Piano Tuning: A Simple and Accurate Method for Amateurs

by J. Cree Fischer

• Action, [17]
  • brackets, [24]
  • of grand piano, [37], [38], [62]
  • of square piano, [32], [34]
  • removing, square and grand, [38]
  • replacing, square and grand, [39]
  • requisites of, [17], [18]
  • top, of square piano, [34]
  • trap, of square piano, [19], [34]
• Advantages of two-octave temperament, [171]
• Ancient instruments, [13]
• Back check, adjustment of, [49]
  • and back catch, [18], [27], [28], [33], [37]
  • wire, [27]
• Balance pin, [21]
  • rail, [21]
• Bearing bar, [17]
• Beats, waves, and pulsations, [73], [150]
  • of unison, octave, and major third, [154]
  • cause of, [77], [150]
• Black lead, use of, [64]
• Block rail, [27], [51]
• Bottom or capstan, adjustment of, [48], [99]
  • or key rocker, [23], [33], [48], [56], [57]
• Bracket bolts, [25]
• Bridle, [28]
  • putting in new, [50]
  • wire, [28], [50]
• Bridges, [16], [17]
  • split, [173]
• Building of upright piano, [16]
• Butts, [28]
  • and flanges, repairing of, [59]
• Capstan, [24], [48]
• Cause of beats [27], [150]
• Center-pins, [25]
  • putting in new [52]
• Clicks at release of key, [51], [52]
• Compromises, the, [99], [100]
• Continuous mute, [89]
• Damper lever, [29]
  • felt, softening, [54]
• Damper, of grand piano, [37]
  • of square piano, [36], [60]
  • rod, [30]
  • rod, squeaking of, [55]
  • spoon, [29]
  • springs broken, [54]
• Dampers, [18], [29]
• Damping, defective, [54], [60], [61]
• Ditonic comma [144]
• Evolution of the piano, [12]
• Extension, [23]
• False waves, [160], [161]
• Fifths, beats of, [79]
  • not all tempered alike, [105], [106]
  • tempering of, [79], [104]
• Final inspection, [172]
• Fischer System of temperament, diagram of, [82]
• Flanges, [25]
  • repairing of, [59]
• Guide pins, [23]
• Hammer, butt, refelting, [51]
  • capping with buckskin, [59]
  • felts, cleaning, [34]
    • gluing, [54]
    • hardening, [54]
    • softening, [54]
    • trimming, [60]
    • voicing, [54], [104]
  • head [29]
  • rail, [29], [33]
  • shank or stem, [29], [53]
    • broken, [63]
    • renewing, [53]
  • spring, [52]
  • sticking, [52]
• Hitch-pins, [16], [17]
• Instrumental attachments, removal of, [118]
• Intervals flattened, [157]
  • sharpened, [157]
• Ivories, regluing, [64]
• Jack, [26]
  • repairing of, [50], [58]
  • sluggish, [57]
  • -spring broken, [58]
• Key, defects in, [47], [48]
  • leads, [22]
  • organ, sticking, [185], [186]
  • removing, square piano, [56]
  • squeaking, [64]
  • sticking, [46]
• Lead, in keys, [22]
  • black, use of, [64]
  • loose in key, [64]
• Length, tension, and weight of strings, [75]
• Loud pedal, [19], [30]
• Main rail, [25]
• Mathematics of tempered scale, [126]
• Metal plates, [15]
• Mute, continuous, [89], [90]
• Mutes, setting in upright piano, [117]-[120]
  • in bass, [121]
  • beyond temperament, [120]
  • in square piano, [122]
  • on nodal points, [161]
• Octave, dividing into major thirds, [134]
  • into minor thirds, [140]
    • perfect fifths, [142]
• Octaves, relative vibration of, [78]
• Organ, reed, tuning and repairing the, [178]
  • bellows, leaks in, [187]
  • capabilities of, [179]
  • cleaning, [180]
  • examination, [183]
  • keys sticking, [185], [186]
  • pallets, [186]
  • pedal defects, [188]
  • reeds, to find, [184]
    • tuning, [190]
  • stops, [182]
    • disconnected, [184]
  • sympathetic vibration, [189]
• Over-tension, [114]
• Panel, removing of, [75]
• Parts of grand action, [38]
  • of square action, [34]
• Pendulum to aid in judgment of a second of time, [104]
• Piano frame, [15]
  • tuner, requisites of, [7], [70]
• Pianos, special use of, [85], [86]
• Pitch, concert, [127]
  • international, [81], [127]
• Pitch, left to tuner's judgment, [86], [87], [89]
  • to determine most favorable, [85]
• Professional hints, [193]
• Questions asked by owners, [197]
• Ratio of intervals, [132]
• Reed organ. See Organ.
• Regulating button, [26], [51]
  • rail, [26], [36]
• Repairing small wooden parts, [63]
• Repetition of stroke, [18], [27]
• Searching for articles on sound board, [44]
• Seasons for tuning, [198]
• Soft pedal, [29], [36], [38]
• Sound board, [16]
  • • split, [44]
    • unglued, [45]
  • waves, interference of, [78], [150]
• Splicing piano wire, [176]
• Spring rail, [29]
• Stringing of upright, [16], [17]
• Strings growing sharper, [88]
  • putting in new, [174], [175]
  • rendering through bridges, [112], [114]
  • splicing, [176]
• Study and practice of tuning, [66]
• Sustaining pedal, [30]
  • squeaking of, [55]
• Sympathetic rattle, [43]
• Syntonic comma, [132]
• Systems of temperament, various, [163]
• System A, [165]
  • B, [166]
  • C, [167], [168]
• Tables of relative string length, [131], [136], [140], [143]
• Temperament, advantages of the two-octave, [171]
  • equal, [97], [144]
  • Fischer system, [74]
  • finishing up, [156]
  • introductory remarks on, [68], [72]
  • rationale of, [128], [139]
  • requisites of, [133]
  • setting, specific instructions, [85]
  • theory of, [97]
  • unequal, [98]
  • various systems, [163]-[168]
• Tension, equalization of, [111], [112]
• Terms to express tone qualities, [193]-[196]
• Testing by thirds and tenths, [170]
• Tests, chords, [94], [99], [103]
• Third, excessive sharpness of, [95], [103]
• Thirds, major, [135]
  • major, sharper than perfect, [135]
  • minor, flatter than perfect, [141]
• Tones, harmonic, [120], [130]
• Touch, altering the, [48]
• Treble, extreme, sharper than perfect, [159]
  • hammer, manipulation of, [110], [115], [116]
  • pins, marking of in square, [122]
    • loose, [173]
    • setting of, [112]-[114]
  • the bass, [160]
  • the treble, [157], [159]
• Tuning, instructions for first experiments in, [92]-[95]
• Vibration numbers, comparison of, [137], [146], [147], [148]
• Watchmaker's screwdriver, use of in piano repairing, [63]
• Wippen, [25]
• Wire splicing, [176]
  • repairing of small, [63]
• Wooden parts, shrinking, rattling, [59]

Transcriber's Note

On page 197, 'tones' has been misspelt in the original text as 'tonse'.