It is true that American tuners usually tune all the unisons identical, or as identical as they humanly can. However, there are other approaches. What I am about to go into has a lot of nuance which I'm still working through, but here's what understand so far.

A tuning style used by some Japanese tuners is to slightly detune one of the three strings of a triad. The third string is tuned slightly sharp. A tuning style used by some European tuners actually slightly sharpens two of the three strings.

The effect is to change what stage of a played note the tuning resolves for maximum appeal. In the American style, the attack, or initial sound is emphasized for optimum "in-tuneness" tonality. In the Japanese style, the sustain, or the sound of the note after the initial strike fades is where the highest degree of "in-tuneness" resolves. In the European style, influencing the overall color of the note is the goal.

It is a subtle matter, more subtle than even the question of what temperament one is using. However, it is significant enough that mismatch between the expectations of the composer and the tuning of the performing piano can change the effect of the piece for the listener.

The particulars of this are beyond this author for now. Suffice it to say that purposely tuning the members of a unison differently is an established tuning practice. All that aside, for our do-it-yourself tuners, it remains perfectly American, erm, rather correct to tune all unison strings identically. For more on these other tuning styles, check this PianoWorld thread.

Piano tuning is a rather odd profession. It seems quaint, like a throwback to the old days before electronic keyboards. The piano tuner is regularly declared obsolete.Yet, the profession won't go away. The acoustic piano still remains loved and revered by many. These old analog instruments still grace our homes and concert halls.

The other assault on the profession is older, existing since the pianoforte was invented. That strategy is to replace the piano tuner with something better. Recently we reported on the self-tuning piano. However, a tuner was still required to set the initial tuning, which the self-tuner would reference.

The latest declaration of impending obsolesce against the piano tuner comes from a scientist who has developed a piano tuning algorithm. This algorithm uses entropy to determine the optimum frequency to overcome inharmonicity. By using repeated mathematical calculations that reduce entropy bit by bit, we eventually arrive at a tuned instrument. Despite breathless headlines, though, the piano tuner is still going to be needed. First, the algorithm just calculates frequencies, it is not a machine that turns pins. Turning pins such that they remain stable to keep their tune more than a few minutes or days is a skill that is just as important as determining a frequency. Furthermore, the tuner also makes other adjustments and repairs for the best sound.

The second issue is that similar results are available with current technology. A good aural tuner can deliver the best sound out of a piano already, without any electronic aids. Can the algorithm really make the piano sound better than a professional aural tuning? Is there really that much room for improvement? One could argue that the algorithm could make a mediocre tuner better. Already there are several electronic tuning devices on the market to assist tuners. They use a variety of systems to determine the stretch of a piano, but ultimately the tuner makes the final adjustments because rarely does the ETD get it right.

The root issue where the algorithm may actually have an advantage is in the issue of inharmonicity. Inharmonicity is unique on every piano. The writer of the algorithm suggests that it would be better than todays existing ETDs at addressing inharmonicity. ETDs are always being updated, so there's clearly room for improvement. But inharmonicity also changes on every piano between tunings. Humidity alone is never the same moment to moment, except in the most climate-controlled sealed room. Furthermore, the piano itself changes over time as the materials age. These changes are virtually unquantifiable. A good tuner subconsciously accounts for all these variables in ways that current EDTs cannot. Perhaps the "entropy tuner" can match the skill of an aural tuner, but I'll wager it can't beat it.

Regardless, at the moment this is all conjecture. The algorithm only exists on paper. No electronic tuning device uses the system. And somebody still needs to tune the pins. On the other hand, though, if the algorithm is incorporated in the self-tuning piano…hmmm.

I have compiled for you a complete list of all bands named after piano tuners:

1. The Marshall Tucker Band

There you go!

The story goes that the band members were searching for a name in their early days. The key to the warehouse space they were renting had the name "Marshall Tucker" on it. They eventually learned that Mr. Tucker was a blind piano tuner who had previously rented the space.

The Marshall Tucker Band is a long-standing country group from South Carolina. They have been active since the 1960s, and have recently recorded a new studio album. They have five gold records and one platinum. Their biggest hit single is 1977's "Heard It In a Love Song," covered recently by Mark Chestnutt.

That's all the bands named after piano tuners that I have found so far. Should you know of another, drop me a line.

The self-tuning piano has been a holy grail item for pianists since the pianoforte was born. Piano owners all know the heartbreak of a piano going out of tune. It's inevitable, even for the lovingly maintained piano. The process of detuning begins the moment the piano tuner lifts his wrench from the pin.

The obvious method would be some sort of motor to turn the pins. But, apparently that's not so easy. How do we know? No one has done it, at least commercially.

Don Gilmore, inventor of a self-tuning piano, has a different idea. He tunes the strings with heat. He passes an electrical current through the string. The resistance in the string causes it to heat. When the string heats, its pitch flattens. Electrical current provides the fine control needed; he claims a tuning accuracy within 1/1000th of a cent. The control circuitry is a dedicated box, able to analyze the pitch and adjust automatically. All that travels to each string is a wire to the pin, accessed from behind the soundboard. No need to squeeze in a bunch of mechanical apparatus. The basic design of the piano needs little modification.

(Incidentally, this is why you should not mute strings with your fingers. The heat from your body will change the pitch of the string! And it leaves fingerprints.)

The desired values are first determined by tuning the piano by hand. These are recorded, then used as the reference for the electrical tuning values. It's even possible to change temperaments easily, perhaps even between pieces in a performance.

The piano is intentionally tuned sharp (or, to be more precise, tuned true in an environment with a higher than average ambient temperature), so that a current must be present to be in tune. Therefore, the unit must be powered on any time the piano is played. Once switched off, the piano reverts to its detuned (sharp) state. The current required is pretty small, though. The system is capable of some significant correction, so it can continue to adjust as the base tuning degrades. It takes about a minute to prepare the piano for playing, per the video.

An observation that jumps to my mind is that the heating flattens the strings, so they must be detuned sharp for the system to have an effect. My piano reliably goes flat over time. I presume that eventually some strings will need to be pulled back to sharp so the self-tuning system can continue to work. Furthermore, the inharmonicity of the piano can change as the materials age. Piano tuners are quick to tell you that tuning to a table of values will give you a mediocre result, and I don't see this method entirely overcoming that. From time to time, I would expect that the reference tuning of each piano will need to be reevaluated for the best sound.

I think the system, which is in the prototype stage, has potential. It's relatively simple, with minimal change to the piano itself. Yeah, you have to plug in, but that may be a small price to pay for a piano that tunes on command.