Smaller range of automatic key selection?

Ben Borg

Hello,

I know a few people also use this, so I'll ask:

When I tune, the pattern I use works down a minor third tuning one string at a time. When I'm tuning a very inharmonic piano and I want to shrink the detectable range, I then have to press every key to get back up a minor third when I choose "Chromatic Up & Down".

Would anyone else find it helpful to have a "Major Third Up & Down", "Fifth Up & Down", or something similar?

Thanks for your consideration!
Ben

Rick

Ben Borg Why do you tune this way?
Many thanks,
Rick

Ben Borg

Hi Rick,

It's a method that involves less mute movement and spreads the tension across the bridge as you're moving up (or down) the piano. It tends to lead to unisons that stay put better than doing all 3 strings of a single note at the same time.

For example:
a) mute both sides of E3, tune center string of E3 to ETD
b) move mute to both sides of F3, tune center string of F3 to ETD; tune left string of E3 to center string
c) move mute to both sides of F#3, tune center string of F#3 to ETD; tune left string of F3 to center string; tune right string of E3 to center and left strings
d) Repeat until you hit a break

Rick

Ben Borg Many thanks for your explanation. I’ll give it a try.

Patrick

I believe this is the same technique that Ben Borg describes.

My mentor mute strips the entire piano, tunes the single bass strings, one string of each bichord and the center string of each trichord. Then he starts over and tunes the remaining strings of each bichord and trichord. He can do this pretty fast. It would be interesting to watch a side-by-side of these two methods and see if one would be appreciably faster.