
                                                         Chapter 2-1

                               CHAPTER TWO
        
                            TUNING  TECHNIQUE
        
             The  first step in learning the mechanics of tuning  is 
        procuring  the necessary tools. A list of supply  houses  is 
        provided  to enrolled students. It is quite an education  in 
        itself just to browse through these catalogs.
        
             I can provide you with a basic tuning kit which is  all 
        you really need to learn tuning (see order form).  Later  on 
        you  may want to upgrade to a more professional Tuning  Ham-
        mer, but this kit will suffice through your learning  stage. 
        Tuning  can be learned with the least expensive tuning  ham-
        mer.
        
             I  will tell you what you absolutely must  obtain,  and 
        you will decide in time what else you may want.
        
        
             You WILL need:
        
             1.   A tuning lever (usually called a tuning hammer)
             2.   A tuning fork or tuning bar
             3.   A felt temperament strip
             4.   A few felt or rubber mutes (I use rubber)
        
             The  tuning  kit I can provide for you  includes  these 
        items.
        
             If you already have the necessary tools,  we will begin 
        by preparing the piano for tuning.  The first thing to do is 
        to  lift the lid and then remove the top front panel.   This 
        can normally be removed by releasing the catches on the left 
        and  right sides.  Some panels are attached with screws  and 
        others  are a hinge type. In any case, it will  be  apparent 
        once you look inside.
        
             If you are learning on a grand piano, you will need  to 
        remove  the music shelf which is directly above  the  tuning 
        pins  in front of the piano.  This usually just slides  out, 
        but  some grands have a notch in the shelf requiring you  to 
        lift it out.
        
             This  discussion will, for the most part be   referring 
        to  vertical  pianos,  but the grand is tuned  in  the  same 
        manner, and the few differences in technique will either  be 
        apparent or I will point them out as we go along.
        
             In  front of you will be the ACTION, the  strings,  the 
        metal plate and approximately 220 TUNING PINS.  Recall  from 
        chapter one that the strings to your right (treble  strings) 
        will be three to a note.  The strings (bass) to the left  of 
        the  middle  will be two to a note and the bottom 10  or  so 
        will be single string.
        






                                                         Chapter 2-2

             The tuning pins are approximately 2 1/4 to 2 1/2 inches 
        long  and  are made of steel which has been "blued"  and  in 
        some  cases nickel plated for appearance.  They  are  driven 
        into  a block of laminated hard wood (usually  maple)  until 
        there  is approximately one inch showing.  You can see  that 
        the  music wire is put through or "eye" of the pin and  then 
        wrapped to form at least three coils.
        
             Now, take off the very bottom panel so you can  observe 
        the  strings from below.  This panel usually can be  removed 
        by lifting up on the hinges on the top and pulling forward.  
        
             The treble wire is put into the eye of one tuning  pin, 
        wrapped  around  the HITCH PIN at the bottom  and  then  put 
        through  the  eye  of the next tuning pin.   Note  that  one 
        length  of wire makes up TWO of the three strings  for  each 
        treble note.  Carefully follow the wire from pin to pin  and 
        familiarize  yourself with the way a piano is  strung.   The 
        copper  wound lower strings are all just one string  to  one 
        hitch pin as you can see. 
        
             Before  you  leave  your examination  of  the  strings, 
        observe  how the string is placed between the metal pins  on 
        the block of wood directly above the hitch pins.  These pins 
        are the BRIDGE PINS and the block of wood in which they  are 
        driven is called the BRIDGE.
        
             There  are two bridges, one for the treble strings  and 
        one for the bass strings.  The bridge pins give the  strings 
        what is referred to as SIDE BEARING which helps to keep them 
        steady on the bridge, while the purpose of the BRIDGE is  to 
        transmit  the vibrations of the string to the SOUNDBOARD  on 
        which it is mounted.
        
             One  more  piece of knowledge you should know  at  this 
        point.  Follow the string from just above the bridge to just 
        below  it.  The string should rise up to the bridge  on  the 
        top  side  and come down from the bridge on the  down  side.  
        This is called DOWN BEARING.
        
             To review briefly the above discussion:  The string  is 
        put  through the eye of one tuning pin, stretched down  over 
        the bridge between the bridge pins, wrapped around the hitch 
        pin,  and  then brought up and through the eye of  the  next 
        tuning pin and secured.  A complete discussion on the proce-
        dure  of  putting on a string is given in a  later  chapter.  
        For now, an overview is all that is necessary.
        
