The Seventh Dragon

Book excerpt: A veteran piano tuner presents a literary, minimally technical view of the quixotic tuning systems used on keyboard instruments for hundreds of years. The work explains temperament strategies accessibly and reflects on the technical process of piano tuning in both practical and philosophical terms. When Anita Sullivan started a second career as a piano tuner 25 years ago, she was immediately puzzled by the piano's complicated tuning system. Surprised to learn that her new profession was not only technically complex, but in fact required artistic judgements she set herself to describing the tuning system in a way that would make sense to ordinary listeners, rather than piano technicians alone. Her exceptional book was the result, now updated for a new generation of readers [Publisher description].