Below you will find 20 free lessons on How to Tune a Piano. Each lesson uses the Piano Tuners Ear to help students easily and clearly hear the beats that all expert aural piano tuners can hear without any aids.
1. WHERE TO PLACE THE MIC
In this lesson we tell you where to place the mic which is really an accelerometer, which means very low feedback. Nevertheless, proper mic placement will reduce the effects of feedback.
2. HOW TO SET THE VOLUME/BANDWIDTH
Learn how to set up the PTE so you can hear the beats as clearly as possible.
3. HOW TO TUNE THE PTE
Tuning the PTE is easy. Just play the note you want to tune and then adjust the frequency knob until the sound is loud.
4. HOW TO REDUCE FEEDBACK
The contact microphone means low feedback, but not no feedback.
This lesson shows you some tricks to reduce feedback so you can turn the PTE up which allows you to hear the beats even more easily.
5. HOW TO TUNE UNISONS
Learn how to set the frequency of the PTE so you can tune out the higher partials and easily make a clean unison.
6. HOW TO TUNE OUTSIDE UNISONS
Traditional techniques that use a mute strip require you to tune outside strings to the center string as you remove the mute.
This video demonstrates that.
7. TUNING A4 USING AN ETD AND DSU
Forks change with temperature. Tuning by trained ear is superior to using an ETD except when tuning A4.
This lesson shows how we use an ETD to tune A4 and also how to tune the PTE so it is even easier.
8. TUNING THE OCTAVE A3A4
In this lesson, we listen to the coincident partials of the 4:2 and the 6:3 and set the beat speeds to produce the best sounding octave based on its inharmonicity.
9. BEAT MATCHING
An out of tune octave is telling you how out of tune it is by the speed of the beat.
To tune it pure just move one note that amount.
This lesson shows you how.
10. TUNING A P4
P4's are supposed to be wide in equal temperament, but they are still very close to pure.
In this lesson, we determine whether your P4 is wide or narrow by using the check note a M3 below the bottom note and listening at the coincidental partial two octaves above the bottom note.
11. TUNING A P5
P5's are supposed to be narrow in equal temperament, but they are still very close to pure.
In this lesson, we determine whether your P5 is wide or narrow by using the check note a M6 below the bottom note and listening at the coincidental partial one octave above the top note.
12. TUNING F3A3 TO 7 BPS
Setting F3A3 temporarily to 7 beats per second is a common step in many aural piano tuning methods.
Hear the beat A5 easily in this lesson and also learn a trick for knowing if F3A3 is close to 7 bps or not.
13. TUNING C#4 IN THE LOWER SKELETON
This is a precise and accurate way to tune C#4 using the already tuned F3/A3/F4/A4 called the Lower Skeleton.
14. TUNING F4 AND CORRECTING F3 IN THE UPPER SKELETON
In this lesson, learn if your original F3A3 was tuned correctly for this piano. If F3 was wrong, F4 will be wrong.
The Upper Skeleton tests F4.
If F4 is wrong, correct it, then correct F3.
15. TUNING D4
This old technique of tuning the sixth between the thirds is an accurate way to tune D4 after the Skeleton has been tuned.
It also has the added bonus of tuning the P4, A3D4, to the proper width for the piano you are tuning.
16. TUNING A PURE P12
Tuning pure P12 in the treble is the easiest way to improve your stretch.
Learn how to use the M6/M17 test to find out if your P12 could be closer to pure.
17. TUNING THE PURE P19
Many technicians claim that concert tunings have the common quality of the pure P19 (two octaves and a fifth).
This lesson shows you how to use the m3/M17 test to confirm pure P19.
18. TUNING THE PURE P22
If we tune a pure 6:3 and pure P11 in the midrange, we are able to tune pure P12/19 and pure P22.
In this lesson we show you how to tune and confirm pure P22 using the m6/M17 test, but you'll need to be able to hear the beat speeds clearly and consistently.
19. TUNING A PURE P11
A very high level accurate aural tuning of the treble starts with confirming a pure P11 (octave plus P4) using the m6/M6 test.
Once you can do that, it is possible to tune pure P12/19/22 all at the same time just by setting the M17 to the right speed.
20. THE STRETCH INTERVAL SET
This simple set of notes helps you to tune and confirm pure 4:2/6:3/P11/P12/P19/P22 and pure P4 at the 2nd coincidental partial.
It is just one reason why students of the Go A.P.E. System are getting noticed!
What's next? Why not get your own Piano Tuners Ear?