[pianotech] Stretch in Tuning(s)

[Leslie Bartlett]

Jim Coleman  has been quoted as saying "The closer in value a piano is to
$100,000, the better the ETD tuning will be."  I tend to think that Jim
Coleman is a reasonable authority.  MY original question had to do with
matching tunings between ETD's.  I tuned a piano yesterday which came from
Arizona, and had FAC numbers written on the plate.....  I use Tunelab.  I
found a tuning combination which came close to his Acutuner settings but not
exact. His tuning was very consistent, even after several years, but at the
top I just came out differently with TL.  I want to know if there are ways
to very closely match other machines all the way through.  It wasn't a
musical question.  I also passed my tuning test rather decently as an aural
tuner, and though I have to use hearing aids, my last pass is always aural.
So, can this particular question be kept in the realm it was intended-
strictly a practical mechanical/electronic arena, and leave the "what is
musical" stuff for somewhere else. In a sense that is not relevant to my
question. 
Thanks
Les Bartlett 
Houston

-----Original Message-----
From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf
Of Joseph Garrett
Sent: Friday, May 25, 2012 11:49 PM
To: pianotech
Subject: Re: [pianotech] Stretch in Tuning(s)

Duaine said:
"Well, IMHO, at least Cybertuner does. Because before you start tuning, you
sample all the A's, which no only tells how 
far off the tuning is, but also registers the inharmonicity, etc. Plus
allows - 9 - standard settings for stretch as 
well as allowing for custom settings. Plus, also, allows for setting to
listening to certain partials."

And if you think I swallow that, I've got some good bottom land for you.
That assumes that that takes in the whole gammit of every kind of
inharmonicity....Which it does not! I get real tired of listening to
supposed techs that think that Aural is the only way and/or The Machine is
the absolute way! Sheesh! If you do not know how to tune, at a reasonable
level, Aurally, then the machine is going to take you down the dumb path of
trying to convince you that it's "formulae" is the BEST way to tune a
piano. It just ain't so! I passed my RPT exam, Aurally. I use an ETD. It is
a tool,....nothing more/nothing less! It helps me to be very close.
However, it does NOT make a piano MUSICAL! Yes, it can make a spinet as
good as it can be. (Don't waste your TIME trying to get it much better.
Simply spinning your wheels there. The reality is: the machine, PLUS good
Aural Skills will help you to be a good, consistant tuner that puts out a
MUSICAL tuning, almost every time! That's the bottom line. 
All this B.S. about "Stretch" and "Wow" tunings from the Aural Crowd and
the "Perfect" "whatever" from the ETD crowd is just a whole lot of B.S.
Bluster, imo. There are damned few techs that really have a right to lord
over you, their way of doing it. Those are USUALLY the head instructors at
the National! The George Defenbaugh/Jim Colemans of our organization are a
couple of those. The rest, just want to make their own ego prevail. (Flack
suit firmly zipped up! Along with a good set of ear plugs!<G>)
IF anyone wishes to discuss different tuning philosophies and methods,
that's the way we help each other to improve our skills. That's what it's
all about. However, anything more/less than that is just B.S. imo.<G> BTW,
if you have 10 tuners in a room, you will get, at least,...20 different
opinions. Especially, when it comes to tunings.<G>
That's my take on it.
Joe


Joe Garrett, R.P.T.
Captain of the Tool Police
Squares R I

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