Simple to use
Tuning
The Accu-Tuner is designed to help you quickly and efficiently tune pianos. There are four different methods of using the Accu-Tuner to tune a piano:
- Use a Generic Tuning
- Create an FAC Tuning
- FAC Tuning with aural control of the Double Octave Beat (DOB)
- Create a tuning with only one measurement and aural use of DOB control
There are many variations that technicians have come up with to work with the Accu-Tuner, but the four basic methods are covered below. Although the FAC capability has been around for over fifteen years, the Double Octave Beat patent hasn’t been surpassed (copied, but not improved). Accu-Tuners are still creating tunings that are lauded by the world’s finest tuners.
Generic
If you want a quick showroom tuning, the quickest method is to use a “generic” tuning. The generic tunings were created by measuring stretch numbers from many pianos of the same model around the country. Once we had ten or more samples on a particular model of piano, the F measurements were averaged, the A measurements averaged, and the C measurements averaged. The averaged stretch numbers were used to create a FAC tuning, which we refer to as a generic tuning and will give you a good tuning for that model of piano.
FAC
The second method for tuning a piano, measure the inharmonicity on the notes F3, A4 and C6 and create a custom FAC tuning. This method of measuring and creating a tuning will pass the tuning exam at an expert level. The time for measuring the three stretch numbers is repaid by the level of the tuning results and the reduced time for perfecting the tuning.
If we wanted to perfect a tuning for a concert performance, use the FAC tuning as a starting point and when the noise allows fine aural adjustments, alter the stored tuning to create the perfect aural tuning. And from that point forward no matter how noisy the situation, use the stored tuning to recreate the perfected tuning. Any time the location is quiet you can continue to refine the nuances of tuning that piano.
FAC Tuning with aural control of the Double Octave Beat (DOB)
FAC tuning with the Double Octave Beat allows you to customize the tuning to your own idea of the perfect tuning.
One measurement and aural use of DOB
There is a separate handout to cover using one measurement and aural tests to adjust the DOB. Whatever the piano and time allows, we can deliver the tuning for the job quickly and efficiently.
*Perry Knize, author of the book Grand Obsession, as written in her book https://www.amazon.com/Grand-Obsession-Odyssey-Perri-Knize/dp/0743276396