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Bosendorfer extra bass notes

  • 1.  Bosendorfer extra bass notes

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 10-04-2017 10:16
    Good morning. Can someone tell me how to tune the extra bass notes on a Bosendorfer?
    Thanks,
    David 
    David Weiss Piano Service 

    Sent from my iPhone


  • 2.  RE: Bosendorfer extra bass notes

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 10-04-2017 10:25
    1) By touching the strings at their mid-way point to elicit the second partial, or;

    2) With the latest version of Reyburn CyberTuner, which has a feature for tuning those four to nine extra notes (Stuart & Sons, too).

    Alan

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    Alan Eder, RPT
    Herb Alpert School of Music
    California Institute of the Arts
    Valencia, CA
    661.904.6483
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  • 3.  RE: Bosendorfer extra bass notes

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 10-04-2017 10:49
    Thanks for the reply.  Where in Cybertuner is that feature found?

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    David Weiss
    Charlottesville VA
    434-823-9733
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  • 4.  RE: Bosendorfer extra bass notes

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 10-04-2017 11:06
    I was in the clients house when I sent that question. I do have Cybertuner, but I could not find that feature. Perhaps I don't have the latest version. However the method of touching the string ar it's halfway mark worked perfectly, and was rather easy. Thanks for the info.

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    David Weiss
    Charlottesville VA
    434-823-9733
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  • 5.  RE: Bosendorfer extra bass notes

    Posted 10-04-2017 11:19
    I've only tuned one Bosendorfer like this (tuned it many times). Since I've been an aural tuner for many years before using RCT, it wasn't very hard to tune them aurally. Helps to remember hardly anyone will use them, and almost no one will care what they sound like. Mine sounded good, but still...a reality check helps.

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    John Formsma, RPT
    New Albany MS
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  • 6.  RE: Bosendorfer extra bass notes

    Posted 10-04-2017 15:13
    I have never tuned one of these.

    However, as the point of those notes is sympathetic vibration, I would simply do what I do on most any resonant piano; lift the dampers and tune the monochords to the resonance of the open belly. One does not listen for partial matches, but coming from below, find the spot where the whole belly takes off, (dampers up).

    One has to ask what in-tune means down there, as the notes are not part of 99.9% of piano lit repertoire.  I would suggest that in-tune means doing whatever is necessary to maximize the sympathetic resonance of the entire instrument. Its probably pretty easy on these guys, with less listening for phantom partials, and presence of more real fundamental.

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    Jim Ialeggio
    grandpianosolutions.com
    Shirley, MA
    978 425-9026
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  • 7.  RE: Bosendorfer extra bass notes

    Posted 10-06-2017 17:57
    Just for the record. Tunic OnlyPure will go down to those lower notes too.

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    "That Tuning Guy"
    Scott Kerns
    www.thattuningguy.com
    Tunic OnlyPure & TuneLab user
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  • 8.  RE: Bosendorfer extra bass notes

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 10-05-2017 01:34
    If you don't have an electronic machine that covers those notes then "ghosting" is the best method.  Depending on the type of partial you want to tune hold down the octave silently (say Ab0-Ab1) and strike (staccato) the coincident partial(s) you want to sound and tune beatless.  Typically I'll strike the 6:3, 8:4 and 10:5 coincident partial simultaneously and tune it as beatless as possible.  For that octave that would mean striking Eb3-Ab3, C4.  Then just work your way down.

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    David Love RPT
    www.davidlovepianos.com
    davidlovepianos@comcast.net
    415 407 8320
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  • 9.  RE: Bosendorfer extra bass notes

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 10-05-2017 08:58
    After tuning A0, A#0 and B0, manually set your tuning aid to the octave higher (A1, A#1 and B1) and see what your reading is. Now manually lower your ETD to G#1 and tune G#0 and the rest to the same reading you got with A0, A#0 and B0. This will get it close, and you can finish with aural checks.

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    Robert Callaghan
    Reno NV
    775-287-2140
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  • 10.  RE: Bosendorfer extra bass notes

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 10-05-2017 19:49
    You can do it pretty well simply by listening to the octave and using the 12th and 19th as test intervals down to about F0. Then it becomes fog.

    I do it with the Verituner by turning off auto-note select. I play B0 and compare the readings with the unit set manually first to B0, then B1. Set to B1, the reading is usually 10-15 cents above zero. Then I do the same with A#0, then A0. Now I know how much stretch the unit wants in that area, and I  tune the low notes with the unit set to G#1, G1, F#1, etc, aiming at the same number of cents above zero. You should be able to use this technique with any ETD that allows manual note selection.

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    Mario Igrec, RPT
    http://www.pianosinsideout.com
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  • 11.  RE: Bosendorfer extra bass notes

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 10-05-2017 20:28
    I don't know how common this knowledge is, but someone somewhere will benefit from my stating it.

    When tuning a Bosendorfer aurally, when you get down to the extra notes, there should be a black dot painted exactly halfway on those bonus monochords. When you, or a helper, touches it, it divides the string in two and allows you to tune it to the octave above as a unison. Release the black dot of death - err, black dot of ... life ...? - and you have an octave where it should be. If you want a little more or a little less stress, simply move it sharp or flat from there, as Mario described.

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    Benjamin Sanchez
    Professional Piano Services
    (805)315-8050
    www.professional-piano-services.com
    BenPianoPro@comcast.net
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