I have completed my 30th year of tuning and general
piano service and during all of that time it has been my aim to improve the
quality of my work in any way possible. I believe most tuners have this same
aim.
I have been successful and my work has been acceptable
to my customers all along, but I have come to realise during the last five
years that there are many things to be learned about fine tuning. And many of
them are not taught to the students who study the theory and practice of
tuning.
This is not to say the theory of tuning, as taught in
the best schools, is faulty. On the contrary, it is a theory which has
developed into an exact science.
It has been correctly described as a closed
mathematical system which, if followed faithfully, will result in tuning all
intervals, correctly tempered, and all octaves tuned as “dead” or perfect
octave intervals. But even this result, if it could be achieved, would not
necessarily be entirely pleasing to the critical musician.
There are several reasons why this is true and every tuner
should know all he can about them, and about how he can best overcome the
difficulties they present.
First: -All tuning, except unison tuning, is done
indirectly; that is, in tuning any interval, octave included, we are comparing
coincident harmonics of the two tones being sounded.
Second: - The harmonics of a piano string, which is
under high tension, are not exact multiples, in frequency, of the frequency at which
the entire length of the string vibrates.
Third: - To tones which are either very high or very
low in frequency, the human ear does not assign pitches which are directly
proportional to their frequencies when compared with tones in the middle
frequency range. In other words, our sense of pitch is a subjective discernment
for each individual, and it may be considerably different from true pitch
theoretically determined by the correct frequency for that pitch.
Fourth:- I doubt it’s possible to set an absolutely
perfect equal temperament, probably because the harmonics on which we depend are
not true harmonics of the fundamentals from which they arise. This should not,
however, prevent any of us from setting Bach temperament as perfectly as
possible and, on a good piano, it is possible to set a very good temperament
indeed.
Fifth: - I also doubt it’s possible to tune a perfect
octave without resorting to tests other than our evaluation of a “dead” or beatless
interval. A number of years ago, a technical editor for a piano trade magazine
warned all tuners “never trust an octave.” My experience has borne out the value
of his warning. In fact, I have found that there is a considerable range of
frequency over which an octave is acceptable to my ears, but the same octave
will often be found to be less than perfect when one of its members is made a
part of some other interval which is known to be correctly tuned.
We must recognize that perfection in tuning is not
possible, but we should always strive for it. And as nearly perfect an equal
temperament as we can set is a must, for it determines the harmonic pattern upon
which all of the rest of the tuning depends. The quality of the piano is a
limiting factor, as is our skill, but in the matter of skill it is our
responsibility to do all we can to improve it constantly.
We recognize also that we are dependent upon
coincident harmonics for practically every step in tuning. And also, that
coincident harmonics may create some of our worst problems when they result in
dissonant intervals. Therefore, they become the basis for some of our most
useful tests, especially when they are coupled with some knowledge of chord structure.
With this background of recognition of the possibilities and the problems we
face I would offer these suggestions for achieving what we term “fine tuning.”
First: - Become familiar with the piano keyboard so
that you may test any combination of tones likely to be used in piano music. Those
who play the piano may not know how careful the tuner may have been with his
temperament or how much attention he has given to tuning perfect octaves, but
they will be quick to notice any interval which is dissonant to the degree that
it offends the ear. So, we must know what degree of dissonance is correct in
the equally tempered scale, for it is, after all, a compromise whose greatest
advantage is that all scales in all keys are equally acceptable, though none
may be said to be perfect.
Intervals used in polyphonic music include seconds,
major and minor thirds, fourths, fifths, major and minor sixths, minor
sevenths, octaves, ninths, tenths, twelfths, and so on. And most of these intervals,
as well as others, have their uses as tests of accurate tuning.
Second: - Do not expect to leave a piano accurately
tuned with a once-over tuning if any considerable pitch change is to be made,
because the change in down bearing on the bridges during tuning will defeat
your best efforts to achieve accuracy.
With a reasonably acceptable scale at the proper
pitch, I strip mute the middle and treble sections of the piano. On uprights, above
the treble break, the loops in the muting felt must be pushed down behind or
preferably below the dampers, but this is not too difficult.
Then I set as perfect a temperament as possible,
realizing that not only are fourths and fifths important intervals, but that
major and minor thirds and sixths, while more dissonant, must also be
acceptable intervals within the temperament octave. Also that fourths, fifths,
thirds and sixths, both major and minor, have their proper beat rates and that
these rates increase in frequency as we ascend the scale. This is true, of course,
throughout the entire piano scale. The progression of .beat rates and its
evenness is one of our best tests of the equal temperament we try to achieve.
Third: - When I am satisfied with my temperament, and
sometimes I must be satisfied with a compromise on spinets and small grands, I
proceed with the bass tuning. My reason for doing this is, that...
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