Conference napalm::commusic_v1

    Yes, and of all things, I used a Korg chromatic tuner.  Of course, I
    had the stretch-tuning chart for this instrument, but a piano-tuning
    book might give you a good idea of what that should be like for your
    instrument.
    
    	Eirikur
    

	I used to tune my piano but I sold the piano.
	Each piano is different; you can't tune a whole piano to a chart or
	an electronic tuner.  What do you do with a woof due to a twist in
	the string?  It has to be babied and is a custom job.
	Only the bearings (meaning a central octave) can be tuned to
	a scientific reference.  The octaves out from there are tuned in
	octaves (surprise) and the lowest notes in tenths and octave-tenths,
	and everything checked in chords.
	The danger is bending pins.  Don't bend the pins.  True, you should
	sort of pull the pin away from the string (if it's flat) and then
	turn it so that it's in tune when you let the pin back; this
	pulls the string through first then turns the pin to take up the
	slack; but don't bend the pin while doing this.
	If the piano is way out, don't bring it up to 440 (if that's what
	you want) all at once.  Bring it up rough a little under one day,
	and a day to a week later bring it up the rest of the way roughly,
	let it go a few days, then tune it carefully.

	Tom

    There are many books out on piano tuning - most of them at least 150
    pages!
    
    You can tune your own piano, but it's hard to imagine getting it truly
    "right".  It's truly a skilled craft and what most people don't know is
    that you don't tune all the strings exactly to pitch - some strings are
    slightly detuned to get a sort of modulation.
    
    Bottom line: you can tune your piano to the extent that no keys will 
    sound "out of tune", but I find it hard to believe that any amateur
    can come close to a proper tuning.
    
    	db - one who HAS tried

    I own a tuning hammer and use it occasionally to tighten up some
    unisons but I'd never tackle tuning an entire piano.
    
    karl

    I've been tuning professionally for 15 years, and even now can't always
    get the kind of tuning I'd like out of some pianos. Of course, now I
    know it's the piano's fault and not mine (in most cases). But I must
    say it was at least 150 tunings before I was at all satisfied with any
    of my tunings. Probelm I found (which is also true of playing any
    musical instrument) is that my ability to tune always fell short of my
    ability to hear how it *should* be. Very frustrating, at first.
    As previous notes indicate, you can probably touch up a sour note here
    and there, and if you keep at it (full tuning once or twice a week) you
    can learn how to do it well. My only advice would be to be patient --
    its not an easy job.
    
    Scott

    I agree that it is a real bear of a job for those of us who don't do it
    regularly.  I was reasonably happy with my results, after spending much
    too much time at it, but I don't have a lot of experience with various
    pianos that have recently been tuned by pros.
    
    	Eirikur
    

    I have 'adjusted' the tuning on my player piano. It is somewhat
    difficult, especialy behind the player part. It can also be frustrating
    because of the multiple strings per note. I found that you must dampen
    all but the string you want to adjust to ensure that you get the
    offending string. Next you must carefully place the wrench, socket or
    whatever on the correct adjuster. Many times, especialy behind the
    player part, I got on the wrong adjuster...
    
    
    Steve

	Uh, there are specialized tools for this.  Pacific Piano in 
	roughly Los Angeles has them.
	A tuning hammer is used for tuning (it is a wrench).  You can get
	one that accepts different sockets or a fixed socket for cheap (
	and less sensitivity).
	Tuning felts can dampen strings.  To do the bearings (the central
	octave), I use a long tuning felt (about 3 feet ) stuffed inbetween
	the groups of strings so that only the middle string sounds.
	Some rubber wedges can also dampen the strings when, later, I need to
	tune the other two of three-string notes.
Tom

    
    	Once upon a time, tuning hammers were somewhat hard to come by. I
    managed to borrow one for about 8 months but the owner eventually
    retrieved it, which has forced me on a couple of occasions to use a
    (gasp) vice-grip (tough reach for the pegs).
    
    	I consider it a bear enough task that i will live with moderate
    out-of-tuneness (not obvious to everyone) - even sometimes fairly
    gross (almost an 1/8 tone).  Since i have an old upright, i'm not
    inclined to hire the local tuner (he's good too), but if i had a better
    quality piano, i would!
    
    	bob

    
    Steve,
    
    What kind of player do you have?  It might be easier to remove the 
    stacks before you work on it.  That's what I do anyway.
    
    To all:
    
    Thanks for the info.  My tools should be arriving in a few weeks.
    
    -Ed
    

    I bought my tuning hammer at the local music store: New Hampshire
    Music in Nashua (Exit 7W of Route 3 I think).

    Mild correction for the picky:
    
    The store is Hampshire Music (no New, though it is in New Hampshire),
    and it is Exit 7W off the Everit (SP?) Turnpike.  Rt 3 actually departs
    from the Turnpike at Exit 7E.
    
    Burns
    

Getting to Hampshire Music is a tad easier if you get off on exit 8, go all the
way to the lights, and take a left. That avoids the pain-in-the-(whatever) of
reversing direction on 101A...

Bob

Getting of at exit 7 and winding through the nooks and crannies of route 101a
prepares you for the experience you will have in HM... :-)

Burns

    I'm with Karl. I own a tuning lever (or hammer) for touch up jobs. If
    you want to do it yourself, a strip of felt a few feet long, and .5"
    wide helps with damping. Also, those triangular rubber wedge thingys
    are useful for isolating single strings. 
    
    dp
    
    p.s. try tuning a 75 rank pipe organ some time!!!
    

    For the truly desperate...
    
    I made a tuning tool by using a disk brake allen wrench with a 1/4"
    drive socket duct taped to the end.  Thos triangular rubber wedge
    thingys are called "erasers"...
    
    Now back to our regularly scheduled program...