Unisons as you go is a given, but I was really impressed with the mute technique of Jim Coleman, Sr. Right string, Left string, Center string...simple as it sounds if you are not doing it...try it...
David Ilvedson, RPT
Pacifica, CA 94044
Original message
From: "David Andersen"
To: "Pianotech List"
Received: 3/19/2008 11:03:40 AM
Subject: Re: one mute
100% agree. Single mute tuning opens up new vistas of stability and precision; when it's practiced consistently, tunings get better, more musical, more "ringing," clearer. Your standard of listening, and of excellence, rise quickly.
David Andersen
On Mar 19, 2008, at 3:38 AM, Tom Servinsky wrote:
I could go on and on about the benefits of tuning unisons as you go. The bottom line is that you end up with a much more suitable tuning for the piano when all strings of a unison are taken into account. My temp strip is used for pitch adjustments and uprights only, but other than that, it stays in the tool case.
I don't know about many of you, but I'm multi-tasking as I tune as I'm voicing and dealing with false beats as I'm tuning the unisons. When I'm finally finished with a particular unison it's not only harmoniously in tune, but the unison is more stable and I've had the opportunity to deal with the whole sound of the unison/ hammer event.
.Making the adjustment to tune with a single mute requires some major adjustments but once that you've started to feel more comfortable with the procedure, you're tuning time diminishes and the amount of territory you cover increases.
Tom Servinsky
----- Original Message -----
From: David Ilvedson
To: ilvey at sbcglobal.net ; pianotech at ptg.org
Sent: Wednesday, March 19, 2008 12:39 AM
Subject: RE: one mute
I found this one mute sequence in the SAT III manual article by Jim Coleman Sr.
David Ilvedson, RPT
Pacifica, CA 94044
Original message
From: "David Ilvedson"
To: caut at ptg.org, pianotech at ptg.org
Received: 3/18/2008 8:24:26 PM
Subject: one mute
Excuse me if this has been talked about (this may be David Andersens muting sequence?...but I read it in the SAT III manual...I think?)...
I used a temp strip for years and in the last 5 to 10 years I've been tuning unisons as I go. I continued the temp strip format of a mute on each side of the unison and tuned the middle string with my SAT III and then tuned right to center and left to center. I've never had any real problems, although in hindsight it did seem I was re-tweaking already tuned strings within the unison quite a bit...which I felt was another great thing about the ETD... Anyhoo...I think this was Jim Coleman's method?...I can't seem to find the place in the manual...he recommended tuning the right string to the SAT (mute between middle-left string), tune left string to the SAT (mute between middle-right string), then tune middle to left string aurally, pull mute and there should be no change in the unison, i.e. dead on. Well, tonight at the Ballet I tuned 2 pianos using this method and "epiphany"...first I was finding my left string was consistently flat a cent or two. The unisons seemed more dead on...blooming...and I didn't have to re-tune strings! Really kind of annoying to discover this after 34 years...;-[ I mean how can the muting sequence make any difference? What I'm thinking is the 2 outside strings have a string between them and the tuning an outside string doesn't effect the other outside string? I don't now...but it will be interesting to go to the Ballet tomorrow afternoon and see if the left string is not consistently flat...and the overall tuning...
This really makes clear (imho) the necessity of getting rid of the temp strip and tuning unisons as you go...with this muting sequence...
This is probably nothing but old news too many of you, but if someone finds it helpful...
David Ilvedson, RPT
Pacifica, CA 94044
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