And the physicists have gone even further: "Committed piano technicians are volunteering to translate the tuner software into other languages, even into Chinese.
While some experts think that working with the new software takes too long, others are impressed by the good result.Īccording to Hinrichsen, demand for the software is surprisingly high: To date the Android version of the software has been installed more than 5,000 times worldwide. "Our Entropy Piano Tuner goes down well especially with piano tuners and it is discussed in specialist forums," Hinrichsen is pleased to tell. In 1992, Musical Pleasures developed out of Lukas van der Walt Piano Tuners. Lukas van der Walt only use properly trained and qualified piano tuners who have to be affiliated to the South African Association of Professional Piano Tuners. Hinrichsen and Wick rectified this problem by using the physical quantity of entropy and a suitable algorithm. Lukas van der Walt Piano Tuners has been in business since 1979. Reception of the "Entropy Piano Tuner" with experts The latter, however, are crucial as to whether we perceive a sound as harmonic or not. This is because these electronic gadgets tune the fundamental but not the overtones. So piano tuners need a fine ear and technical skill to harmonise this huge variety of overtones.Įven though simple electronic devices, which allow adjusting musical instruments to the correct tone frequencies, have been around for some time, they are not suitable for pianos, because: "When using these devices to tune pianos, they seem out of tune to the trained ear," Hinrichsen explains. Pianos have a complex range of overtones.
What makes the new tuner software special
Available for free download, the software is easy to operate and runs on all standard devices, even on smartphones and tablet computers," Hinrichsen says. "So, we published the software under the name 'Entropy Piano Tuner' as an open source project. Lehmann from the Würzburg University of Music." There was, however, a catch to it: At the time, it had only been an idea and no real piano had actually been tuned using this "new method".īut now in October 2015, Hinrichsen announces the implementation of his idea: "Christoph Wick, my former master student, and I developed a software and tested it in a double-blind study in cooperation with Professor Andreas C.
Professor of physics Haye Hinrichsen had claimed in a publication that the physical quantity of entropy, which is a measure of a system's disorder, should be useful for tuning a piano. "Piano tuners facing unemployment": That was the media headline a few years ago after some had gotten wind of the new idea from Würzburg. The Latest News on Teaching and Learning.Count on our professionals to handle every aspect of your instrument, including any issues with double tuning, pitch rising, and so much more. That’s why tuning is a more cost-effective strategy in the long run. Regularly tuned pianos can last a lifetime. Glossary of Terms in Teaching and Learning Piano Tuning: A Valuable & Cost-Effective Investment.Resources and Services for Teaching Staff.ProfiLehre Programme for Teaching Staff.The Internationalisation of Our Teaching Activities.New tuner for pianos - Universität Würzburg