             In order to proceed with the actual tuning process, you 
        must  have  a  piano that is relatively free  of  any  major 
        problems.   The action must work adequately and  the  moving 
        parts  must not make excessive noise that will  hamper  your 
        hearing  of  the vibrating string.  Assuming  the  piano  is 
        satisfactory, we will move on.
        
             Locate the note C-40.  It will be a white key  approxi-
        mately  in  the center of the keyboard.  Press the  key  and 
        watch  the  hammer go toward the strings and hit  all  three 






                                                         Chapter 2-3

        strings  causing them to vibrate.  Now look at the chart  of 
        pitch  frequencies (Appendix B) and find that C-40  vibrates 
        at  approximately  262 cycles per second.  Since  there  are 
        three strings on this note, each one should be vibrating  at 
        the  same  rate.   This is hypothetical  of  course  because 
        unless  the  piano was just tuned, the strings will  not  be 
        perfectly in tune with each other.  Let us just say that  if 
        they were in tune they would each be beating at approximate-
        ly 262 C.P.S. (actually 261.626).
        
             As  was explained in chapter one, it is  impossible  to 
        hear  beat rates that fast.  We are now going to go  through 
        as exercise that will explain how we listen for beats.
        
             Take  two rubber mutes and insert one on the left  side 
        of the strings of C-40 and insert the other one on the right 
        side.   They will be held in place by  being wedged  between 
        the note we are on and the one just below and just above.
        
             Now  when  you strike the string by pressing  the  key, 
        just the CENTER string of C-40 will vibrate.  Listen to  the 
        sound.   You should hear a pure sound with no vibrations  at 
        all.   Now, take the left mute out and again strike the  two 
        strings.   If  the note is not perfectly in tune,  you  will 
        hear a different sound than before.  You are probably  hear-
        ing vibrations caused by the left string beating at slightly 
        more or less than 262 C.P.S.
        
             Place  your tuning hammer on the tuning pin that  holds 
        the left string of the note.  It will be the one at the  top 
        of  the bank of three pins.  The hammer should be placed  on 
        the pin with the handle as close to straight up as possible.  
        If it won't go on in the straight up position, go toward the 
        left rather than the right and put it on the pin securely.
        
             Now  wrap your hand around the handle so it feels  com-
        fortable,  and place your elbow (if you can) on the  top  of 
        the piano.  The point to be made here is that is very diffi-
        cult  to tune "free handed".  Find some way to  steady  your 
        arm  by using some part of the piano.  Make sure the  hammer 
        is  as  far on the pin as it can go and then  very  slightly 
        turn the hammer toward the LEFT.  Now strike the note  again 
        and it should sound very out of tune.
        
             When  you turn the pin toward the left it  loosens  the 
        string and when you turn it to the right it will tighten it.  
        
             The  left  string should now be "flat"  to  the  middle 
        string.   Now start VERY SLOWLY bringing the left string  up 
        to  the  pitch  of the middle string by turning  it  to  the 
        right.   Each time you make an adjustment, strike  the  note 
        and  listen to the difference.  The goal here is  to  adjust 
        the tension of the left string so that when the two  strings 
        are struck, they will sound as one.
        
             Mute off the left string again and listen to the  sound 
        of just the center string sounding alone.  This is the sound 
        you are after.
        





                                                         Chapter 2-4

             It  is very easy to bring the string up too far and  go 
        over  the  pitch of the center string.  BE  CAREFUL,  it  is 
        possible  to put too much tension on a string causing it  to 
        break.  Go SLOWLY, and strike the note constantly until both 
        strings are vibrating at the same rate.
        
             After  you  have the two strings "in  tune"  with  each 
        other you can start learning how to listen for beats.  Let's 
        assume that the two strings are sounding at 262 C.P.S. If we 
        lower  (turn to the left) the left hand string until we  can 
        hear  beats, we can count how many beats we can hear in  one 
        second.
        
             It  is recommended that you practice with a stop  watch 
        or  metronome until you can accurately determine how long  a 
        second  is.  A very good exercise for this is to  start  the 
        stop  watch  and count to 60.  See how close you are  to  60 
        seconds.   When  you can get it to where  you  are  counting 
        59,60 or 61, you are ready. 
        
