Michele, At 09:15 AM 3/2/2005, you wrote: >Hey people.. > >This may start out as a vent -and I appologize for that- but in the end >it'll turn out to be a question you brainiack/piano gods can answer. Well, I'm hardly a brainiack/piano god, but I'll put in my two cents worth. A few years ago, I had the same type of situation for an off-campus tuning for a touring choral group, except in reverse. Remember, I live in Houston. :-) My question was about air-conditioning prior to the tuning. Depending on whether/how much you actually do care or not, I have to disagree with you. The heat will effectively mess up your tuning. It "might" be sort of usable, but I can just about guarantee you it won't be good! In my case, for some reason I don't remember right now, I had to tune on a Tuesday for a concert on Friday and I asked if it would really make much difference if the room were at performance temp. or not for my tuning time. In response, here's one of the good responses I got: ============================================================================ It absolutely does make a difference, which can be greater or smaller depending upon the season, but I've found that if the heat/AC makes enough difference to change your comfort level, it will almost certainly change the pitch of the piano more than your tolerances. For instance, you expect to tune to a fraction of a cent, but having the HVAC come on can disrupt the tuning by six or eight cents easily, in the middle of the piano (destroying your lovely octaves), and within minutes. The same is true of stage lighting, and it's true even if there is humidity-control equipment. Although the piano starts changing instantaneously, and while it would take days to REALLY stabilize it, it's much, much closer to stable if it sits for even an hour at a uniform air situation. Half a day is better. I let the client know that I sincerely want to protect their financial best interests, and that I don't want to take their money and give unsatisfactory results in return. I gently point out that unless the conditions are both like the performance and relatively stable before I begin work, I can almost guarantee that the results will be audibly unsatisfactory. Rather than focusing on how much it costs to air condition for half a day before I tune, I point out that although real stability of the piano would require constant air conditioning, they can have very good (while not ideal) results AND save a lot of money by NOT having to heat/air condition the rest of the time - enough to do a little more frequent tuning. =============================================================================== Maybe the above will give you some ideas on how to approach it. Right or wrong, I've always sort of believed that if the piano is tuned at "normal" temp. and then the heat or air was later turned back off and on again the next day, that there would be a much better chance of the tuning "returning" to where you'd left it than there would be if it were done at whatever the existing temperature was the previous day. Whew! :-) You've also got to consider not only the change in temperature but also what that will do to the humidity level in the room. Well, for whatever it's worth.......... :-) Good luck. Avery Todd University of Houston >There's a recital in a church on Friday.. and they asked me whether or not >I wanted the heat turned on. > >***THEY TOLD ME THE ROOM IS 55 DEGREES*** > >I am a girl. >I am *always* cold.. > >Oh- uhhhhh about the piana in there.. > >I have a tuning time scheduled DAY OF recital. > >They SAY they usually turn on the heat and hour before recital time. > >I am thinking they should just stick to this and I'll tune with my darned >coat on and whatever happens to my beautiful tuning right before the >concert- well- at that point- frankly my dears, I don't give a damn. > >:( > >HOWEVER- the group wants to rehearse day before??.. >They will want heat on- I'm sure... wouldn't YOU? > >At this point I don't CARE what they do.. > >But I said to church - just leave it off completely, I'll come in and tune >and then you can turn it on right before concert time to remove icecubes >from the chairs and piano strings.. well I didn't say *that*, but I >relented to having the heat off completely until right before concert time. > >Is this the right thing? > >Should I have said- PLEASE turn it on Thursday night (for rehearsal) and >LEAVE IT ON for us? >(Spend all your money to make us comfy?) > >I'm thinking that the room should stay where it's been until other human >beings enter for a recital and have the impression that it's ALWAYS this >nice, warm and cozy in there. > >Poor piano. >(Moody Steinway B) > > >Thanx in advance- > >:o >Michelle
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