Soft blows (was How we hear) or hard blows.

antares antares@euronet.nl
Tue, 26 Oct 2004 19:36:52 +0200


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Just a few things here :
First of all, I tried to tell here that when we strike a note very=20
hard, the emphasis lies on the higher partials. I have tried this out=20
on my ETD partial analysis, and indeed it shows that the higher=20
partials are more present with this hard blow.
This causes us to listen to strings in a different way and the result=20
we may find in the unisons : hitting the strings with a not so hard=20
blow will result in a more coarse, more rich sound.
Hitting the strings very hard will result in a unison which sounds=20
thin, rather short in length and unsatisfactory.
Basically we can hear a real difference if we hit VERY hard, like what=20=

concert tuners do daily, or just less hard but still in a firm manner.
The last one requires a very good tuning technique and it definitely=20
requires from the tuner to put his hammer ALWAYS into the direction of=20=

the tail in the very first place.

second : we should not confuse hard or soft blows with the way we=20
listen to, and perceive, piano sounds.
A hard or softer blow literally defines - more or less - the presence=20
of higher or lower overtones.
The way we perceive piano sounds, and the way we choose to enrich and=20
power our unisons defines the difference between piano tuners in=20
general.
The example I gave here of a technician working on a beautiful concert=20=

grand, who made ugly (to my ears!) unisons, shows that indeed your=20
unison is not necessarily my unison.

After my initial ear opening experience, I often experimented with=20
colleagues on the very same instrument, just to find out whether their=20=

'tone' was different from mine, and indeed, the unisons I re-tuned=20
sounded completely different.

Lastly : to those who tried out the hard versus soft blow but had no=20
result, I say this :
The best 'place' on a piano to try this out, is in the first treble=20
section, just next (on right of)  to the wound bass strings.
This section is usually very sonorous  and rich sounding.
Just take one unison and re-rune it, but this time with tremendous=20
blows, as if your life depends on it, just like the professional life=20
of a concert tuner who depends on his rock steady unisons ok? If you do=20=

this, you will clearly hear a difference between this one unison and=20
the adjacent unisons.

It is my personal experience, that tuning technique is far more=20
important than being able to make the most refined temperament.
It is for that reason only that in one of the very best Piano Academies=20=

(Hamamatsu) in the world, the young students learn to master tuning=20
technique first by doing pitch raise and pitch lowering ALL DAY long=20
for three Months (wow), and with the aid of a tuning machine. The=20
result of EVERY tuning is scribbled on a chalk board in the central=20
hall, for everybody to see, openly or sneakily. Showing their bad marks=20=

drives the students to the edge of their abilities, and this usually=20
results in already having quite a decent tuning technique after those=20
three Months.
The next course is learning about temperament, but this time without=20
machines, and after one year, they are often just as good (or much=20
better even) than a tuner from our hemisphere who has already worked=20
quite a number of years.
That's one of the main reasons, why I, after having fought with piano's=20=

for the better part of my professional life, put the emphasis on=20
technique, and please with the aid of one of the best ETD's. I can=20
concentrate fully on technique, and on making 'tone'.
BTW.... If someone here prefers to not use an ETD, than I have no=20
objections to that at all. How could I? and why should I? It is=20
everybody's personal choice, and I truly understand the love and=20
dedication of making a very beautiful aural tuning.
I have had more than my share, that's why I choose for what I chose.

Andr=E9 Oorebeek








On 26-okt-04, at 18:26, jason kanter wrote:

> One of the very first basics we learn is that we must set the pin with=20=

> a firm blow to equalize the string tension across the friction points.=20=

> How does this relate to the current discussion of using rather soft=20
> blows to tune unisons? I *imagine* that you tune with soft blows, then=20=

> settle the pin with a hard blow, then listen again with soft blow to=20=

> ensure the tuning has not moved? But the hard blow has likely changed=20=

> the tuning, so ... do you use soft blows while raising the pitch, then=20=

> lowering it to a smidgeon sharp, then apply a firm blow to settle the=20=

> string into exactly the right spot? If we avoid hard blows entirely,=20=

> surely the piano will be immediately put out of tune by the pianist?
> =A0
> Puzzled in Seattle
> | |=A0=A0 | | |=A0=A0 | |=A0=A0 | | |=A0=A0 | |=A0=A0 | | |=A0=A0 | =
|=A0=A0 | | |=A0=A0 | |=A0=A0 | | |=A0=A0=20
> | |=A0=A0 | | |=A0=A0 | |=A0=A0
> Jason Kanter . piano tuning regulation repair
> jkanter@rollingball.com . cell 425 830 1561
> serving=A0the eastside=A0and the san juans
> -----Original Message-----
> From: pianotech-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org]On=20=

> Behalf Of Quentin Codevelle
> Sent: Monday, October 25, 2004 9:32 PM
> To: pianotech
> Subject: How we hear to Jeneetah
>
> Hi,
> =A0
> Maybe you should keep on making soft blows, but try to hit the key=20
> quickly, without listening to the note during 15 sec like you said.
> That way you'll be able to hear the "attack" of the note, the first=20
> stage of the sound that is produced.
> Having a clear and pure sounding attack is very important for me, and=20=

> I've never succeeded in having a clear attack when tuning with=20
> listening to the note more than 2 or 3 seconds.
> =A0
> For me, when I tune, when my attack is clear, the rest is also, and my=20=

> unisson has enough "length" most of times.
> I need much concentration right now to make clean unissons on every=20
> note with this technique, that means it takes some time to have a good=20=

> eveness.
> But since the beginning, you should hear=A0a difference, YOUR sound =
will=20
> be turning from black to white.
> =A0
> Andre?
> =A0
> Quentin.
>
friendly greetings
from
Andr=E9 Oorebeek

"where Music is, no harm can be"

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