Are there different piano tunings to consider?

[Rufuss Sewell]

Hi, I just scored an amazing 100 year old Albrecht upright piano for FREE on craig's list. It looked really nice in the picture. Very gothic. It's made of dark wood with lots of ornate woodwork. But I expected it to be all messed up. When I went to the house to pick it up I couldn't believe it. This thing is in amazing shape. It was pretty much in tune and all of the keys played perfectly. On top of that it has such an amazingly beautiful tone. It's deep, warm and feels haunted. I really can't believe this thing lasted the two hours it was on craig's list before my friend found it and showed me the listing.

So anywayz... in the move the tuning got a little whacked. I'm wondering if there are acceptable variances in tunings I should be looking into. I don't really know much about pianos so I'd like to tell the tuner... yeah I want the "Eastern Transylvanian Pythagorean" tuning. Basically I want it to sound on the evil/sad/dark side of the spectrum. I kind of like the sound of it being slightly out of tune. Is there a tuning method that adds little chorus by detuning the strings a bit? I don't want to get too crazy, because this is a recording studio and I need to be able to get normal piano music to come out of it. But a nudge in the evil direction would be best for most of the music I make here. Or is this just stupid and I should just get it tuned to the normal equal temperament.

Thanks!

[joeq]

The Broadwood Temperament, popular in the 19th century is supposed to be making a comeback of sorts. Some celebrity endorsers etc. Maybe you would like the way it sounds.

Alternative tunings are not so much a matter of "detuning" as they are a matter of making different choices in the compromises necessary to tune a piano. In a sense equal temperament, by trying to be 'in tune' in all keys, guarantees that it is out of tune in all keys.

There is a CD by Enid Katahn called Six Degrees of Tonality that explores alternative tunings. The last 3 cuts are the same Mozart piece played in 3 different tunings.

[Rufuss Sewell]

Hmmm... a Google search for Broadwood Temperament didn't come up with much.

I do know that Just intonation sounds more in tune for a certain key... but my studio piano can't be restricted to just one key. Besides, I think I'm looking for even MORE out of tune than Equal temp.

So I guess my question is: Is there a standard DE-tuning?

You know, there are three strings for most notes, so one would be tuned 5 cents sharp, and one 5 cents flat. I don't know.

I probably will just stick with equal since it'll already be out of tune.

My Kurzweil K2600 allows for several altered tunings. The Just Int. sounds clearly more in tune than equal. It's striking actually. You can play a Major 7th chord in Equal and think... yeah that sounds like it's supposed to. Then switch to Just... Whoa!!! It's very clear and pleasant. Back to equal... yuck it's wobbly and obviously out of tune.

But my 100 year old piano can handle the pitch a little better than my digital sampler I'm thinking.

[tvanderbrook]

Unfortunately, you should go ahead and tune it in equal temperament.

There was huge debate about tuning systems in the 19th century, and people were invoking religion... but the bottom line is, equal will get you through all keys without being offensive.

Other tuning systems can sound incredibly sonorous in this key or that key (with perfect 5ths, and sweet thirds etc), but in another key may produce nasty wolf sounds....

you said it yourself - you have a studio and need access to all keys, so you should stick with equal.

-t

[rjd2]

yea, go with the equal temperament.


also, you are obviously going to be using this to record(right?) so if you have it tuned, ask the piano tuner to tune it to 440. i know this sounds obvious, but i have had piano tuners tune to things lower than 440, and thats obviously not good when recording.

another note-piano tuning keys are available on ebay for about 20bucks. i got one, and use it alot when a few notes start to go sour, but its not quite time to have the tuner come out.

[Dave Martin]

Try reading this: http://www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/well...red_piano.html and think about playing in the keys that well tempering doesn't make euphonic - A flat, for instance....

[dementedchord]

perhaps the answer lies in using a consistentl mediocre tuner... so it's always alittle off... and yes the a440 thing is necessary to bring up to some of these huys as they think they're doing you a favor bringing it down a lttle to "relieve" the strings/pinblock in an old one...sheeess...