >
> > I read your post this morning while I was enjoying my morning coffee. I
sat
> > here at my desk thinking why?.... Why does this person, hopefully a real
> > live tuner, want to know what in the world professional tuners do with
> > ETD's.
> > There may be, and probably are, a whole host of reasons, but after
thinking
> > about this all day, I think now there is only one. Here it is... You are
> > probably a "fairly new to this profession" tuner: a struggling aural
tuner
> > looking for support or affirmation from other tuners, as to why they
tune
> > either with or without a machine. If you don't own a ETD, I bet you
would
> > like to, but are still hearing the voices from the past and present that
> > loudly tell you that you can't be a REAL tuner if you use one. Am I
right?
> >
> > Please don't be offended by my post......
> >
> > The ongoing question as to which method is better, is really redundant
to
> > most of the clients who buy tunings from all of us.  I'm sure I don't
need
> > to tell you what a really good tuning is, but here's the kicker. Most of
> > your clients and mine can't tell the difference because when properly
done
> > there is none, or very little difference. To a really good tuner it
doesn't
> > make any difference how you get to that "in-tune"point.
> >  I have been tuning for twenty four years, sometimes only with a fork,
> > sometimes 100% electronically, but mostly a combination, picking and
> > choosing what works best, at each and every tuning.
> > I carry a SAT III, which, on a good piano, I can tune rings around, and
so
> > can any other aural tuner who has taken the time to properly learn how
to
> > tune. But there are many times that a FAC tuning done right out of the
box,
> > is the best answer to the situation. When I use FAC, I like to leave a
> > record of the tuning done so that next time I can recreate the exact
tuning
> > and see how well the tuning stood up. Many times grands are more fun to
tune
> > aurally, other times a spinet can be better handled with starting with
FAC,
> > cleaning up measuring intervals,and then tuning aurally after a decent
> > temperament has been established. Much of the time, I use the tuner in
the
> > measure mode to simply measure the width of intervals already tuned
aurally.
> > An ETD is ONLY a tool, one that any real professional who knows his or
her
> > job, could live without if they had to. I have a number of customers
that
> > have never seen me use "that box" poking out of my kit, simply because I
> > know what the reaction would be. I'm not there to change the world, I'm
> > there to tune the piano and that's what I do. I don't tell them that I
may
> > be able to do a better job with that false beating treble if I used a
canned
> > tuning..What does it matter?, I have to be versatile enough to be able
to
> > fill my customers needs, so should all of us. I have other clients who
would
> > probably think I couldn't do the high quality tuning that they have
become
> > accustomed to, if I didn't check the piano using my spinning lights.
> >
> > If you've read this far, thankyou, and let me conclude with this. Good,
> > solid aural tuners are not intimidated by ETD's. Some are just not
> > interested, don't see the point in laying out cash for something they
know
> > they don't need, while others are interested in exploring the
possibilities
> > that an ETD opens up. I for one, look forward to the day when we all
realise
> > that properly tuned pianos occur everyday by many different means and
> > methods, by people just like you and me who do a job that they either
love,
> > or do to put food on the table. The motivation is different, but the
result
> > is still a tuned piano, just like the ETD/Aural question. The journey
can be
> > different, but the destination is still the same.
> >
> > If I have completely misread your reason for asking, please forgive my
> > rant....
> >
> > Owen.
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "pianolover 88" <pianolover88@hotmail.com>
> > To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
> > Sent: Friday, December 21, 2001 12:43 PM
> > Subject: general poll-please participate
> >
> > > hi piano-tekkers,
> > >
> > > I'd like to take a poll to determine what percentage of techs on this
list
> > > (i wonder how many ARE subscribed??) use ETDs, or are strickly aural;
I
> > will
> > > assume that ETD users use aural skills in conjuntion with their ETDs,
> > > perhaps for tuning unisons and doing various tests.
> > > Also, those who DO use ETDs, I'd be curious to know what type is used,
> > such
> > > as SAT, RTC, etc. thanks!
> > >
> > > Terry
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > <html>
> > > <DIV><FONT face="Garamond, Times, Serif"><HTML></FONT>
> > > <DIV><FONT face="Garamond, Times, Serif">Terry Peterson</FONT></DIV>
> > > <DIV><FONT face="Garamond, Times, Serif">Peterson Piano
> > Service</FONT></DIV>
> > > <DIV><FONT face="Garamond, Times, Serif">Rolling Hills Estates,
> > > CA</FONT></DIV>
> > > <DIV>&nbsp;</DIV></DIV></html>
> > >
> > >
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