             HINT:  I learned to recognize the length of a second by 
        thinking  over  and over "I AM GOING TO TUNE"  in  a  normal 
        fairly  quick  pace.  This phrase should take  a  second  to 
        think.  Test your pace with a second hand until you can  say 
        the phrase as close to 60 times a minute as you can.
        
             Tune the two strings once more so they are sounding the 
        same (in unison).  Now adjust the left string by turning  it 
        to  the left until you hear beats.  You just EASE it to  the 
        left  - it doesn't take much.  At this point  don't  concern 
        yourself  as to how many beats per second you  are  hearing.  
        Stop  as soon as you can hear what could be described  as  a 
        PULSE  beating at regular intervals.  Listen until  you  can 
        count  these  beats/pulses/vibrations. Once  you  can  count 
        them,  see  if you can determine how many you  hear  in  one 
        second.    Adjust  the  left  string  until  you  can   hear 
        1,2,3,4,5,6,7 and 8 beats per second.  This could take  many 
        hours of practice.
        
             The  audio tapes provided to students will save  you  a 
        great deal of time, but if you do not yet have these,  don't 
        give  up.  All of a sudden, if you are persistent, you  will 
        realize  that  you  are hearing the beats.   This  may  take 
        hours,  or a few days, but until you can hear and count  the 
        beats, no progress can be made.
        
             REMEMBER, always strike the note after each adjustment.  
        A very, very small movement of the tuning hammer will great-
        ly change the pitch.
        
             When  you are adjusting the tension on the strings,  it 
        is important to turn the tuning hammer left and right NOT in 
        and  out.  It is possible to bend or even break  the  tuning 
        pins if the hammer is not used properly.
        
        








                                                         Chapter 2-5

                             SETTING THE PIN
        
             After you have learned to manipulate the tuning  hammer 
        and set the pitch properly, the next technique to master  is 
        the "setting of the pin".
        
             Recall the previous discussions of the tuning pin,  pin 
        block,  path  of the string and characteristics of  a  piano 
        wire.  All these factors have to be taken into consideration 
        when  we "turn" the tuning pin to adjust the pitch.   First, 
        the  piano you are called upon to tune perhaps has not  been 
        tuned for at least six months and more likely a lot  longer.  
        My experience with new customers is that their piano has not 
        been tuned for up to fifteen years or more.  This means that 
        the  pins  have "settled into their little  niche  and  will 
        become very stubborn when moved to a new location.
        
             The  string (wire) also has formed a comfortable  posi-
        tion  around  the hitch pin, the bridge pins and  all  other 
        points  of friction.  In other words, changing the  position 
        of the pin or wire will be met with a great deal of  resist-
        ance.
        
             If  you  merely pull the string up to pitch (if  it  is 
        flat)  or lower it down to pitch (if it is sharp)  and  then 
        leave  it,  it  will surely try to go back  to  its  natural 
        habitat very quickly.
        
             The  recommended  way to compensate  for  this  natural 
        tendency  is to pull the string a little over the pitch  (if 
        it  is  flat) or a little under pitch (if it is  sharp)  and 
        then  ease  it back up or down until it is  in  tune.   This 
        technique (setting the pin) is one that will only come  with 
        time  and practice, but you must understand that  a  quality 
        tuning will not result until it is mastered.
        
             One more important element in the setting of the pin is 
        giving  the  string a solid blow just before and  after  you 
        feel the pin has been "set".  This hard blow will settle the 
        strings  and result in a SOLID tuning.  If, after  you  give 
        the  string  a solid blow, it goes sharp or flat,  then  you 
        must  repeat  the process of setting the pin until  a  solid 
        blow will not change the pitch of the string.  The more  out 
        of  tune a piano is, the more important this  procedure  be-
        comes.

             A  SOLID  BLOW means pressing the key  down  hard  (not 
        hitting  the string with something).  I'm sure  you  assumed 
        that  (but  you never know).  I was teaching a  class  at  a 
        local music store a couple of years ago, and after  explain-
        ing this procedure, a student asked what tool was needed  to 
        hit  the strings with.  I immediately made a mental note  to 
        add this paragraph in the next revision of the manual.
        










