•Richard Foster asked in MMD 11.02.22 how to tune the three ranks of his Black Forest flute clock. He mentioned, "Three octaves would mean the top register would have pipes less than a centimeter long, or that the bottom would have pipes that fold twice." I'm trying hard to understand this problem. ...

•Tuning a Coin Piano or Orchestrion that has Extra Instruments In an antique coin piano or orchestrion, if the xylophone or pipes were tuned to A=435, then tune the piano to A=435. It's as simple as that! While very few 20th century pianos will be harmed by tuning them to A=440, why would you want t...

•This has to be how the factory technicians did it -- no tuning charts, no marking keys, it is that simple! Look for the longest string in the middle. The note is F. The electromagnets are in two banks or rows. The notes go upwards in pitch from the center of each. Unlike traditional pianos, the low...

•Carlo Klemm posted about this organ last March [110309 MMDigest, Cipher in Hofbauer 26er Crank-organ]. His ciphering is now fixed -- three valves had fallen to pieces inside the valve chest. The organ now plays lots of (hundreds of...) jolly German tunes, though somewhat out-of-tune. Does anyone kn...

•Dear Hofbauer Organ Grinders, I know from my own experience that you can request a tuning box for your Hofbauer organ directly from the Hofbauer company. You can buy it or request it on loan. If you need more help, let me know. Fred Gerer Munich

•Hello. We have a 20-key barrel organ by Molinari & Sons, New York, which is in dire need of tuning. I am unable to locate any information on the order of pitches, and the process in which to tune such a delightful instrument. I assume these were tuned to A-435. I welcome any advice and information...

•Mr. Irwin asked about the techniques employed in tuning a Molinari 20-note organ. One of America's most authoritative and experienced enthusiast and technician is George 'Jeff' Vincent, a member of the Carousel Organ Association, who lives in Rochester, New York. He's also a great guy! Angelo Rulli...

•Kyle, My friend Jeff Vincent and I have restored and tuned quite a few Molinari organs. As Robbie said, this organ is not chromatic so it's a bit confusing if you're used to a typical pipe organ. Not only are the pipes diatonic, but they are not in the right order. Well, some of them are and some o...

•Kyle Irwin asks about tuning a small 20-key barrel organ and surmises that it is tuned to A=435 Hz. Don't assume anything as far as pitch and temperament are concerned. Firstly, the scale will be written on the keyframe, and if not, one can ascertain the scale, particularly on a small organ, by pla...

•The DeBence museum was given a "kit" of parts to make a Deagan xylophone and beaters for our Nelson Wiggen style 6. Many of the pieces were done, but little assembly had been started. Well, I have it all together now and, as expected, it needs to be tuned. I understand that to raise the pitch of a ...

•To raise the pitch on a xylophone or glockenspiel, remove material equally from both ends. To lower the pitch, remove material from the back [underside], the centre part which has a curved profile. Keep this profile in its good curved shape whilst removing the material. All work should be done with...

•Removing material from the centre of the xylophone bar causes the frequency to drop. This is because the majority of the oscillating mass is at the extreme ends of the bar as it is vibrating in its 'free-free' mode, i.e., sitting on its two nodal points with the two ends moving one way whilst the c...

•Xylophone tuning is an art and science, so it's good to take it cautiously. Remove material from the center area and the note goes flatter; removing from the ends and the note sharpens. If the bar is properly made the mounting hole is at a very precise nodal location that must not be changed or the...

•Try this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-P2nFccG8o Grant Chapman

•Thanks for all the useful replies to my post. As an engineer I am ashamed that I did not do more research on the subject before asking. Anyway, thanks to all who responded; now on to see if I can make the theory work. Scotty Greene

•Scotty Greene asks about tuning a xylophone. I've had really great results with the xylophones I've made by double tuning them. Most people don't realize that you can tune not only the fundamental tone but also the overtones. This is one area that separates xylophones from marimbas. The first overt...

•If you look in the MMD Archives, you can find my posting about the tuning of xylophone bars and the link to an Excel spreadsheet that will give starting dimensions for bars of a given pitch. The posting may be dated, but the physics is not. http://www.mmdigest.com/Archives/Digests/199803/1998.03.21...

•Wear a respirator when sanding rosewood, since its dust is a known carcinogen. Also, assuming that sanding heats the wood a little, let it cool to room temperature before testing the pitch again. This is especially important when tuning metal bell bars. Art Reblitz http://www.reblitzrestorations.co...

•In the vast majority of cases a #2 or #3 tip will fit the tuning pins well. I find that not all #2 and #3 tips are alike, which is why I carry a big selection. Because you did try so many different tips, I think your problem is most likely the previous tuners of this piano over the many decades. Tu...

•Bill Maguire wrote in 120120 MMDigest: > I find that not all #2 and #3 tips are alike, which is why I carry > a big selection. Because you did try so many different tips, > I think your problem is most likely the previous tuners of this > piano over the many decades. This substantiates my findings ...