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Music Theory for Piano Technicians

  • 1.  Music Theory for Piano Technicians

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 01-07-2021 21:56
    Hello, all!

    I'd like to introduce a project I've started: "Music Theory for Piano Technicians". It's still in the early stages & I've been trying to add at least one video per week. These are "just me", so will be casual with a "learn as I go" approach.

    I'm trying to present music theory in a way that will be more useful to piano technicians, particularly those who have not had classical, collegiate theory. It is more than the "minimum" you need to know, although that can be found within these videos. This starts with beginning music theory using a keyboard as a visual instead of music notation. It will deviate from standard music theory into piano tuning specific theory, and any theory skipped can be presented later on as "extras". My goal in the long term is to provide enough information that piano technicians will be able to understand writings on the subject that use music theory language, and to have a deeper understanding of what they are doing both musically and acoustically. Although these are mostly consecutive, anyone can "bop around" as desired or stop anywhere they like. If there is a handout to go with a video, it is linked in the "description". If you have any questions or suggestions, particularly topics you'd like to see covered, please don't hesitate to ask them here or through private message. My first regret is that I didn't think to use theory vocabulary other than "American". I'm going to try to remedy that in comments and future videos. Soon to be upcoming videos will be covering larger intervals and more about coincident partials.

    I hope anyone who cares to explore these finds something that will be useful in their work and continued education in this field. If you like them, please subscribe.

    https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6RYO1N8Y1hHMFSz5ybKU4zO4BflLSxKv

    Thank You!
    Maggie


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    Maggie Jusiel, RPT
    Athens, WV
    (304)952-8615
    mags@timandmaggie.net
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  • 2.  RE: Music Theory for Piano Technicians

    Posted 01-08-2021 06:31
    HI!

    Brilliant initiative.

    I've dipped into one of your videos on coincident partials and I'm sure that there will be things that you cover which other people have been thinking about in different ways and so perhaps worthy of attention from all at all levels.

    As a musician tuner rather than a technician tuner I hope that the ideas of theory you're covering might perhaps include choral background leading to the understandings of tenor C, middle C and Treble C . . . which I know cause untold confusion when I refer to them for those used to C3 C4 and C5 . . . 

    Best wishes and all encouragement,

    David P

    PS. With regard to the cartoon from The Times which I posted yesterday, perhaps the caption should have been simply "Piano Technician Required"

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    David Pinnegar, B.Sc., A.R.C.S.
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    +44 1342 850594





  • 3.  RE: Music Theory for Piano Technicians

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 01-08-2021 12:04
    David. We should talk. You have vocabulary I'm not used to and I'd like to incorporate it if you're willing. 😉

    I ALREADY have to go back and explain tones & semitones in my descriptions. 🙄

    I'll be adding a vocabulary list to my handouts page soon. This will be an extra way to address the different terms in different countries and regions. 🙃

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    Maggie Jusiel, RPT
    Athens, WV
    (304)952-8615
    mags@timandmaggie.net
    ------------------------------



  • 4.  RE: Music Theory for Piano Technicians

    Posted 01-08-2021 12:34
    Dear Maggie

    Yes - and your tutorials on harmonics are important and overlap with a video I did yesterday which I hope other technicians might find interesting to follow at the next stage:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2sFDSRYeIw and in which I found myself doing exactly the same thing as you did in your video detuning a note and examining the beats among the harmonics https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXyf4wptCKk. I realised that I should have chosen the octave higher as in preparation for the video I'd heard it better the octave higher but that will be for another occasion.

    This video is leading to the use of a harp as a potential model for the piano and potentially examining resonance behaviour in the instrument as a result of the tuning. 

    Since the industrialisation of piano manufacture I suspect that a gap has developed between the piano as a triumph of engineering and its role as a medium of music. Your videos are a brilliant bridge between the two as being really explanatory and deserve a wide audience.

    Best wishes

    David P


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    David Pinnegar, B.Sc., A.R.C.S.
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    +44 1342 850594





  • 5.  RE: Music Theory for Piano Technicians

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 01-09-2021 01:51
    David! Very cool video! I could hear things very clearly. I've subscribed and am looking forward to what you find. One of my husband's double bass teachers, Peter Mercurio, had Domenico Draginetti's bass. This instrument had a strong formant region. They would have fun holding a match to the f-hole and would play various notes, but only one would blow the match out. Fascinating stuff. 

    I'm so pleased you used the word, "bridge".  I feel I have a good foot in the tuning world and am up to my knee in collegiate theory, so my plan is to bring the 2 together in a more practical way. There are music theory methods for musicians and tuning theory methods for tuners, but I've never seen something in between the 2. That's my goal. Perhaps something more orderly can come out of it in the long run.

