[pianotech] Reducing tuning time (was Re: frustrated)

[tunerboy3 at comcast.net]

Jerry Groot RPT
www.grootpiano.com

-----Original Message-----
From: tunerboy3
To: J
Sent: 2013-01-11 22:48:34 +0000
Subject: Re: [pianotech] Reducing tuning time (was Re: frustrated)

To gain speed you must raise pitch faster.  You only get one chance at this.  Just keep telling yourself that you have to go over the piano a 2nd time anyway fine tuning it so, eliminate things like what Patrick suggests, pin setting.  Eliminate trying to be so accurate the first time through.  Strip muting is faster because you spend less time with rubber mutes.

Time yourself.  Set goals.  Say, the pitch raise takes you 45 minutes.  Set a goal for it being 40 minutes.  Then make it 30 minutes.  Then 15 minutes.  If you can manage to make it to 15 minutes, you just saved yourself 30 minutes on your over all tuning reducing your tuning time down to 1.5 hours instead of 2 hours.

You can do the same thing with your fine tuning.  Time yourself on every tuning reducing the time by small increments until you meet each one.  Before you know it, you'll have dropped your total tuning time down to 1 hour, easy.  Now you can tune 2 pianos in the morning instead of just one, or 3 if you start eariler!  :)))

I too, charge appropriately for my time.  

Jerry Groot RPT
www.grootpiano.com


-----Original Message-----
From: J Patrick Draine
To: pianotech
Sent: 2013-01-11 22:39:08 +0000
Subject: Re: [pianotech] Reducing tuning time (was Re: frustrated)

I'd suggest strip muting the entire piano, pulling unisons in as you go (although that's a bit impractical in the lower part f the treble section). Use your ETD pitch raise program, but don't spend time setting the pins (i.e. move faster).

Then do a second pass (assuming the PR was substantial), with your favorite muting method, and get it solid. Might take you even longer, but it is worth the effort. And yes, charge appropriately for your time, and improved results.
Patrick Draine
On Fri, Jan 11, 2013 at 5:04 PM, Duaine Hechler <dahechler at att.net> wrote:

I've been tuning, with an ETD, now for about 13 years and I can't seem to get much faster than about 2 hrs.

First, 99% of my tunings are pitch raises - one pass - with a very wide range of cents - usually way flat.

Hear is the basics I do.

- Start from A0 and go up.

- Leap frog mutes - (M=mute, TM = tune middle, TL = tune left, TR = tune right, S = String group)
  (I think this is accurate ? - I had to draw the strings and place and move mutes on paper)
  M1 - TM1 - M2 | M2 - S2 - M1 | TL1 | TM2 | M1 - S3 - M2 | TR1 | TL2 | TM3 | M2 - S4 - M1 | TR2 | TL3 | TM4 ..............
  So I think I'm already moving mutes as little as possible.

- Pull strings slightly sharp of pitch then back down to pitch (seems better for stability)

- Check for stability

I know that going sharp and coming back down -  takes time.

Any pointers to get faster ? On the upper treble, is it better (hearing wise) to pull up to pitch or go down to pitch ?

On 01/11/2013 12:22 PM, tunerboy3 at comcast.net wrote:

I wouldn't waste that much time on any piano. 4 or 5 hours on just the tuning? No way.

I will normally spend about one hour to tune a piano. 2 hours if it's a concert tuning.

I would try to figure out what the problem is.

Jerry Groot RPT
www.grootpiano.com

-- 

Duaine Hechler

Piano, Player Piano, Pump Organ - Tuning, Servicing & Rebuilding
(314) 838-5587 / dahechler at att.net / www.hechlerpianoandorgan.com


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