John's point is a good one. I would add that it is speed and not force at the key that causes the hammer to strike the string with more speed/force. It is not necessary to have your finger pound the bottom of the key into the keybed to get a FFF sound (though I agree with several who have pointed out that it is better to tune - most of the time - at a far lower volume level). I think we psychologically feel the need to have our arms, wrists and fingers tense when playing nots while tuning. It is better to loosen up, have the joints be flexible.
One technique is to use the drop/weight of the arm, and also use your wrist joint as a "shock absorber": leave your wrist relaxed, and allow it to give when the finger hits bottom. Another is to use the wrist to move the key: arm pretty much stable, wrist moves rapidly but without a whole lot of force, finger joint gives a bit when it bottoms out. There are several alternatives that will reduce joint fatigue to a minimum.
Learning new techniques takes practice, but your joints will thank you 30 - 50 years from now (as well as sooner). I've been tuning 35 years, probably over 30,000 tunings, no chronic problems - but that is largely because I pay attention to my body, and notice when something is going wrong. Observe, figure out how to do it better, or a little differently. Switch postures, have a few alternative ways of doing things. There is no question that this profession can cause lots of physical problems, and you have to be pretty attentive and inventive to avoid them.
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Fred Sturm
University of New Mexico
fssturm@unm.eduhttp://fredsturm.nethttp://www.artoftuning.com"We either make ourselves happy or miserable. The amount of work is the same." - Carlos Casteneda
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Original Message:
Sent: 01-15-2018 19:56
From: John Formsma
Subject: Tips for the Efficient Tuner: Part 5
One of the best tips I got at a PTG convention was on how to avoid this kind of injury. The instructor said really all the force we need for a test blow is letting the arm/hand fall and keep the fingers relaxed (using two fingers and a thumb is better than one or two fingers). Just the weight of the arm and hand in a free-fall is plenty for most of what we encounter. We don't really need to be adding much force (if any) to a test blow. That is...as long as the lever technique is good. Lever technique is king.
I've found that tuning twice is the best thing for stability. I don't play loud or do test blows the first pass. Test blows on the second pass, and never a crashing-smashing test blow. It doesn't move much usually. With time, one becomes more confident and doesn't need to do extreme test blows. Ron Nossaman was fond of stating that rapid, moderately loud tuning blows will stabilize better than a single massive blow. He was right, and that will save your joints as well.
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John Formsma, RPT
New Albany MS
Original Message:
Sent: 01-15-2018 18:29
From: Benjamin Sanchez
Subject: Tips for the Efficient Tuner: Part 5
Hello All,
This week's tips for the efficient tuner is here. Enjoy!
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Benjamin Sanchez
Professional Piano Services
(805)315-8050
www.professional-piano-services.com
BenPianoPro@comcast.net
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