Paul, I did a wedding once and the piano was in -0 (below zero) temperatures outside overnight, so I really didn’t know what to expect when I got there that morning to tune. To my amazement, the lady had stuck an electric blanket in it, and a blanket over that, then a cover, and the piano was dang near in tune! So… I guess if you don’t have a damp chaser an electric blanket will work? Go figure… Jim From: caut-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of reggaepass at aol.com Sent: Thursday, October 07, 2010 1:48 PM To: caut at ptg.org Subject: Re: [CAUT] when to tune... Hi Paul, Guess I should grateful that I'm not by a river. Hey, things can always be worse, right? Thanks, Alan E. -----Original Message----- From: Paul Kupelian <pkupeli1 at twcny.rr.com> To: caut <caut at ptg.org> Sent: Thu, Oct 7, 2010 8:05 am Subject: Re: [CAUT] when to tune... Alan, I just finished my third year tuning for a Chopin Competition where the piano is outdoors in a tent by the shore of the St. Lawrence River in northern New York. I don't know what your 'elements' consist of but I had to put up with dampness and a temperature swing of 30+ degrees during the course of the day. I was able to be with the piano to touch it up frequently during the morning and afternoon breaks. This was a three day competition from 9:00am until 5:00 or 6:00pm. What I did was to bring in the action indoors overnight so the action would at least be protected. I also put two Dampp-Chaser rods in the keybed so the dampers wouldn't stick. As far as the tuning, the first day was the hardest but became more stable as the competition wore on. Good luck Paul Paul Kupelian From: reggaepass at aol.com<mailto:reggaepass at aol.com> Sent: Thursday, October 07, 2010 11:25 AM To: caut at ptg.org<mailto:caut at ptg.org> Subject: Re: [CAUT] when to tune... Hi Jim (& Paul, & Don), Thanks to you all so much for the benefit of your experience in situations such as this. There will be a temperature differential of at least 20 degrees F from night/early AM to afternoon, but I may be able to keep this puppy out of the sun (thank the powers that be for small favors, eh?). Alan E. -----Original Message----- From: Jim Busby <jim_busby at byu.edu<mailto:jim_busby at byu.edu>> To: caut <caut at ptg.org<mailto:caut at ptg.org>> Sent: Thu, Oct 7, 2010 7:01 am Subject: Re: [CAUT] when to tune... Hi Alan, I had the same situation for the Mormon Tab Choir and here are some things that might help. I got a white sheet to cover the piano and reflect the sunlight. This REALLY seemed to help because w/o it the black piano heated up in just minutes. With it on it stayed fairly cool to the touch. Next, keep the lid closed and the cool plate acts like “blue ice” in a cooler. The strings will stay moderately constant. When I’ve opened up the piano the strings responded too much to the ambient temperature. To answer your real question, I’d tune it in the morning just to fix anything majorly wrong, then tune it again just before the performance. The other things are tricks I’ve used many times which work for me. Best, Jim Busby From: caut-bounces at ptg.org<mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org> [mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org<mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org?>] On Behalf Of reggaepass at aol.com<mailto:reggaepass at aol.com> Sent: Thursday, October 07, 2010 11:02 AM To: caut at ptg.org<mailto:caut at ptg.org> Subject: [CAUT] when to tune... This Saturday a piano in my care will be used in an outdoor performance. I have been allotted time from 7-9 AM to service it, and again at 1 PM prior to the 2 PM down beat. I will also be able to spend time with it Friday afternoon, INdoors. Friday night, everything goes "outside." The piano will be covered (floor-length skirt), but, aside from that, will spend the night exposed to the elements. My question is this: Do y'all think it would be productive or counterproductive to tune the piano from 7-9 AM, or am I better off letting it warm up (and dry out!) during the morning hours, then do what I can in the time just before the performance (assuming, of course, that I do not get bumped from that slot!). Thoughts? Thanks, Alan Eder -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <http://ptg.org/pipermail/caut.php/attachments/20101007/3c8a9d63/attachment-0001.htm>
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