Another test/approach is to use music! (Odd notion for a piano, isn't it?) If you have a good ear for pitch, slowly play two-octave arpeggioed chords ... pausing before the last note to "hear" it in you mind, then play it. If it is sharp or flat, you will know. Tuning A7, for instance, play and hold (pedal) A5 E6 A6 C#7 E7 ... A7. That A will either "be there" or it will sound flat or sharp. For me, this is much easier to hear than playing just the A-A octave, at that altitude. This is also a good test for the very low bass when the strings are, shall we say, thuddy-muddy: Play a big arpeggioed chord from the temperament area up two to four octaves, with pedal, pause, then play the root tone on the string you are testing. If it is right it will just melt into the sound, if not it will jar. Tuning top octave unisons sometimes takes a lot of pluck. Those strings have such short sustain and tend to be so noisy that it is often easier to use pitch comparisons rather than beats and plucking with a fingernail to avoid the hammer noise. Try it, then tell us what you tink. Alan Barnard Slowly Learning in Salem, MO -----Original Message----- From: pianotech-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org]On Behalf Of Hechler Family Sent: Wednesday, February 26, 2003 11:03 PM To: Pianotech Subject: Re: The last octave Wimblees@aol.com wrote: > If you're having a problem getting them in tune, since you have a > Cybertuner, use it as a teaching tool. Tune each string according the > Cybertuner, and listen to what the results are. Most likely the > strings will be in tune. If they are off slightly, you'll be able to > hear it. I don't know why I didn't think of that ...that sounds like the best approach at least for a while Thanks -- Duaine Hechler Piano, Player Piano, Organ, Pump Organ Tuning, Servicing & Rebuilding Associate Member of the Piano Technicians Guild (314) 838-5587 dahechler@charter.net _______________________________________________ pianotech list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives
This PTG archive page provided courtesy of Moy Piano Service, LLC