Misc

Question 1

How long should you wait to tune a piano after moving it?

Answer 1

2-3 wks to give it time to settle

Question 2

Why does a piano go out of tune?

Answer 2

1) weather (humidity) causing wood to expand/contract, 2) vibrations from the instrument being played, 3) movement from physically moving the instrument, 4) just the immense tension on the 230 strings is enough! (18-20 tons of pressure!)

Question 3

How often should I tune my piano?

Answer 3

Ideally everytime air con vs. heater goes on (every 6 mo)

Question 4

What is a ‘noise’?

Answer 4

A noise is heard when an object sends out scrambled vibrations into the air which cause your eardrums to vibrate in an unorganized way.

Question 5

What is a ‘tone’?

Answer 5

A tone is a series of beat-like vibrations that your ear mimics. Some notes have slow vibrations and some have fast vibrations

Question 6

How are vibrations measured?

Answer 6

Their frequencies are measured in Cycles Per Second, or Hertz (hz). If these vibrations are within the human range of hearing you hear a Musical Tone.

Question 7

What is the frequency of a vibration called?

Answer 7

pitch

Question 8

What is the standard pitch?

Answer 8

A440

Question 9

Constructive Interference

Answer 9

causes the two strings to reinforce each other, and produce a louder combined tone

Question 10

Destructive Interference

Answer 10

if one of the strings is off, even just a little bit, they will subtract from each other and produce a softer tone by Destructive Interference. This will cause the strings to become louder and then softer rapidly producing a Beat.

Question 11

Beats

Answer 11

The number of BPS (beats per second) you hear indicates the number of hz the string is out of tune by, since 1 bps = 1 hz

Question 12

the less movement the better when it comes to proper piano tuning. The more precise and minimal the movement of the tuning pin, the more stable the piano tuning will be.

Answer 12

n/a

Question 13

What does good posture look like?

Answer 13

straight, in line, as close to the piano as possible and as square as possible

Question 14

Flexing vs. Turning the tuning pin

Answer 14

want to make sure the pin isn’t just bending, but rather is turning within the pinblock

Question 15

what direction should you set the tuning hammer?

Answer 15

Ideally parallel to the string; if not exactly parallel, b/w 11-1pm, because this helps ensure you’re turning it in the pinblock

Question 16

test blow

Answer 16

helps lock in the note AND helps release the tension in the non-speaking-length portion of string; helps ensure stability

Question 17

dead spots

Answer 17

front and back segments of strings in the places between the Tuning Pin and the Pressure Bar, or between the Hitch Pin and the Bridge