Hi All,  Regarding Randolph Herr's method of tuning a piano (or player
piano), the one major flaw is that it's impossible to "set the pin" if
you only pluck the strings with a toothpick, or any other such implement.

In truth, 'setting the pin' is one of the physically harder aspects of
tuning because it requires a fair amount of energy (force) to strike
each key repeatedly until the pitch of the string stops changing.  In
some cases, setting the pin can be downright frustrating if the pins
are either too tight or too loose.  If they're too tight, getting them
to move that slight amount, which brings the unison into tune, seems to
take forever.  If they're too loose, the string changes pitch every
time you strike the string.

But the fact remains that if you don't set the pins, the piano will go
out of tune as soon as someone plays it aggressively because they are,
in effect, doing the job the tuner either neglected to do or didn't do
correctly.

Musically,
John A Tuttle
Player-Care.com
Brick, New Jersey, USA