Hi Travis:
Welcome to the business. And the Guild.
It sounds like you need to find a mentor who can help you along the way. If you can get a tuning device, app or whatever, you can set the notes and then be able to listen to the beats and check yourself. Randi Potter recommends the Sanderson Accutuner, but apps also work well. Learning to tune by ear, starting from scratch can be daunting. Sort of like getting on a bicycle for the first time without training wheels. Sometimes reading about setting a temperament is more confusing than actually doing it. Youtube probably has some good videos to help you to hear what you need to focus on. I'm pretty sure that the Potter course has the Beat Locator included, which will tell you which note to listen to when trying to hear the beats. The Beat Locator sits against the fallboard behind the keys, and you slide the two cards to select which interval you want to listen to, with the indicating lines behind the notes you're comparing, ie., a 5th or a 3rd, etc. If you don't have one, you can contact Coleman Tools, as I think they're the ones who make it.
Reading where there is a M3 or m3, and all that, require a very focused mind. Tends to put one asleep or into a hypnotic trance. Don't ask how I know!
As far as the Damppchaser, there is the special liquid that should be used in the water tank to insure the electrodes are able to sense the fluid level. Distilled water doesn't conduct electricity very well, which is why you need to use the bottles of additive they supply with the kit. The pads are probably ok if they are fairly new.
I'm sure others will chime in here. Good luck.
Paul McCloud
San Diego
Travis Balitz
So I had a technician install a dampp chaser. It works well. Problem is the red light keeps popping up every so often. The water has just been changed and I assume the pad is already used up already but we hardly had it over 2 weeks. The tech said that the water needs a particular type. We used distilled water with no luck. Any advice.
Oh yeah, I have been studying on and off on piano technician courses through Randy Potter School but everytime I read through the course along temperaments I have a tendency to put it off. Like a long time. I understand 3rds is around 120 bpm at 8 beats and 6ths are at 105 bpm at 7 beats but I am having a hard time hearing the beats. I can do well with unisons but I can't really hear the beats regarding intervals. I understand you start with a tuning fork then set the a, then the 10 f below then the third ect, forgot the rest but regarding this scenario I put it off cause of the fact I am having trouble with intervals using a metronome. Does this mean I need to change careers?
Trav
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Travis Balitz
Associate Member
Hastings MN
651-491-8440
Original Message:
Sent: 6/11/2021 2:31:00 PM
From: Travis Balitz
Subject: Dampp Chaser - Piano Technician Career Choice
So I had a technician install a dampp chaser. It works well. Problem is the red light keeps popping up every so often. The water has just been changed and I assume the pad is already used up already but we hardly had it over 2 weeks. The tech said that the water needs a particular type. We used distilled water with no luck. Any advice.
Oh yeah, I have been studying on and off on piano technician courses through Randy Potter School but everytime I read through the course along temperaments I have a tendency to put it off. Like a long time. I understand 3rds is around 120 bpm at 8 beats and 6ths are at 105 bpm at 7 beats but I am having a hard time hearing the beats. I can do well with unisons but I can't really hear the beats regarding intervals. I understand you start with a tuning fork then set the a, then the 10 f below then the third ect, forgot the rest but regarding this scenario I put it off cause of the fact I am having trouble with intervals using a metronome. Does this mean I need to change careers?
Trav
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Travis Balitz
Associate Member
Hastings MN
651-491-8440
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