THanx much Avery. ALOT. As it stands the church has most likely just left it where it's been. They are being nice enough to let us use this space and piano to perform on and I am (uh-oh) not getting paid to tune it. Maybe this is opening another can of worms here- but as far as *I'm* concerned- if it's a faculty recital then I feel that I should have the piano tuned with no extra pay on top of my salary. Just my personal opinion. So we're kind of at their mercy. (Heh! they are a church like I said..) I can't be (and we can't be??) slaves to what people do with their thermostats when we're not around.. for it's only where we work where we might have some clout, huh? I don't know. This is so much like my other post of a 2 piano and harpsichord recital we had a coupla weeks ago in another building- where my instruments went all sharp after days and days and days of tuning- trying to get things settled for the big day. All heat/thermostat related. I tell you- I got more gray hairs from that than the performers did... We have no recital hall here- I run across this ALL THE TIME. :( Michelle --On Wednesday, March 2, 2005 12:48 PM -0600 Avery Todd <atodd@uh.edu> wrote: > 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 > > > _______________________________________________ > caut list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives
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