Curious you should post this. I tuned a piano yesterday that is in a chapel built for soldiers training for WWII (part of a museum tour, WWII barracks, tanks, etc. at Fort Wood) anyway there is no attic in this building just the roof itself between the congregation and the sky. Well, I showed up to tune and ended up running all over to find the guy who was supposed to let me in--he had the wrong date. There were two roofers up there working. They did speak English but didn't have a building key and didn't know anything about me coming to tune the piano, etc. Then I got in, installed a Dampp-Chaser and tuned ... all to the constant rat-a-tat tap bang bang-a-bang BANG of two guys with hammers 20 feet over my head. Seems the Army wanted the roof fixed and the piano tuned all in time for a special Easter service in this chapel. As you said, might as well get all the noisy things done at the same time! Alan Barnard Salem, MO -----Original Message----- From: pianotech-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org]On Behalf Of Susan Kline Sent: Sunday, March 16, 2003 9:16 PM To: Pianotech Subject: Re: Language At 08:45 PM 3/16/2003 -0600, you wrote: >Susan, I don't understand some of your terminology here, and I thought I'd >learned to speak fairly fluent Tunese: Probably my fault -- laziness. >There are as many tests as one feels like pursuing, but >in everyday work I tend to focus on three: the tenth test >in the middle range, but only if the timbre of the octave >isn't pleasing me; the sixth test in the bass, ditto, and >I temper fourths, fifths and octaves all the way to the >top and most of the way to the bottom. Octaves the straightest, >then a little curl to the fifths and a little bit bigger curl >to the fourths, but basically making all of the perfect >intervals (4, 5, 8) as clear as possible. > >A. "tenth test" 10ths against 3rds? running 10ths? both? Octave test, seeing if the upper and lower notes of the octave beat equally against a note a major third below the lower note. I don't always insist that they beat exactly the same -- the upper note can beat a little faster. But I like for all the octaves to have about the same difference. >B. "sixth test ... bass" major 6th/minor 3rd? running 6ths? Minor third/major 6th, within the octave, to check for the bass octave size. I use running almost everything when checking the temperament, but usually not later on. If the deep bass is really puzzling me, I'll sometimes run consecutive (what is it? 15ths?) octave+minor sevenths. >C. "I temper fourths ..." not sure what you mean here ... extending the >temperament into bass, treble? Tune octaves by ear; check fifths, check fourths. Make sure none are obnoxious, or if obnoxious, make sure that all three intervals are obnoxious in the same pattern: octaves best, fifths next best, fourths least best -- <grin> -- but nothing wonderful at the expense of something else becoming godawful. I do this all the way to C88, and down toward the low octave as long as the clarity of the bass allows. >D. "Octaves the straightest" purest 6:3s ?? not so much checking one test (6-3's) against another (2-1, or 4-2) ... purely aural, by timbre. >E. "a little curl to the fifths ... little bigger curl to the fourths" ya >really got me here ... ??? Well, you know ... a curl is a slow, tired little beat ... a "miao" >F. "perfect intervals ... as clear as possible" clear=pure? Why, sure, except that thirds and sixths and all that aren't pure. Perfect intervals (as opposed to major/minor intervals) are fifths, fourths, octaves, and unisons. >Appreciate a little comment, thanks, > >Alan Barnard >Salem, MO No problemo .. well, I hope, anyway. Susan _______________________________________________ pianotech list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives
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