Are there certain basic steps that all tuners do in the same order when tuning a piano?

Or are there many different basic approaches?

I don't know almost anything about tuning so I hope the question makes sense.

The two biggest schools on this are 'aural' tuners who tune entirely by ear, and the ETD tuners who use electronic tuning devices (visual aids).

You should specify which one you have an interest in. The two techniques are entirely different in their order and method.

No.

Highly informative.

I'm talking about aural tuners.

Hi,

I am totally new at this as well. Actually just received my tuning equip today!! So I will impart my vast knowledge to you.

It seems the majority of tuners will use an ETD initially to tune the unisons in an octave (near the middle )closely to what the ETD tells them is accurate and from there mostly tune by ear, at least thats what I have gleaned. It does seem hard to get a straight answer on this so I guess each tuner has his/her own "style" based on what he would like the piano to sound like in the end WRT "temperment".

It also seems it is a rare individual who strikes up the ole tuning fork and proceeds this way without any aid from a tuner. I envy this but am not going to strive for this to be my ultimate goal.

I will be asking a number of basic tuning questions in the next while, which will be of interest to you as well - I hope.


TB

Many aural tuners start at A above middle-C, and tune down an octave below it. Some start with a middle-C fork.

After that, the combinations of steps are endless, involving goals, strategy, then detailed implementation. Pitch-raise involved? Even more combinations.

Of course, the basic techniques are the same, play an interval, listen to beats, turn a tuning pin. To be more explicit about the particular steps, you'd have to jump right into the theory of tuning.

When I tune aurally, I set the temperament first. After that, I sometimes vary which sections of the piano I tune, depending on the instrument.

There really aren't any rules. If you can tune a piano well while hanging upside down in a sock, more power to you :-)

I should say that I mostly tune with an AccuTuner, but I occasionally tune aurally.

Some functions like pitch raising with ETD demand a set pattern of moving from the bottom note to the top successively and give the user no choice. For fine tuning, ETD's give the freedom to tune wherever you want with whatever pattern you choose. Aural tuners still rely on setting the temperament and working out from it because of the necessity of expanding the tuning off of it. There are countless variations of the smaller steps involved with aurally setting the temperament. Muting can be done differently and is something often overlooked as a time robber if done inefficiently. As a hybrid tuner, I still follow the aural steps of setting the temperament first and refining it by ear if necessary. I simply don't want to redo a bunch of notes. Wasted energy is the primal bane of tuning.

I'm with Emmery on this. I'm a "hybrid" tuner. I like to do the temperament with the help of the ETD, refine as necessary, then move on to octaves by ear, checking the 3rds, 4ths, 5ths, octaves and double octaves along the way. It sounds like alot of testing, but it's really just a few hand movements.

The fact is, once you are familiar with the sounds of the various beat speeds of the intervals, you can the tune a temperament in any order you want. But most people who tune aurally, or "hybrid," will set a temperament and tune outward. After the temperament, some tune down through the bass first, while some tune up through the treble first. Some tune using a single mute, or a few rubber mutes, while some use a felt strip (a temperament strip). Some tune unisons as they go, some tune unisons after all of the target pitches are set.

As BDB said in his inimitable way, "no..."

Like dancers, we all learn the same steps at the beginning and then find our own style. What steps are these? You know, "You put your left foot in. You take your left foot out..."