Tuning your rigging!

With spring just months away, I thought it might be interesting to talk about how to tune the standing rigging on your boat.  I know I need to do it since I've never checked it on Lyric, having only owned her since late spring of 2010.  I do, however, plan to check my rigging for proper tuning this spring because I have some rigging issues (both standing and running) with which to deal.
I learned years ago how to literally 'tune' shrouds by using a small hammer to strike them and listen to their pitch.  Of course, shroud tuning has come a long way since I learned this trick some 20 years ago but still, much of it remains 'shrouded' in mystery!  How much rake do you put into the mast?  Where does that rake begin?  What's the breaking strength of your shrouds?  How do you tune to 15% of the breaking strength?  What about the forward and aft lower shrouds?  Should they be slack on the leeward side when the rig is under load and just how slack?  What about a cutter rigged boat?  How does one adjust the cutter stay?  Is your boat a masthead rig or fractional?  That too just might change things.  Here's a good link from Selden mastmakers.  One of the best on the topic of adjusting your standing rigging: seldenmast.com/_download.cfm
Wade