To be fare, in some areas of the country, normally rural areas, the piano tunings are few and far between. I had someone say to me, "my piano is still perfectly in tune". I didn't recognize him. I said how long ago did I do it, and he told me 15 years before. I tend to think that piano would need a pitch raise, and probably wasn't in perfect tune. How many times have you been called for a sticky note, to be told you may as well tune it as well. A lot of people can't tell the difference between a good tuning and a bad one. That includes piano teachers as well. Once the kids are finished lessons, a lot of people see no need to tune the piano. I always kind of wondered about aural pitch raises as well. You tune your temperament octave, pitch raising it, when you finish that octave, hasn't it dropped, say 20% just giving it a number? Now you use that octave to tune the next octave, basing it on the octave you just tuned, which has dropped. When you get to the last octave, wouldn't it be lower than the temperament octave you started with? When you pitch raise with an ETD you are using for a reference that does not change octave to octave, unless you tell it to, so the last octave will be changed based on the same reference. Oh by the way, I never call people to tell them it is time for their annual or bi-annual tuning. I wait for them to call me, and I am never out of work. I also discourage tuning through the Summer, when the humidity can change 20-30% in a month. I tell them to wait till the heat is on. If it is a special occasion , concert etc., of course I will tune it. I encourage installation of a D/C system for those pianos that are used year round. Different strokes for different folks. John Ross Windsor, Nova Scotia On 10-05-2012, at 4:16 PM, Paul Williams wrote: > Gee, Duaine, if nearly all of your tunings are that out of tune, I'm > guessing you don't have many repeat customers. Is this correct? Where do > they go? Might this be a clue? Are they all pitch raises EVERY time you > visit? Interesting.... > > Paul > > > On 5/10/12 2:02 PM, "Duaine Hechler" <dahechler at att.net> wrote: > >> Not to deliberately belabor this point, but answer me this; >> >> 99.9% of my tunings involve MAJOR pitch raises. With aural tuning ONLY, >> how in the "sam hill" can you do a MAJOR pitch >> raise in less than 2 hours. >> >> Now let's see - that involves setting the temperament, PRESUMABLY, at the >> same time, calculating stretch, tuning each >> note, tuning the unisons, etc Oh, yeah, do your "precious" aural tuning >> checks, but, wait, the piano is constantly >> moving because it was so out-of-tune, but some how you are still supposed >> to do them, how I will never know. Starting >> from the middle, tune up and tune down AND with the piano still moving >> along the way. So now you some sort of BASE >> tuning, so now you have to go back and "tweak" BUT, again, the piano is >> still moving, so you have to, maybe, tweak again >> and again and again, etc. Have I forgotten anything ? >> >> Now, with an ETD (like, Cybertuner (because that is what I have)), you >> capture the "starting" point of the piano with >> all the A's; IT calculates the proper pitch of the note where it is >> supposed to be - factoring in, automajically, the >> stretch and you tune from note 1 to note 88. Now, do some MINOR checking, >> which you MIGHT need to make some MINOR >> tweaking. And, now you are DONE. >> >> Stepping back out of your CURRENT life and as a NEW tech coming into the >> business, you would pick the ETD route. So did >> I, like millions of other techs. >> >> So there - "put that in you pipe and smoke it" >> >> Duaine >> >> On 05/10/2012 07:57 AM, David Renaud wrote: >>> I did not at all suggest I had an engineering degree, I have a music >>> degree. >>> >>> I was addressing the comment previously made by someone else suggesting >>> that having to take today's tuning Test was >>> like asking to take an engineering exam with only a slide rule and >>> pencil. >>> >>> My hope was to point out that the apology is not good because: >>> >>> 1)Indeed, you actually can use technology for large parts of the tuning >>> exam. >>> >>> 2) The aural part is primary to demonstrate that a candidate actually >>> does know some aural test. >>> In this interest, The margins of error are very larg, and this part is >>> not to produce a concert level tuning at all, >>> but a minimal standard. Most of the people I have seen fail this part >>> knew practically no aural checks tests >>> whatsoever. Forget executing tests well ,the problem was so many do not >>> have the information at all. It is a test of >>> demonstrating a minimal knowledge of aural tests. >>> >>> 3) the exam process does have a written part before qualifying to take >>> the tuning exam. As you suggest should be, is >>> indeed, Questions Regarding partial, harmonics, and stretch are part of >>> the written exam. >>> >>> So my point was only that the analogy with the slide rule is not >>> valid. And my discussion was intended to point >>> out that a fair comparison would be an exam where the candidate would be >>> Expected at some point in the exam to demonstrate some minimal manual >>> mental calculations and knowledge without >>> referring to the computer/devise. In my opinion the aural component >>> of the tuning tests does this minimal >>> demonstration of aural testing knowledge for it has generous margins of >>> error, and anyone with basic knowledge and >>> practice of a 3 or 4 Interval tests can achieve passing at the 80% >>> level. The problem I have seen so often in the exam >>> room with the aural part is mostly lack of knowledge of any aural >>> tests. It is indeed a demonstration of a minimal >>> standard, not concert tuning. >>> >>> I have mentored enough experienced tuners through assimilating >>> basic aural skills to have an opinion. ALL of them >>> say it opened up a whole new world to them. All of them appreciated and >>> valued the added techniques. You do know that >>> none of the examiners get remuneration for the >>> Hundreds of hours they have spent training for and being in the exam >>> room? To give that much >>> Free time you have to have a spirit that really desires to give back. >>> These people want others to succeed, and have >>> put their time and money behind their words giving thousands of dollars >>> worth of time because they do care. One CTE I >>> respect very much asked me once."if we will not preserve Something of >>> the aural tradition, who will? " >>> There is value there. There are people that care and give >>> there. The aural part >>> Deserves respect. >>> >>> Cheers >>> Dave Renaud >>> >>> >> >> >> -- >> 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 >> >> > > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <https://www.moypiano.com/ptg/pianotech.php/attachments/20120510/899eacff/attachment-0001.htm>
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