Re: [tuning] piano tuning practiceI should be pleased if somebody would be so...

Hello Leen,

We have discussed the stretching of piano octaves at great length. You
should be able to get this info from the archives. They are mostly within 2003.

Most recently I tuned a piano for concert artist Joshua Pierce in
Werckmeister III. Afterwards, Joshua called me an remarked that he heard the equivalence
of each note in every octave. My aim was to "not stretch octaves" if I
could. This was the direction given by Werckmeister, himself, in his tuning
directions.

While I am not a pianist, I have had the opportunity to notice that the
players "never" tune for themselves (which is odd it itself to me). Players do
have their favorite tuners, with the wealthier among them paying for their travel
to the individual gigs. Some, like Horowitz, travel with their favorite
piano.

The big issue is the inharmonicity of the piano tone. Since the
"inharmonics" of the single string are out of tune with each other, it is easy enough to
recognize there will be difficulties in matching 3 strings to each other, let
alone align them throughout the full keyboard range.

I'm sure there are others on this list that would like to add from their own
perspectives, so I will conclude for now. BTW, Arnhem is one of my favorite
places on the planet. You must know of some of my friends there, Bram
Kreeftmeijer and Dorien Verheijden, among others.

best, Johnny Reinhard

--- In tuning@yahoogroups.com, Afmmjr@a... wrote:

> The big issue is the inharmonicity of the piano tone. Since the
> "inharmonics" of the single string are out of tune with each other,
it is easy enough to
> recognize there will be difficulties in matching 3 strings to each
other,

3 identical unison strings will normally have identical spectra, so
matching them presents no difficulties of the sort you get when you
try to tune other intervals on the piano.

--- In tuning@yahoogroups.com, Afmmjr@a... wrote:

>
> While I am not a pianist, I have had the opportunity to notice that
the
> players "never" tune for themselves (which is odd it itself to
me).

In Hungary, Many pianists will fine tune their pianos. I know one
american, Cecil Lytle, professor in san Diego, tunes for himself.

Gabor

Krystian Zimerman is capable of tuning his own piano, although he doesn't normally
do it on the road due to time constraints-- he is also capable of adjusting the action
and voicing, which he *does* do, almost obsessively. -Justin

--- In tuning@yahoogroups.com, "alternativetuning" <alternativetuning@y...> wrote:
> --- In tuning@yahoogroups.com, Afmmjr@a... wrote:
>
> >
> > While I am not a pianist, I have had the opportunity to notice that
> the
> > players "never" tune for themselves (which is odd it itself to
> me).
>
> In Hungary, Many pianists will fine tune their pianos. I know one
> american, Cecil Lytle, professor in san Diego, tunes for himself.
>
> Gabor

hi Gabor,

--- In tuning@yahoogroups.com, "alternativetuning"
<alternativetuning@y...> wrote:
> --- In tuning@yahoogroups.com, Afmmjr@a... wrote:
>
> >
> > While I am not a pianist, I have had the opportunity
> > to notice that the players "never" tune for themselves
> > (which is odd it itself to me).
>
> In Hungary, Many pianists will fine tune their pianos. I know one
> american, Cecil Lytle, professor in san Diego, tunes for himself.
>
> Gabor

hmmm, interesting. does he use any microtonal tunings, or only
12edo? if the former, then he gets added to the list of the
many teachers at UCSD who are into microtonality (among them:
John Fonville, Rand Steiger, George Lewis, Chinary Ung,
and Charles Curtis).

-monz