one mute

[Geoff Sykes]

I have been tuning unisons as I go for a couple of years now, but I use a
split mute. I use a single felt mute for the bi-chords, moving it once for
every two notes. Then I switch to a split felt mute for the tri-chords. This
is just two felt mutes that I glued together. For uprights I basically do
the same thing but instead of the felt mutes I use the rubber mutes on wire
handles, and have a commercially made rubber split mute that uses a piece of
flat spring steel as the handle. I have a Papps mute, too, but I can't
remember the last time I used it. 

I'm big on conserving effort and time. The advantage of using a split mute
on the tri-chords is that you can tune three strings, one string in each of
three adjacent notes, for the price of only having to move the mute once. 

. Geoff Sykes, RPT
. Los Angeles



-----Original Message-----
From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf
Of David Ilvedson
Sent: Wednesday, March 19, 2008 1:43 PM
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Subject: Re: one mute


That sounds right to me.   

I'm using the felt wedges sold for bass tuning.   Wide ones mostly but the
thinner ones for uprights until
I run out of room.   The Papps mute is the plastic chopstick thingy with a
spring to keep the tips apart?   
I have one in my kit, but have not really tried it...I'll give it a go on an
upright this afternoon...

David Ilvedson, RPT
Pacifica, CA  94044

----- Original message ----------------------------------------
From: "David Boyce" <David at piano.plus.com>
To: "Pianotech List" <pianotech at ptg.org>
Received: 3/19/2008 1:16:52 PM
Subject: Re: one mute


>In the new book by Brian Capleton, "Theory and Practice of Piano 
>Tuning" he
>says on p167

>"Tuning only the middle string of each trichord makes the task of scale
>tuning quicker and easier. The unisons are then tuned afterwards. There is 
>nothing in elementary theory to suggest that this might give a result 
>different to tuning the scale trichord by trichord.   In practice there are

>important differences, which is why expert tuners always proceed using a 
>Papps wedge, tuning the unisons as the scale tuning proceeds, rather than 
>using muting felt.  Muting felt is, however, used in the learning process, 
>until the trainee reaches the stage where wedge tuning can be undertaken. 
>In order to tune the scale using a Papp's wedge, firstly there must be the 
>ability to reliably tune excellent ans stable unisons, and secondly there 
>must be some understanding of the raltionship between the sound of the 
>unison and the sound of the tempered interval".

>I don't have a muting strip at all, but have always used a Papp's wedge
>(rubber wedge for grands).

>Best regards,

>David.


>"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"