A-440 PIANO TUNING

The evolution of piano tuning is, in essence, an evolution of certainty. The mathematics of tuning has been applied to instruments with measurable distances (tone holes on wind instruments, frets on lutes/guitars, etc.), while the piano has presented two unique challenges: (1) No physical distance measurement has been possible, and (2) The phenomenon of "inharmonicity" (wherein the ratio of the thickness to the length of a string creates a harmony problem to which tuners must adjust to create a truly pleasing sound, string-to-string) exists on the piano, unique among stringed instruments, as the use of the bow on violins, violas, cellos, and basses cancels out inharmonicity by a process called "mode locking." The certainty now exists to meet both these challenges, but it is still the certainty of a living, listening tuner. It's been my hard-won experience that only an experienced tuner can solve both the above challenges, even if using the most advanced machine-aids or computer-aids..