Tuning acoustic piano with phone app ( Datuner)

[LX88]

OK

 

Some of you might think I am nuts but I am in the process of tuning an acoustic piano at home with a phone app called Datuner.

 

My ex piano tuner ( retired now) turned me on to this. He did not claim I could tune the piano but suggested that I at least use it for a pitch raise, which it has done nicely.

 

What I did try to do that he did not suggest was to attempt to duplicate the pitches based on readings that I got from a Yamaha digital piano.

 

It seems to be working fairly well. I am inexperienced regarding tuning pianos but I have gotten fairly good results by imitating the Yamaha digital tones and getting the strings on the acoustic to imitate that.

 

I have had worse tunings by " professionals" than the one I have right now.

 

The worst tunings I ever got were generally ones done entirely by ear by the tuner.

 

One of the best tunings I ever got was from a tuner who showed up stone drunk at 9 AM in the morning and tuned the piano mostly by using an older Peterson strobe tuner. I can't recall if he did any sweetening, but the tuning was pretty good overall. And although he was drunk, he was a nice guy so I paid him and was happy.

 

My piano is a 1924 Bush and Lane 56'' upright and the strings and soundboard are in pretty good shape for its age. Piano designer Del Fandrich is a big fan of these Bush and Lanes from this period, and you can see one that he rebuilt on Seattle Craigslist describing what he does with these.

 

Del is known to be somewhat of a guru among piano technicians in the Pacific Northwest so after doing some research, I acquired this Bush and Lane.

 

I am curious if some of you are using some of the tuning apps that are out there to keep your acoustic in tune.

[Joe Muscara]

I've been using TuneLab on iOS for years. Unlike some cats who just use an app to tune the center octave or such, I use it across the whole instrument. I also break the other rule and use it to tune each string in the unison. However, I do check how each unison sounds before moving on to the next note.

 

(Every time I've tried tuning one string in the unison to the first by ear, I end up going wildly past where I should, often in both directions. Using the app works much better for me and more often than not, the whole tuning goes fine.)

 

I had a tuner here once that could tune by ear, but he was blind and used his fingers on the strings to place the mutes. That was on my previous piano. I'd love to have him back, but I'd need to broach that subject with him first.

[Jazzmammal]

I've been using ClearTune. I read a bunch of reviews and this one was tied as one of the top 3. It's got a big dial with A, B, C etc and a big arrow that precisely points to the pitch just like a ruler. It's brain dead simple. You can clearly see each 10th to either side too. The hard part is holding the hammer correctly and having the ears to tune octaves and intervals...

 

Bob

[Nathanael_I]

I played with tuning myself one time. It took forever. I got "mostly close". It was totally not worth it. There is muscle memory just like playing as to how to use the tuning hammer. I am happy to pay my technician. Plus he is a total piano geek, loves the instrument, and is happy to help me keep mine at its full potential. There is no $$ savings to me if I put value on my time. He comes, I leave the studio, and return to a perfectly tuned piano.

[Karl Sutton]

Is Tunelab the only one you can use across the whole piano? Is it worth the $$$?

[dfcas]

Tuning is primarily a mechanical skill. Yes, you need ears but tuning hammer technique and experience in knowing how the piano will flex and drift are the biggest problems in piano tuning. If you use an electronic aid you must tune until you are making no changes.

 

I've been an aural tuner for 33 years.

[RandyFF]

Tuning is primarily a mechanical skill. Yes, you need ears but tuning hammer technique and experience in knowing how the piano will flex and drift are the biggest problems in piano tuning. If you use an electronic aid you must tune until you are making no changes.

 

I've been an aural tuner for 33 years.

 

Id be curious to hear the step-by-step experience you folks have had at tuning! I always thought itd be easy, like a guitar, right? But then Ive heard of lots of challenges that come up.

[timwat]

Have always been told that getting a piano in tune is easy. Anyone with patience can do it.

 

Getting a piano to STAY in tune, however, is a skill that is only acquired with experience and knowledge.

[Joe Muscara]

After doing it a few years only on my own pianos (1920s Kranich and Bach with a soft pinblock and my Kawai), I think I've gotten pretty good at it, but a lot probably has to do with knowing these pianos. I don't know how much of that would be transferable to other pianos.

 

It's not at all easy like a guitar. Not at all.

[Jazzmammal]

My problem is I've moved 125 miles outside of LA and there are no local tuners. I know one who's about 50 miles away and he has come up here before but so far I can't get him to commit to a time.

 

I completely understand this is a skill and an art. I completely rebuilt my grand myself which I've described here before. My LA tuner is from St. Petersburg Russia and he went through the whole European apprenticeship thing. He told me he had to tune the middle octaves on mediocre pianos for three years before he was allowed to touch the bass and treble. Then some time after that he was allowed to work on something nice. Finally he graduated to Steinways and other high end pianos. Needless to say I miss him a lot already. Yes, I've watched him tune several pianos including mine but that doesn't make me him.

 

Bob

[re Pete]

If a large pitch raise is required on a piano, you could possibly crack the plate if you don't know what you're doing. Lots of tension you're playing with.

[dfcas]

If a large pitch raise is required on a piano, you could possibly crack the plate if you don't know what you're doing. Lots of tension you're playing with.

 

Only 40,000 pounds.