Tuning Curves

[Richard Brekne]

Isaac OLEG SIMANOT wrote:

> Richard, I don't know what you obtain with this expanded temperament, but I
> usually always tune together octaves doubles, twelve's and their double, and
> with the sustain or tonal pedal engaged, there is a very nice spot all along
> the keyboard that lend to a very "tonal" result , if you see what I mean.

Im just useing Tune Lab to look at a few "what if" scenarios... too see what I
can learn from it. Thats what I like best about Tune Lab.  Thats actually a
great name for it.

> I just had a friend tuner - Fazioli concert tuner and factory intoner .
> explain me that the sympathy resonance of a good instrument is such that you
> could almost tune the treble without any reference to another note. simply
> tune in the strongest spot the note alone . I did not check that yet but if
> you hold the sustain pedal and tune a note in the treble, you will hear a
> spot where all the other are in resonance, and chances are that you will
> have a very nice treble then.

Yes I have noticed this too, long time ago actually, but more recently I have
come to understand that if you have the rest of the piano in a certain
relationship... the last octave and a half can be quite easily tuned by going
for the strongest spot / spot with the most sustain. I generally take a quick
pass at the highest octave this way and then double check them in the next pass
and most often I dont have to change but a couple notes. I have even checked
myself with ETD's by directly referencing coincident partials below to see which
ones I most often match.... which is sort of what has led me to looking closer
at the 3rd partial of notes as references.  You see many many tuners end up with
a stretch that includes around 25 to 28 cents offets for those last 3 or four
notes. This just happens to be really really close to the inharmonicity of 3rd
partials an octave 5th below.... so I get curious..


> And it works too for unison. If liking the method you could tune with only
> one mute (I mean that you can find the good place even when a lot of
> "dissonant " sound is present, it is just a matter of energy.

Yes... tho I always check unisions for cleaness by playing the unison together
with a few other notes. If a unision is still clean when played with a 5th, or a
major 3rd along side... then its as good as its can get.

>
> And I believe the same for unison and stability, when you tune the stronger
> (energy) moment while tuning an unison, (or even a string alone) , that mean
> that the back length is tuned, the front length too, you can eventually
> leave the pin without resorting to any twisting or pin setting , because it
> will not move anyway, it is stable and stone hard, even hard to untune. any
> strong pounding will only settle the pin farther, and if the unison have to
> drift later it will drift evenly in this optimal configuration.

I am not sure about the duplex lengths.... but there sure is a lot to scratch
your head about. We go back and forth on the list about this, with Dan and co on
the one hand and Ron and Del leading the other pack.... Seems like both sides
have a lot of sense in their arguements..... be that as it may stability seems
to have a cumuliative affect yes.

>
> Mr. Fabbrinni too tunes with a lot of twelve's and doubles references.
>
> But I suppose you are aware that the display of an ETD rarely shows the
> thing that we are to hear, it only gives a direction, so partial choice is
> of course very important.

Well it does if you make it do so. You can directly reference any partial and
then play a note with that partial as one of its coincidents and "see" exactly
what you hear.

>
> I just have some thoughts on the hearing of beats on the fundamental, will
> make another post for that.
>
> Bash ! (I mean, Bests !)

Grin... thanks for the reply Isaac :)

>

--
Richard Brekne
RPT, N.P.T.F.
Bergen, Norway
mailto:rbrekne@broadpark.no
http://home.broadpark.no/~rbrekne/ricmain.html