|
Log in to post
|
Print Thread |
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502
Veteran
|
Veteran
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502 |
Piano tools?
Get yourself a huge flat blade screwdriver and an even bigger hammer.
Make the latter a maul with a rather short handle.
A good hand can generally build most of the specialty tools needed.
String wrapper, easy build.
Oh -- and that huge pair of hardened wirecutters, gotta buy those, although I've found that if you can find an old and blackened pair from Grandaddy's day, you are better off than with the new junk. Most people don't realize that the common pair of large pliers has a wire sheer built into them...
And be careful. Acoustic pianos can be dangerous. Lots of tension on that harp.
And the end of a piano string, well you ain't been stuck until you've been stuck by THAT.
--Mac
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 2,296
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 2,296 |
Quote:
Piano tools?
Get yourself a huge flat blade screwdriver and an even bigger hammer.
Make the latter a maul with a rather short handle.
A good hand can generally build most of the specialty tools needed.
String wrapper, easy build.
Oh -- and that huge pair of hardened wirecutters, gotta buy those, although I've found that if you can find an old and blackened pair from Grandaddy's day, you are better off than with the new junk. Most people don't realize that the common pair of large pliers has a wire sheer built into them...
--Mac
Yup - the guy I referred to has made many of his tools.
Glenn
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502 |
One of the most valuable things I learned as a teen was how to soften steel so you can work it easily and reharden it again.
Torch and can fulla oil, there are plenty of places that tell you what color to heat to before quenching to realize a particular hardness range.
To soften, heat and let it cool real slow.
To harden, heat to the desired color for the target hardness and immediately quench in the can of room temperature motor oil.
Outdoors.
--Mac
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 7,913
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 7,913 |
I'd think about this if I find that I have to do repair work. In my move to CO, I had to leave lots of 'stuff' behind. Starting somewhat from scratch.
So, I'm taking the low road for now and just trying my hand at tuning pianos. I have experiences now with two different Baldwins, my Yamaha, a Story & Clark and a Petrov (all upright styles of various types - console, spinet, upright grand)
If a repair is necessary, I don't feel qualified to handle those issues.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502 |
Depends on the repair, Scott.
Yer qualified for many certain things you may encounter. '
A broken hammer shaft, for instance. Wood glue and wirewrap and back in business, or replace the shaft entirely. A relatively easy repair that can be handled with simple hand tools.
Replacing a keycap.
Repair/replace a pedal rod.
etc.
Since you're an engineer, if you study the various and few piano actions, understanding comes and adjustment comes along with it.
First thing to know is that the Grand Piano action has a repeater and the upright and lowly Schpinette do not. (Repeater check - tap a key with two fingers repeated quickly and see how fast the piano can actually play the repeated notes. Grand action can do it. )
The good technician knows when a certain task calls for more experience and knows when to hand it off to same.
You can often simply tell a potential customer that the problem is outside the scope of what you came prepared to do and then recommend to them who to call. Your inside knowledge of even that much is likely a lot more than they know.
--Mac
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 2,296
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 2,296 |
Scott: Don't know if you are familiar with this site: http://www.pianoworld.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/ubb/cfrmIt covers a lot of ground, but the Piano Tuners - Technicians forum might be useful. Glenn
Last edited by Glenn Kolot; 12/06/09 03:05 PM.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502 |
Back in the daze of university music school, we had a competition among students every year to see which team could pass an upright piano through a 12" hoop the fastest.
Sledge hammers and other man-powered tools as those were the only things allowed. Darnit.
I showed up the second year with safety goggles, an air compressor and a 10,000 rpm diamond saw...
They prolly don't let kids do "dangerous" things like that on campus anymore.
Sissies
--Mac
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 199
Apprentice
|
|
Apprentice
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 199 |
Sorry, but I have to ask this as no one else has.
So mechanical pianos with real strings have "stretch" tuning incorporated into them, for reasons of clarity/chorussing of notes. Even the (?stringless) Rhodes, according to a poster above.
If so, do electronic keyboards incorporating a piano sound, as almost all of them do, also have stretch tuning dialled into their pitch specifications?
J.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502 |
Yes. Most MIDI piano samples are the stretch tuning.
Easy enough to detect Stretch Tuning:
Using one finger from each hand, strike the C below middle C at the same time as the C above middle C and listen to the sustained notes.
Only important thing here is to strike both notes at about the same loudness.
If you hear the little tiny "buzzing" sound of the beats, which are the exact same thing that you would hear when tuning one guitar string to another and the string you are tuning is close, but not quite dead on the other string's frequency, you get a modulation effect. The energy will not be constant.
