Pitch raises and whether to charge. Definitely an important topic that we all have to consider and sometimes reconsider! I'll share what my experiences have been. I have used the Cybertuner quite a bit over the course thousands of tunings over about 15 years.
I also bought TuneLab and Verituner. I don't use them although I do like the Verituner as well.
Pitch-raising CHROMATICALLY - full unisons at a time - from a severely-flat pitch is something I have gradually moved away from in favor of using temperament strips to pitch raise with more evenly-distributed across-the-board tension increases. I do use the Cybertuner for this but have to alter overpull percentages or simply select an across the board overpull locked at whatever the average overpull needs to be.
I also pay attention to the fact that overpull tensions do stress bridge pins and bridges, stress agraffes and capo-bar edges, and other things. There are also wire bends happening with overpull that you have to think about, in terms of string leveling and things. Because of capo bar and bridge pin / bridge damage, and to reduce likelihood of string breakage, I rarely overpull more than about 12 cents per pitch raise pass, no more than 4-6 cents overpull in the Bass. This is to prevent damage to the copper windings via over-extension.
Since I'm a not a real engineer this is all based on theory and experience, not exact engineering data, etc. I might get to that at some point…
I do charge for major pitch raise work particularly for new clients seeking to revive a piano from neglect. As well as returning clients who don't get consistent tuning every 6 months to one year. But I have to be pretty up-front about it. The only place where I might not charge is the very regular client. But frankly, a lot of pianos in homes getting tuned every 6 months to 1 year are not more than about 10-15 cents off. At that range, I might be able to do a careful Smart tuning with the Cybertuner, then go over that careful tuning again to clean things up and make sure things are where they should be. This kind of a tuning is something I can typically complete in 75 min or less at pretty much a concert tuning level of accuracy and stability. Actually 60 min or so normally.
Another thing that I've increasingly sort of required myself to do, is to always go over my tuning aurally and for very pure unisons - after carefully tuning a piano in its entirety. In other words, I take the time to double-check things and ensure a very consistent and clean sound to unisons, as much as is realistic for the piano. This last 5 to 10 minutes (typically) takes a little self-discipline to do, but I consider it makes the tuning that much better and valuable. It's that last bit of edge in terms of quality in the work.
I tend to be respectfully frank that I don't try to be the cheapest technician in town. I strive to be one of the best technicians, at a very reasonable, in fact competitive, price for the very highest level of work available.
One of the reasons I charge if I have to fully pitch-raise a piano once or more before fine-tuning, is that one only has so many tunings in the duty cycle of their physical body. Let's say you're going to do 3 service visits one day. 6 tuning passes is a lot more wear on the body than 3 tuning passes. That magnifies over weeks, months and years.
Speaking of physical wear: I learned years ago that I could not regularly "jerk" a tuning hammer back and forth violently. It led to issues with my tuning shoulder. I mostly use smooth pulling motions that require a degree of strength and control.
In addition to this, while tuning I rarely ever pound or press keys with my fingers. In my 30's I began to experience severe arthritic pain from normal pounding / playing with my fingers while tuning. I adjusted to pressing the notes with a thick, short felt mute held upside down. This has worked out.
I've also cultivated stability of tuning without pounding of keys excessively. I find this is not always possible, but with some pianos I find that I can tune with stability - without excessive key-pounding force.
If I had to tune only with aural intervals, by hand, with lots of key-pounding, my tuning career would probably have been over after several thousand pianos - due to hand and finger strain.
Final thoughts. Skillful use of an ETD has one added benefit during tuning. It allows you to move a tuning pin and a string DIRECTLY to where it should go. There is less hunting sharp or flat. This results in less wear of a piano pin-block.