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    Maggie Jusiel, RPT
    Athens, WV
    (304)952-8615
    mags@timandmaggie.net
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  • 6.  RE: Music Theory for Piano Technicians

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 01-08-2021 13:44

    David, maybe that should be "Left Handed piano technician required!"






  • 7.  RE: Music Theory for Piano Technicians

    Member
    Posted 01-08-2021 07:01

    Maggie,

    Great initiate- nice work on these videos! I had studied theory through the Royal Conservatory of Music system, and I have come to appreciate the value of theory knowledge, and reference it regularly. (Full transparency, I actually liked the theory more than the practical:-).

    Be well.
    Ian



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    Ian Graham
    Piano Technician
    www.igraham.ca
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  • 8.  RE: Music Theory for Piano Technicians

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 01-08-2021 12:06
    Ian - While in college, everyone called our theory teacher the "theory king". While I was a student, I got nicknamed the "theory queen" and did much tutoring. We would get along. 😊

    If you'd like to contribute to my vocabulary, let me know. 😁

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    Maggie Jusiel, RPT
    Athens, WV
    (304)952-8615
    mags@timandmaggie.net
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  • 9.  RE: Music Theory for Piano Technicians

    Member
    Posted 01-08-2021 12:32
    Hi Maggie,

    Hey thanks! I think you are definitely on the right path with the videos, building the complexity and knowledge.

    I look forward to watching more of your channel as your 3rd subscriber.

    Ian

    Ian Graham
    Piano Technician 
    www.igraham.ca





  • 10.  RE: Music Theory for Piano Technicians

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 01-08-2021 15:39
    Great job, Maggie. I’ve only looked at 1/2 a dozen of the episodes, but I’ll keep tuning in. I don’t know what’s in the air, but I sure like all the educational efforts that are being made recently. Maybe it’s the covid isolation. It’s nice to think wonderful things can come from horrible times.

    Thanks, “Theory Queen,”

    Richard West, A Loyal Subject




  • 11.  RE: Music Theory for Piano Technicians

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 01-09-2021 02:00
    HAHA! 👸 😜

    Sir Richard,

    Unfortunately, Covid is exactly what triggered a chain of events that led to these videos, among other things that I consider to be a blessing. I would give those recent blessings up in an instant to reverse many unfortunate events of this past year, but all we can do is move forward as best we can.  Until our isolation is over and I can start training for CTE, I'll be as productive as possible on my little hill. 

    Maggie

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    Maggie Jusiel, RPT
    Athens, WV
    (304)952-8615
    mags@timandmaggie.net
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  • 12.  RE: Music Theory for Piano Technicians

    Posted 01-08-2021 16:55
    Maggie,
    	Very good work.  Thank you.  I subscribed.
    
    	I brought up several of your lessons, and I encourage you to continue to expand them.  For example, I enjoyed your lesson on circle of fifths (MTPT #9.5), and your approach to activating sympathetic partials (in #20) is very interesting and different from how I usually demonstrate it.  
    
    	I understand you are still expanding your set of lessons, and I might have some suggestions to offer that would also assist those piano technicians interested in learning aural piano tuning.  For example, you might consider a lesson on inharmonicity (and the Railsback curve), or going further into the use of intervals and their beats and relationships within equal temperament, or perhaps building on your current foundations to discuss historic temperaments like meantone and well temperaments.  (See my recent post here on the aural tuning topic, or my charts at 
    https://potomacpiano.com/tuning-articles,
    and we can email to discuss further.) 
    
    	Regards,
      		Norman


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    Norman Brickman
    Potomac Piano Service
    Potomac, Maryland
    potomacpiano@verizon.net
    https://potomacpiano.com
    (301) 983.9321
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  • 13.  RE: Music Theory for Piano Technicians

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 01-09-2021 02:10
    Hi Norman! 

    Thanks for subscribing! (If I get 100 subscribers I can have a unique address & get to be a "real person". Haha!)

    I do indeed plan to cover all the things you mention, except I hadn't thought to specifically cover the Railsback curve, so I appreciate that. Good idea! The only thing I can tell you right now is I'm taking "baby steps" so won't be covering inharmonicity until I've covered tempering, which I won't do until I've gone over a couple more things with the harmonic series. It's not far off! Other temperaments will come eventually after inharmonicity, but there will be much in between. I THINK I am developing a good visual aid for inharmonicity so am excited about that. 

    I haven't looked at your link yet but will do that soon. 

    Thank you everyone for the encouragement and support!

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    Maggie Jusiel, RPT
    Athens, WV
    (304)952-8615
    mags@timandmaggie.net
    ------------------------------



  • 14.  RE: Music Theory for Piano Technicians

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 01-09-2021 19:42
    Thanks, I subscribed also.

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    Walter Bagnall
    Chillicothe Ohio
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