tuning in noisy environments.

[Don]

Hi Sarah,

I tuned for the biggest "drunk" in Canada for a number of years. Called the
Big Valley Jamboree. The piano was equipped with a contact mic--and I had
to tune while the previous group was performing. The contact mic was
essentially useless in the high level "noise" of the groups There was
enough energy to drive the soundboard. However the magnetic pickup worked
on just the strings--which is what we are trying to tune. This quite crude
pickup had to be physically moved from string to string which contributed
to very slow tuning times.

I don't know if you are familiar with the accutuner--but it is essentially
in this useage a "narrow" band pass filter. That allowed me to do good
unisons--but only because I had taken the time to notate which partial each
unison preferred.

Don't forget that there is also an impedance mismatch between the strings
and the bridge/soundboard. In this case it worked in my favor.

Accutuner used to sell a magnetic pickup. It was developed by Steve
Fairchild I believe. I carry it in the car for those "just in case"
situations.

At 01:45 PM 11/24/02 -0500, you wrote:
>Hi Don,
>
>> The soundboard of a piano will pick up the extranious noise. *grin* just
>> like a big ear drum.
>
>True.  However, it's not the size of the eardrum that counts but rather its
>acoustic impedance.  There is virtually no impedance mismatch between the
>wood of the sounding board and the solid materials of the contact
>microphone, hence high efficiency of sound conductance.  There is a very
>large impedance mismatch between air and wood, hence a very low efficiency
>of sound conductance between those media.  It's like being underwater.  The
>surface of the pool is HUGE.  Yet it's hard to hear anyone talking above
>water owing to the impedance mismatch.  Try the contact mic, and I bet
>you'll find it works.  The only question is whether you want to work tied
>down to a cord, wearing headsets.
>
>Peace,
>Sarah
>
>_______________________________________________
>pianotech list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives
>
>

Regards,
Don Rose, B.Mus., A.M.U.S., A.MUS., R.M.T., R.P.T. Tuner for the Center of
the Arts

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