                                                         Chapter 2-6

                             THE TUNING FORK
        
             Up to now, you have not been introduced to a way to get 
        a reference note to begin your practice.  A TUNING FORK is a 
        `U' shaped bar of steel that gives out a pure tone  (without 
        partials) when you strike it against a solid substance.
        
              The  tuning  forks used by most tuners  are  tuned  to 
        sound the frequencies of C-52 (523.252 C.P.S.), A-49  (440), 
        or F-33 (349.228).  The tuning fork used for this course  is 
        the C-52.
        
             If you have this fork , hold it by the stem - strike it 
        against  your knee - place the stem inside your ear -  close 
        your  ear  lobe with your finger and listen.   You  will  be 
        hearing a pure tone sounding at the pitch at which you  will 
        now tune C-52 on your piano.
        
             Mute off the two outside strings of C-52 as  previously 
        explained.  Place the tuning hammer on the center tuning  of 
        C-52.   Sound  the tuning fork by  the  procedure  described 
        above and then adjust the tension of the string to match the 
        sound of the fork.
        
             After you have the center string of C-52 sounding  with 
        the tuning fork, remove the left mute. Put the tuning hammer 
        on  the UPPER tuning pin of C-52 and tune it as described  a 
        couple of pages back.
        
             Now  that you have the center and left strings of  C-52 
        sounding  the  same,  take the right mute  out.   Place  the 
        tuning  hammer  on the LOWER tuning pin and tune  the  right 
        string  to the two others.  You now have the note C-52  per-
        fectly in tune.  You just tuned a UNISON.
        
             Mute  off  the two outer strings of C-52 once  more  so 
        that  only  the "tuned" center string  sounds  when  struck.  
        Locate C-40 on the piano and mute off the other strings  the 
        same way.  Place your tuning hammer on the center string  of 
        C-40  and then strike C-52 and C-40 together.   Chances  are 
        that  the two notes C-40 and C-52 (comprising an octave)  do 
        not sound in tune.
        
             Listen  very closely to the two strings  vibrating  to-
        gether.  Try and hear the beats.  If you cannot hear  beats, 
        turn the pin to the left and see if the sound becomes worse.  
        If so, C-40 is FLAT to C-52.  Now, gradually turn the pin to 
        the  right.  Remember to strike the key after  each  adjust-
        ment.  Keep this up until you can hear an identifiable beat.  
        Listen as you adjust for the beats to get slower and slower.  
        When they stop, you have just tuned an octave.  If the beats 
        get slower and slower and then begin to get faster, you have 
        gone  over the pitch.  Turn the hammer to the left and  once 
        again  get  below  the pitch.  Then begin  again  until  you 
        completely  STOP the beats.  Now SET THE PIN  as  previously 
        described.
        







                                                         Chapter 2-7

             Pull out the left mute - tune the string to the  center 
        string  - pull out the right mute and tune the right  string 
        to the other two strings and you now have all the strings of 
        C-52  and C-40 in tune.  Strike the two notes  together  and 
        once  again  listen for beats.  If there are any,  you  must 
        retrace  your  steps and adjust until you  have  a  BEATLESS 
        octave.
        
        In this chapter you learned:
        
        1.   Tools needed
        2.   Nomenclature of parts affecting the tuning process
        3.   Muting of strings
        4.   Tuning hammer technique
        5.   How to listen for beats
        6.   How to set the pin
        7.   How to use the tuning fork
        8.   How to tune unisons and octaves
        
             We have now laid the foundation for the most  important 
        part this course -  SETTING THE TEMPERAMENT OCTAVE  (chapter 
        three).  If you have learned (and practiced) the  procedures 
        presented up to now,  you should be able to get through this 
        phase  with  your sanity intact.  If the  following  chapter 
        blows  your mind completely, please don't cut this  disk  in 
        half, kick the dog and go off to the nearest tavern.
        
             BACK  UP  - take a break - then review  the  first  two 
        chapters.   If  you are like me, you may have  jumped  ahead 
        thinking  you can learn how to tune without all this  grief.  
        SORRY!  I tried it many years ago and wasted a lot of  valu-
        able time by thinking I could do it the "easy way". 
        
             There is really no "easy way" to learn tuning.   Howev-
        er,  I believe you will find that this course will show  you 
        the "easiest" way.
        
              Now, lets either "back up" if necessary, or proceed on 
        to chapter three. Many "mysteries" await!
        
        Press P to print this chapter or ESC for the main menu.


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