Again, thank you, Chuck On 02/04/2011 04:11 PM, Chuck Behm wrote: > On 02/03/2011 09:28 PM, Wim Blees wrote: > > This is meant for Duaine, but also other tuners who use an ETD > exclusively. > > Statements recently made by Wim: > > 1. When you tune an octave and/or a unison, how do you know which > string of the unison, or which note of the octave to tune? How do you > know which one is right? > > 2. I hate to burst your bubble, Duaine, but everyone who uses an ETD > checks their tuning aurally. That's what were supposed to do. The > difference is, unlike you, everyone else knows what they are doing > when they aurally check their tuning. They know how to listen for > beats, and do all the various checks, like thirds, double octaves, etc. > > 3. You're somewhat right. I am not necessarily trying to "bait" him, > but I am interested in how he uses his machine to tune a piano. He > says he is a hybrid tuner, one who uses aural checks, but perhaps he > doesn't understand what he is doing, and perhaps we, or I, can give > him some help in that case. That is, if he is willing to accept some help. > > Wim< > > Wim - Duaine is not the only one being mule-headed here. You could try > listening to others as well. Here are some thoughts to consider, > before going on and on about the deficiencies of the tuner who chooses > to use an ETD. > > To back up a few days, Susan Kline wrote a very eloquent piece > recently about the timelessness of aural tuning, speaking of the > beautiful underlying architecture of the temperament that the aural > tuner brings to light (sorry if I'm misquoting you, Susan. I'm > speaking from memory). > > The thing of it is, that underlying architecture of the temperament > exists and is waiting to be revealed by the tuner - but whether the > tuner uses his ears or a machine to set the pieces of that > architecture in place, it doesn't matter. It's there to be discovered > and revealed, and the end result, if the piano is tuned by someone who > knows his business, is a beautiful thing. > > The relationship between the vibrating strings of a piano is, after > all, mathematical. Compare the beauty of strings vibrating in harmony > with one another to the eternal celestial dance of the planets of our > solar system around our sun. Understanding the relationship of the > heavenly bodies of our solar system comes down in the end to an > understanding of the math and physics involved. If you know the mass > of a planet and the distance of that planet from the sun, you may > deduce its orbital velocity. It all comes down to numbers. > > To appreciate the beauty of our solar system, however, nothing can top > the experience of actually looking at a planet through a powerful > telescope and seeing it with your own eyes. The first time you see > first hand at the mountains of the moon, the rings around Saturn, or > Jupiter's giant Red Spot, it will take your breath away. > > So to with tuning a piano. Although one must listen with his ears to a > piano to appreciate the beauty of the harmony created, putting a piano > in as perfect of tune as possible comes down to purely mathematical > relationships, whether one is tuning by ear or by machine. Simply put, > minimizing the discord between partials and maximizing the harmony is > what its all about. > > The ETD I currently use, the Verituner, is calibrated to the piano > before a single note is tuned. Starting with A4 and A3, the machine > records the relative frequency of each of the first 8 partials for > each note. I generally go on to run from A2 to A5, letting the machine > read each note's partials. I then set the Verituner to calculate the > tuning. Using the information it has measured and recorded, it sets > the temperament for the piano using computations that are far beyond > my pint-sized intellect. > > From that starting point I tune the piano. Being that it has > mathematically calculated the best tuning for the entire piano, not > just for one particular note, I set the temperament string for each > note at the exact point it has chosen, then tune the outside strings > to the temperament string by ear. I do not, as you have suggested Wim > do "the various checks, like thirds, double octaves, etc." Why would > I, when I trust my equipment to do the job of finding the "sweet spot" > for each note where harmony is maximized, and discord is minimized. > > The proof is in the pudding, as they say. As I mentioned recently, I > have logged over 5000 tunings on my Verituner. I can't honestly > remember ever losing a customer to another tuner, aural or otherwise. > If you and others enjoy tuning completely by ear, and are convinced of > its benefits, fine. I'm sure your tunings are first-rate. That your > tuning is necessarily better than the tuner who uses an ETD, I don't > believe for one minute. > > I know what works best in my own individual case. The day I start > hearing 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th partials in my head for > every string, and can calibrate them and remember them to degree that > my Verituner can (plus put them all in the best possible relationship > using logarithms devised at lightening quick speed) is the day I'll > get rid of my machine and tune completely by ear. It ain't going to > happen. Chuck Behm > > P.S. Sarcastic comments that are intended to deflate another tuner's > sense of worth really get old, at least for me. I would like to be > able to read thoughtful posts made by people of differing opinions > without getting the feeling that I've inadvertently tuned in to a > Jerry Springer show. > > > > > > -- Duaine Hechler Piano, Player Piano, Pump Organ Tuning, Servicing & Rebuilding Reed Organ Society Member Florissant, MO 63034 (314) 838-5587 dahechler at att.net www.hechlerpianoandorgan.com -- Home & Business user of Linux - 11 years
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