Tuning trichords

Brumtuner · Post by **Brumtuner** » 28 Feb 2008, 22:09

Whilst doing the trichords, even when laying the scale, I always tune the right hand string first because I tend to find that they are purer in tone than the left hand string. Oddly enough, I found out that my old man used to do the same too!

So...... why are the (usually) left hand strings falser than the right hand strings?

Post by **Barrie Heaton** » 29 Feb 2008, 09:05

The left hand string is a tad longer than the right on older pianos you may have noticed on pianos that are tuned 4 times a year that is always the left had one that goes in the winter and the right hand one in summer if the octave is in

it could be also that more tuners wedge the left string more and mark it making it falser as it tends to show more on older pianos

Barrie,

PianoGuy · Post by **PianoGuy** » 29 Feb 2008, 20:29

Aye, Barrie's right. There's a shorter dead length between the pressure bar and the wrestpin on the RH string, so it makes that the most stable string to tune because you're not losing effort in stretching a long length of wire before the speaking length.

Never noticed less falseness though.

Brumtuner · Post by **Brumtuner** » 29 Feb 2008, 20:56

I can't believe that tuners could falsen* a string by their 100 or so visits/Papps-clicks when they get a good hammering anyway, in normal use.

I take your point on the slightly longer string but I was more on about the (lack of) purity of that single string as opposed to the 'out-of-tuneness' of it.

*New word.

Post by **Barrie Heaton** » 29 Feb 2008, 21:21

Brumtuner wrote:I can't believe that tuners could falsen* a string by their 100 or so visits/Papps-clicks when they get a good hammering anyway, in normal use.

The hammers are direct hit the wedge is sliding and if the string is tarnished more friction but that is not happening on grands as we tend to use rubber or felt not as hard as a Papps unless you have one of the old white one left

Like you I back wedge and do the left hand string first even on grands

Barrie,

sussexpianos · Post by **sussexpianos** » 01 Mar 2008, 11:23

I always back wedge except for overdampers ( birdcage)

Post by **vernon** » 21 Mar 2008, 21:09

In the case of falseness I always go for the third string which generally seems less false. Goodness knows why. Incidentally, I have an old white Papps wedge but also a wooden one!
vernon

Brumtuner · Post by **Brumtuner** » 21 Mar 2008, 21:22

"I always go for the third string which generally seems less false. Goodness knows why."

I'm not alone then.

sussexpianos · Post by **sussexpianos** » 22 Mar 2008, 13:53

been reading some books on fine concert tuning and they say you should tune 2 of the 3 strings before checking to see if the octave is correct due to inharmicity ( or something like that). Tune the first string slightly sharp and then the next string and see if its correct. This is why you don't use a multing strip.
I think it would take me a while to tune a piano