Advice about piano tuning

[brkimail]

Hello everyone!!!
I have one interesting idea for a long time, and it sound something like this:"I want to tune my piano but all by myself". Surely I want only to get it in right tune, not to change mechanism or something too difficult and risky for beginner in tuning, that could damage the piano!

If you have any advice for me, if you have experience in tuning the piano and if you know some "details" what should and what shouldn't i do please put your thoughts here!
Thanks a lot !!!

[daniloperusina]

Some good advice:
*Buy a tuning hammer (you absolutely must do this!)
*At least two rubber mutes
*A muting felt strip
* A tuning fork "A440"

From the middle of the keyboard and up each note has three strings.
First learn to tune these three to each other, alternately using the rubber mute to mute the left, then the right strings.
Then learn how to tune octaves.
This will be a safe way to learn how to handle the strings and tuning pins.
It's very difficult to learn how to make the very small movements required, and to get the strings to stay where you want them.
Start by tuning down slightly, then tune up slightly above, then carefully bring it down to pitch by gently pulling the tuning hammer while you hit the key with some force. Practice this a lot!

Next step is much more difficult.
You have to learn how to tune 3rds, 4ths and 5ths out of tune. You do this from F under middle C to F above middle C.
First try to tune A-D 4th pure, then raise D so that it's one beat per second too high. Next tune F-A 3rd pure, then lower F so that it's 7 beats per second too low. Use a metronome to figure out 7 beats per second, for example by setting it to 7X60/4=105 and count four beats to the metronome.
If you manage this correctly, the 6th F-D should beat slightly faster (8 beats per second) then the 3rd F-A.
Then tune G a 5th below D and make G 1/2 beat per second to high. Then tune B a 3rd above G to be 8 beats per second too high, comparing it to F-D 6th. Next tune E a 4th above B one beat per second too high, comparing it to A-D 4th. Then check to see how A-E sounds. It should make only a slight beat, less than one per second, and the 6th G-E should be slightly faster than the 6th F-D.
If you can make it this far, you continue in the same manner around this octave, tuning and checking 3rds, 4ths, 5ths and 6ths. The 3rds from F-A to Db-F (tuners actually call it C#-F) should be progressively faster from ca 7 beats per second to ca 11 beats per second, the sixths should do the same, and the 4ths and 5ths basically sounding the same all over this octave.

This is called "setting the temperament".

Next you have to expand it to the rest of the keyboard. There are several ways. Continue upwards using 5ths, very slightly low, and check with octaves (there should be a very slight beat in the octave, almost unhearable: an octave should be very little too high going upwards). Once you reach A you can start by checking 10ths from your F. Continue upwards with 5ths, octaves and tenths. For the last octaves you can't use 5ths anymore. Do octaves, double octaves, octave+5th, octave+10th. For the bass do 5ths, 3rds (progressively slower), octaves, double octaves, octave+5th.

It shouldn't take you more than a year to learn!:)

Once you are comfortabel with this, you are ready for really learning how to tune well! That's when you start aiming for a really perfect temperament, stretching, dealing with false strings, setting the pins and strings really well etc etc. This is the level your professional tuner is supposed to have mastered.

Good luck!