This is one more reason that while I highly favor traditional aural tuning, I do use an ETD. I also am convinced that using the Cybertuner has significantly lengthening the duration of my tuning career due to less wear on my ears and my fingers, hands, wrists, etc. So generally I like the idea of staying as engaged as possible with aural tuning, but doing so in a way that is survivable. Dean Reyburn gets huge respect from me since I owe so much in terms of quality and survivability with tuning over the years. He's made a truly great contribution to piano tuning in the 20th century and beyond.
There are certainly many approaches to tuning.
I have real respect for solid aural-only tuners who go their whole career that way. But I've seen some fall out due to injury too.
Sooner or later I suppose we all have to consider the long game in terms of how many piano per week we are going to tune, as we go from our thirties on up into our seventies. I hope to continue tuning into my old age, but at a strategically reduced rate. So I'm already planning around this so that the number of pianos I tune this week, this Summer, and beyond is a number that I'm comfortable with and enjoy.
You know, another career or gig might be a great thing along with tuning as one ages. It might allow one to enjoy the level of tuning one does, and actually do it better, for longer.
It never hurts to ask yourself why you are doing what you doing, and how much you enjoy it at a particular level. Don't get stuck in a rut and hate your work. Get ahead of that and think about it if you need to. For what it's worth after about 15 years of hard but good work.
Lastly. Taking the aural tuning exam and becoming an RPT is crucial. It will either confirm that you are a solid, accomplished tuner worthy of the name, or that you need to work on some areas. This type of feedback and ultimate confirmation of credentials is better for your own understanding of yourself, and better for your customers. This will be an important achievement for the tech in their progress as a peer-reviewed professional.
The next one is CTE, the certified tuning examiner. Again, the potential that you will gain confirmation that you are truly a master, or the chance to hone your skills to the level of real mastery. And more than that, the opportunity to serve and further the profession.
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Tom Wright, RPT
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Original Message:
Sent: 06-13-2021 17:54
From: Terrence Farrell
Subject: Pitch Raise & Tune in One Session
I watched the video and only saw a very small amount of superficial information regarding pitch raising.
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Terry Farrell
Farrell Piano Service, Inc.
Brandon, Florida
terry@farrellpiano.com
813-684-3505
Original Message:
Sent: 06-13-2021 12:34
From: Steven Rosenthal
Subject: Pitch Raise & Tune in One Session
In depth explanation of RCT here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHsL8oo_Low
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Steven Rosenthal
Honolulu HI
808-521-7129
Original Message:
Sent: 06-13-2021 12:12
From: David Stocker
Subject: Pitch Raise & Tune in One Session
To answer your question, I never leave a piano at anything other than 440 for pitch raise reasons. Pitch raising is a skill we need, just like any other. I learned to do it well aurally, RCT does it better. I often recommend 6 months for the next tuning, rather than out customary year. I have returned to pianos that had massive pitch raises after two years or more, only to find them at pitch. YMMV.
As to how people did it in the past, it depends on who you talk to. Nobody has done it that way in my neck of the woods. I suspect people who do two appointments have various reasons for doing it. Either to let the piano settle; or for the false fear that if you do it all at once, the plate will break.
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David Stocker, RPT
PNWRVP
Olympia WA
Original Message:
Sent: 06-11-2021 08:24
From: Terrence Farrell
Subject: Pitch Raise & Tune in One Session
For 20+ years I have just about always tuned a piano the same day that I had done a pitch raise on it - regardless of the amount of pitch raising. The past few months, without really planning on it, I have been scheduling the tuning for a couple weeks after a large pitch raise (lets say greater than 50 cents). The reason being that the couple week wait will give the piano a chance to stablize somewhat and the resulting tuning will hopefully last longer.
My general understanding is that was the standard way to do it in decades past. In the last few decades, my understanding is that waiting a couple weeks to tune has gone into disfavor and most techs will tune the piano the same day the pitch has been raised.
What do you folks do? Do some schedule a delayed tuning on a large pitch raise?
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Terry Farrell
Farrell Piano Service, Inc.
Brandon, Florida
terry@farrellpiano.com
813-684-3505
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