[CAUT] Greetings . . . and a humidity problem

[Jeff Tanner]

Hi Carl,
My recommendation would be to use the rebuilt piano for teaching and  
save the new piano for performances.  You simply cannot keep a piano  
that is being constantly used for teaching and rehearsals in concert  
condition.  Regarding the climate issue.  Anytime you pull that piano  
out of a climate controlled closet and it hits a change, you will  
introduce instability to the piano.  The effects of climate change  
are immediate.  It will be out of tune for performances if the hall  
is different from the closet where it is kept in optimum condtion.

We keep our recital pianos on the stage all the time.  We only use  
the closets when something else is going on and there isn't room for  
the pianos.  They're really unstable when the room is unstable.  But  
when the room climate stabilizes, it usually isn't anywhere near any  
optimum climate target we would have in a piano closet.  So, we're  
better off having them out all the time.  At least they will be more  
stable for performances.

Good luck,
Jeff



On Feb 8, 2007, at 9:13 PM, Carl Root wrote:

> I've just finished my first semester of piano service at a local  
> community college - forty odd pianos.  Things are going fine, but  
> the purchase of a new Steinway 'B' has raised an interesting issue  
> that maybe you all can help me solve.  The department head knows of  
> this post and has indicated he will be guided by your recommendations.
>
> The piano will be stored in a small room (large closet?) with  
> fairly sophisticated climate control equipment.  It will be rolled  
> out onto the stage of a small auditorium for performances, but  
> there is some interest in bringing it out for classes on stage a  
> couple days a week as well.  Given that the temperature and  
> humidity is all over the place on stage, I'm concerned about the  
> effects on the piano having it go back and forth every forty-eight  
> hours or so alternating between 42% and who knows what.
>
> There is another older rebuild 'B' on stage which is not a teacher  
> favorite, and they'd like to use the new one as much as possible.
>
> I'm not too keen on this 48-hour cycle and would rather have it  
> used only for performances.
>
> Comments?  Suggestions?
>
> Carl D. Root, RPT
>



Jeff Tanner, RPT
Piano Technician
School of Music
University of South Carolina
Columbia, SC 29208
(803) 777-4392



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