Wives tales ... violin tuning

[David Ilvedson]

I had a customer a few days ago, whose piano I tuned 2 years ago.   She played some notes and said how flat they were...the piano in general sounded reasonable.   I got started and the piano was indeed about 4 cents flat and 7 in the treble.   When done I asked her if she had perfect pitch...wasn't sure.  I played a D and she said that sounded like a D...pretty cool...

David Ilvedson, RPT
Pacifica, CA  94044

----- Original message ----------------------------------------
From: "Richard Brekne" <ricb at pianostemmer.no>
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Received: 6/29/2008 9:57:47 AM
Subject: Wives tales ... violin tuning


>As long as we are daddling around the subject matter... I just came back 
>from a concert tuning where the violinist asked me what pitch I tuned 
>at... I said 442, which is the norm here... and asked her where she set 
>her violin pitch wise. 442 was the response in a rather harse reply. I 
>said back.. really... many violinists end up a bit higher then the 
>piano... would you like to check with my ETD ?  She was at 445.  Perfect 
>pitch and all that you understand... a few tense moments there whilst I  
>explained my ETD was calibrated to the Universal Clock in New Mexico... 
>or where ever that is and besides... I had three pitch forks with me 
>that all showed the same thing.

>Cheers
>RicB


>        Fortuntely atleast one violinist i heard so far tunes in ET and
>        not that crappy  pure 5ths... I thought my significant other to
>        tune his violin in ET, after a year of struggle he keeps
>        thanking me.. says the sound vinally stopped "slicing" his ears
>        and sounds in warm harmony... From associating with them...
>        violinists not only tend to think strangely bout their own
>        instruments.. but worse. rat down on pianos... I was told by him
>        that while he was studying, his professors always said "pianos
>        are never in tune"... and some worse things...
>         
>        Sorry to change the subject, i thought id mention ET.
>         
>        Alicia> Date: Sun, 29 Jun 2008 15:56:17 +0100>


>     From: ricb at pianostemmer.no>

>     "Sadly, it's often pianists themselves."> > Violinists and
>    Bureaucratic Cultural Pamps are also very high on that list.> >
>    RicB> > > >
>    _________________________________________________________________