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Tuning by ear practice6/15/2023 Summary of the Detrimental Effects of Out-of-Tune Pianos If a piano has pitch tuning problems, it will also have harmonic tuning problems, which often manifest as chords that sound “sour”.Īt this point, as in the other cases, the piano ceases to be a valid musical instrument, and no student who hopes to progress in their piano studies at the artistic level should be subjected to it. This a severe problem musically that no student should ever be subjected to.Īnother major aspect of piano tuning involves regulating the pitch relationships between two or more notes played together, which is referred to generally as harmony. When it changes extensively (usually dropping in pitch or “ going flat“), the student no longer hears the notes composer intended them to hear. Instead, the piano becomes an offensive noisemaker.Įach note on the piano, whether it’s produced by unison or a single strings, must have a specific pitch/vibration rate. Overall, once numerous unisons across the keyboard are out of tune, the student can no longer produce what can be rightfully considered music. In the worst cases of out-of-tuneness, this will be impossible. Students of ours, who have been trained to control volume, will struggle to restrain the force applied to an out-of-tune unison, to quiet it down and blend it with the other notes. Also, in comparison to neighboring unisons that are in tune, an out-of-tune unison is usually considerably and inappropriately louder. Due to the jangling, the volume of the note is difficult to control. In short, musical sound is replaced with distortion, like a stacticky radio station.ī. The tone changes from beautiful to ugly and annoying. (In some cases, it may actually rattle or buzz.) In turn:Ī. This effect, called dynamics, is a major aspect of playing the piano with feeling or expression.Ĭontrol of these factors, in combination, represent the essence of piano artistry.Īs soon as one or more strings of the unison note fall out of tune to a significant degree, it typically jangles loudly. Volume can also to subtle degrees if unisons are in tune. In addition, the tone can be subtly varied, creating the lovely and intriguing impression of a rainbow of tonal colors. If this is the case, the tone will be beautiful, clear and undistorted. These multi-string notes are called unisons.Įach string of a unison is normally tuned to match the pitch or vibration rate of the others. Most notes on a piano are linked to two or three strings, which are struck simultaneously by the hammer associated with the note’s key. PART 1: OUT-OF-TUNE ACOUSTIC PIANOS ARE DETRIMENTAL TO STUDENTS
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