Best Way to Tune A Piano Using Accutuner III?

[David Love]

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BTW, for pitch corrections prior to fine tuning just start from A0 and =
go to
the top.

=20

David Love
davidlovepianos@comcast.net=20

-----Original Message-----
From: David Love [mailto:davidlovepianos@comcast.net]=20
Sent: Saturday, February 11, 2006 7:49 AM
To: 'Pianotech List'
Subject: RE: Best Way to Tune A Piano Using Accutuner III?

=20

To achieve the best tuning, tune from the center out just like you would =
an
aural tuning.  Corrections and inconsistencies will be much greater as =
you
move away from the center, and mostly on the bass side.  Most of the
adjustments I make are in the bass (though sometimes in the tenor/treble
transition as well) so starting at A0 often requires me to go back.  =
Usually
the change is that the bass is calculated flatter than I would like.  =
There
is also the issue of where the SAT III changes octaves styles.  In the =
bass
it's at C3 which is tuned with a 4:2 comparison versus B2 which is tuned
with a 6:3.  That transition point may not sometimes need to be =
modified.
The best method I've found if you are really striving for accuracy is to
tune starting with A3 and tune up to the top using your favorite checks =
as
you go: octaves, fourths, fifths, and thirds or  tenths (which can for =
me
all be done with one hand) tuning unisons as you go.  I don't start at =
F3
because there are occasions where the bridge begins to hook at that =
point
that can cause you to have to alter the note somewhat.  Then tune from =
G#3
down using again your favorite checks.  The nice thing about tuning down =
is
that by playing the note one octave above the note being tuned you will =
be
able to read the dial and compare coincident partials.  For example, if =
you
are tuning A3 the machine is reading A5 (push the tune button and you =
will
see).  If you play A4 and A3 alternately and read the dial, you can see
whether or not the machine is tuning that octave wide, just or narrow.
After you get to B2 the machine will change to a 6:3 octave.  If you =
don't
like the way the machine has stretched the bass, you can hit the tune =
button
and go to direct interval tuning where you are listening and reading =
your
coincident partial of choice.  =20

=20

Most of the time the SATIII produces a pretty good tuning without having =
to
worry about modifications, but not always.  The less consistent the FAC
readings, the more likely you are to have to modifiy to get a really =
fine
tuning.  Even with good FAC readings, pianos are not scaled perfectly =
and
there will often be some group of notes that require modifying.  When =
the
SAT is used to set up the RPT tuning test, it is not a pure canned =
tuning
that gets used.  After the piano is tuned with the machine, it is gone =
over
note for note and adjustments are invariably made.  One wouldn't expect
anything different from a tuning you do for a customer.  BTW, I found =
the
same thing to be true of the Verituner.  Overall, it delivered a pretty =
good
tuning, but it was not perfect.  The problem with all these machines is =
that
you have to program the weighting for the type of octaves you will tune =
at
any given point in the piano.  That weighting changes from piano to =
piano.
When you tune aurally you (hopefully) pick up those changes naturally =
and
make adjustments on the fly.  With the machines it is easy to ignore =
that
requirement and tune blind (or deaf).  It just won't always work out as =
well
as it could that way.  =20

=20

David Love
davidlovepianos@comcast.net=20

-----Original Message-----
From: pianotech-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org] On =
Behalf
Of Robert Finley
Sent: Saturday, February 11, 2006 6:57 AM
To: pianotech@ptg.org
Subject: Best Way to Tune A Piano Using Accutuner III?

=20

For those of you who use an Accutuner III, which way would you recommend
using it to achieve a fine tuning?  I have heard several different and
conflicting opinions, and I am wondering what to make of it.=20

=20

A friend of mine told me he achieves a good tuning by using the SAT III =
to
perform the FAC calculation, and then tuning chromatically up the piano =
from
A0, note by note, also tuning the unisons as he goes, and aurally =
checking
the octaves and other intervals. Someone else told me that this would be =
the
method to use only for pitch raising and achieving stability, but not =
for
fine tuning. Another person told me that the temperament should be tuned
first and then spread up the piano by octaves and then lower. Aural =
checks
would be done to ensure that everything sounds correct and the beat =
rates of
the intervals are what they should be.  =20

=20

Your opinion on this will be much appreciated. Thank you very much.=20

=20

Robert Finley


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