How We Hear

[ilex cameron ross]

Just for the record, I think this is a GREAT discussion, and am picking up a
lot from it, as far as ideas for aural tuning techniques go. Thanks for
everyone who's participating!
-ilex

}-----Original Message-----
}From: pianotech-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org]On
}Behalf Of Jenneetah
}Sent: Monday, October 25, 2004 9:54 PM
}To: Pianotech
}Subject: RE: How We Hear
}
}
}Hi Don,
}
}At 7:13 PM -0400 10/24/04, Don wrote:
}>If as I said, I "tune" a 7th partial, using an etd, then the unison is
}>*not* clean, or rarely is. I have not taken the time to investigate which
}>partial the "noise" was in, nor tried to measure "widths".
}
}We probably will need to get to a piano to straighten this out,
}although piano work for either of us is not going to come to a
}screeching halt until we can.
}
}On my first two pianos today, a 30-year-old Yamaha G2 and a
}20-year-old Steinway S, I confirmed that the 7th partial was as
}effective a means of zero-beating the 1st partial, as it ever has
}been for me. Certainly wrapped strings, with the greater number of
}variables in their inharmonicity formula are far more easily
}disturbed than the plain steel strings. But even here, the beating
}partials were likely to be an octave (or even higher) above the 7th
}partial, rather than anything below the 7th partial.
}
}I also tried Andre's suggestion of tuning quietly, using as a
}technique having my finger at a dead stop in contact with the key and
}accelerating the key no faster than is possible with a 3/8" stroke of
}the forearm. (You quickly learn not to aim for loudness with that
}short a stroke. The forearm simply can't accomplish anything in 3/8";
}the key bottoms out too soon. It's like sitting down for a
}harpsichord tuning after a whole music department's worth of practise
}room pianos. "....This instrument is supposed to be played quietly.")
}
}So with a mezzo blow, the 7th came through just as clearly as with my
}normal tuning blow, and I had plenty of sustain time to work with the
}7th (easily 12-15 seconds in the 3d octave). Less stress on the ears
}and on the left hand, and although the facts about strings friction
}and tuning pin grip aren't altered by the softer blow, in this
}working situation the hand-on-the-hammer processes feel much more
}relaxed. Test blows revealed no difference between loud and quiet
}tuning.
}
}The 7th partial, even on these two mildly warm sounding pianos, was
}usable partway through the 4th octave (~F4), although what caused my
}to shift down to the 5th partial then, was not so much that I could
}find the 7th, but that it decayed to quickly. By the 5th octave, I'd
}already shifted down to the 3d partial, while still using this
}principle of zero-beating the highest audible partial.
}
}At 4:54 PM -0400 10/23/04, Don wrote:
}>The aural results are what matter,
}>and those, to my ear, were unacceptable.
}
}Unless you can be specific about why these aural results were
}unacceptable to your ears, we'll have to wait to get to a piano. In
}the meantime, thanks for your ideas.
}
}_______________________________________________
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