[CAUT] Church Heat

[stranges at oswego.edu]

:o

*Fantastic* post Elwood!
I'm gonna save this and I thank you kindly!

:)








> When the sanctuary piano is tuned, it's important to have the
> temperature of the sanctuary the same as it will be at the time of the
> worship service.  What happens after the piano is tuned is of only a
> little importance.  The piano will come back in tune when the
> temperature (humidity) is the same as when it is tuned.  It will happen
> over and over.  I lead the music at a small open country church and
> regularly tune the piano...more for me and God than anyone else.  I can
> tell when the environmental conditions are the same as when I tuned it,
> primarily the temperature, because the piano is in tune.  When the
> conditions are not, the piano is a bit out of tune.
>
> A prime example:  I tuned a piano for an open country Methodist church
> one December.  It was comfortable in the sanctuary, certainly not warm,
> but comfortable for me.  In January I received a call from the mother of
> the pianist, who is my contact person, and she said her son indicated
> the piano went suddenly out of tune.  I set up a time to meet her son
> and find out what the problem was.  When I entered the sanctuary he was
> playing, and I thought to myself, "that piano is still in tune."  He
> heard me walking down the aisle and exclaimed, the piano sounded great.
> He asked what happened between then and today?  The temperature was
> about what it was when I tuned it.  I asked if the temp was the same on
> Sunday?  He said we always keep it at this temperature but when the
> little old ladies come in, they turn it way up.  Problem solved!
>
> Just a few degrees of temperature change...especially in the winter in
> our area (relative humidity averages 70% or more year-round) will make a
> difference in the tuning.  In rural churches where they leave just
> enough heat on to keep the pipes from freezing, it makes all the
> difference in the world.
>
> Another story:  I tuned a Steinway A for a Methodist church in a small
> neighboring town.  I asked the contact person to have the heat at the
> temperature it is when they worship, which they did.  As I was tuning
> the lady minister came in and asked in a rather exasperated voice, "are
> you comfortable?"  I asked her if the temperature was the same as when
> they worship and she said yes.  I said, "I'm a bit warm, but if the
> piano is 'comfortable,' so am I!"  She exclaimed, "I thought you wanted
> the heat turned up for your comfort!"  I said no, I can tune under some
> extreme conditions, but the piano would go out of tune when the
> temperature moderated.  She was quite happy with my explanation.
>
> Joy!
> Elwood
>
> Rev. Elwood Doss, Jr., M.M.E., RPT
> Piano Technician/Technical Director
> Department of Music
> 145 Fine Arts Building
> The University of Tennessee at Martin
> Martin, TN  38238
> 731/881-1852
> FAX: 731/881-7415
> HOME: 731/587-5700
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: caut-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of
> Tim Coates
> Sent: Tuesday, January 02, 2007 5:10 PM
> To: College and University Technicians
> Subject: [CAUT] Church Heat
>
> I found this question and answer in the Sunday paper.  I understand the
> answer is concerning the building, but with churches I tend to be
> concerned about other issues besides just the building.
>
> Anyone have some thoughts about this issue?
>
> Tim Coates
>
>
>