Tuning Basics

[Alan Forsyth]

Michael Gamble wrote;

>>"I also find in some pianos that the 10ths beat rate slows down suddenly
as it starts getting into the bass covered string area.">>

Hello Michael, this is why I always include the first note of the bass
section in my bearing scale and temper all the intervals from that point.
Sometimes I end up with a bearing scale of two octaves but usually in
uprights from D30 to A49. With a much wider bearing scale it is much easier
to balance the 4ths and the 5ths with their common partial intersects.

I have the same TLA tuner as you, but I have never used it to put in a
scale. It's just not sophisticated enough for that. I tune the scale and
it's unisons aurally, and then switch on the TLA to tune from thereon,
calibrating it to what I have done. I give the machine the information to
work on; it doesn't tell me what to do!

Do you use a muting strip for overdamper pianos? It's a confounded nuisance
sometimes to get a strip into those pianos where the action doesn't tilt
forward enough.

Regards
Alan Forsyth
Edinburgh