Tuning an accoustic piano

[JoeM]

Hi,

I have an accoustic upright piano that I did not use for over 3 years. Of course it now requires tuning. I would like to tune it myself but I need to hear the sound of each key before I can tune the same key on the piano. I will not be able to tune it just out of a tuning fork.

Does anyone know where I can get a software that I can install on my laptop computer that will show a keyboard on the screen and sound the note as I click my mouse on that key? The alternative is to purchase a used keyboard 61 keys or more.

Thanks

[Midi Magic]

If you have a 307, could you not use that? Maybe, they are not in the same room.

How about software that picks up the sound and then tells you what the frequency it is, like an electronic guitar tuner. But there again you dont want it to be "perfectly" in tune.

Well, I am sure there are many out there but have a look at Pianoteq 3
It is a "virtual" piano and is only around 20 Megs. You can download the Demo for free. The only drawback is it will only work for 20 minutes and there is 1 Octave which has been turned off.

It can be controled via midi and sounds like a "real" piano. In fact it sounds better than my CVP.

[JoeM]

Thank you Midi Magic. You are right: the piano and the CVP-307 are in different rooms so I would be unable to tune this way.

I have downloaded the Pianoteq 3 and this is what I need. I found another software that (if you do not pay) you can use it for only 5 minutes at a time. Furthermore it has only 3 octaves and the sound is not piano.

From what I understand it is a good idea to tune an accoustic piano in the fall or spring because in winter it is too dry and in summer it is too humid. So I will attempt the tuning this fall. Thanks again.

[Midi Magic]

Hi JoeM

How good did you find the sounds of Pianoteq? Sounds like a real Piano to my old ears. And it is only £250 at todays euro rate.

[JoeM]

Hi Midi Magic,

The sound of the Grand piano is excellent and then you have many voices and 4 pedals. I have not yet evaluated the software but it appears to be very good. Thanks again.

[kempedkemp]

You will save yourself a lot of time and headache if you hire a professional to tune the piano. Its not as easy as you might think it is. Do you have mutes?

[JoeM]

You will save yourself a lot of time and headache if you hire a professional to tune the piano. Its not as easy as you might think it is. Do you have mutes?

I am sure you are right. Time I have and headaches I do not have. I thought I would take a jab at tuning, and if I am not successful I can always hire a professional. In the meantime I have no mutes. Could you suggest an alternative to mutes: something we can find around the house? Thanks.

[kempedkemp]

A couple of good thick rubber spatulas would do the trick... they come in a lot of shapes and sizes. Any rubber object that could be wedged against the outer strings.

[JoeM]

I finally tuned my accoustic piano today. It was fortunate that only 15 notes required tuning. I installed the Pianoteq free trial version program on my laptop computer. With the laptop next to the piano I was able to compare the sound of practically every note with those of the accoustic piano.

Thank you all for your help and suggestions.

[kempedkemp]

Either you have an excellent piano... or you're not a very fussy fellow. LOL
I hope you are enjoying it!

[JoeM]

I am not a fussy fellow because I am not using this piano. However last August when I started this thread the piano sounded worse than it did today before tuning. I guess there is less humidity in the house because the temperature outside is near freezing. I would like to thank you again for suggesting an alternative to the mutes.

P.S. What does LOL stand for? Excuse my ignorance.

[dancaputi]

lol = laughing out loud
lmao = laughing my ass off
rotglmao = rolling on the ground lmao :D

[dbjorck]

Hi!

[rotglmao = rolling on the ground lmao :D[/QUOTE]
I've never seen rotglmao. However, ROFLMAO - Rolling On the Floor Laughing My Ass Off.

And did you know that lol is actually also a word in Dutch, and just happens to mean fun/laughing?

Brgds

Danny