This can also be seen on fast VU meters as well, like LED meters or the meters on computer screens. Set for Peak and not Average, of course. Look for a pulsing at the top of the meter's indication and that is the Beat.
Without the beat present, a piano or rhodes tuned dead on to Perfect Octaves, the note will simply sustain at a flat level, no tiny little joyous ear candy in the buzz, just sounds like a Xylophonem Glock or set of Vibes does when playing the same two notes simultaneously. Careful with Vibes patches, though, if you don't have one that is "motor off" then the pulsating sound of the motor spinning the reso tube dampers can mask all of this.
The Grand Piano typically has a different amount of stretch applied than the smaller pianos. Upright has its own Stretch tuning table as does the lowly short Schpinette. Due to string lengths.
--Mac
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ask sales and support questions about Band-in-a-Box using natural language.
ChatPG's knowledge base includes the full Band-in-a-Box User Manual and sales information from the website.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Video: Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®: VST3 Plugin Support
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® now includes support for VST3 plugins, alongside VST and AU. Use them with MIDI or audio tracks for even more creative possibilities in your music production.
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Macs®: VST3 Plugin Support
Video: Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®: Using VST3 Plugins
Join the conversation on our forum.
Band-in-a-Box 2025 for Mac Videos
With the release of Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac, we’re rolling out a collection of brand-new videos on our YouTube channel. We’ll also keep this forum post updated so you can easily find all the latest videos in one convenient spot.
From overviews of new features and walkthroughs of the 202 new RealTracks, to highlights of XPro Styles PAK 8, Xtra Styles PAKs 18, the 2025 49-PAK, and in-depth tutorials — you’ll find everything you need to explore what’s new in Band-in-a-Box® 2025.
Reference this forum post for One-Stop Shopping of our Band-in-a-Box® 2025 Mac Videos — we’ll be adding more videos as they’re released!
Band-in-a-Box 2025 for Mac is Here!
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac is here, packed with major new features and an incredible collection of available new content! This includes 202 RealTracks (in Sets 449-467), plus 20 bonus Unreleased RealTracks in the 2025 49-PAK. There are new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 4, two new sets of “RealDrums Stems,” XPro Styles PAK 8, Xtra Styles PAK 19, and more!
Special Offers
Upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac with savings of up to 50% on most upgrade packages during our special—available until July 31, 2025! Visit our Band-in-a-Box® packages page for all the purchase options available.
2025 Free Bonus PAK & 49-PAK Add-ons
We've packed our Free Bonus PAK & 49-PAK with some incredible Add-ons! The Free Bonus PAK is automatically included with most Band-in-a-Box® for Mac 2025 packages, but for even more Add-ons (including 20 Unreleased RealTracks!) upgrade to the 2025 49-PAK for only $49. You can see the full lists of items in each package, and listen to demos here.
If you have any questions, feel free to connect with us directly—we’re here to help!
Band-in-a-Box 2025 Italian Version is Here!
Cari amici
È stata aggerate la versione in Italiano del programma più amato dagli appassionati di musica, il nostro Band-in-a-Box.
Questo è il link alla nuova versione 2025.
Di seguito i link per scaricare il pacchetti di lingua italiana aggiornati per Band-in-a-Box e RealBand, anche per chi avesse già comprato la nuova versione in inglese.
Band-in-a-Box 2025 - Italiano
RealBand 2025 - Italiano
Band-in-a-Box 2025 French Version is Here!
Bonjour à tous,
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 pour Windows est disponible en Français.
Le téléchargement se fait à partir du site PG Music
Pour ceux qui auraient déjà acheté la version 2025 de Band-in-a-Box (et qui donc ont une version anglaise), il est possible de "franciser" cette version avec les patchs suivants:
BIAB 2025 - francisation
RealBand 2025 - francisation
Voilà, enjoy!
Band-in-a-Box 2025 German Version is Here!
Update Your Band-in-a-Box® 2025 to Build 1128 for Windows Today!
Already using Band-in-a-Box 2025 for Windows®? Download Build 1128 now from our Support Page to enjoy the latest enhancements and improvements from our team.
Stay up to date—get the latest update now!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Forums58
Topics84,317
Posts777,647
Members39,617
| |
Most Online25,754
Jan 24th, 2025
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dansk
Deutsch - Windows
Español
Français - Windows
Italiano - Windows
Nederlands
Polski
Português
Svenskt
русский
Japanese
Simplified Chinese
Traditional Chinese
Korean