Sorry, for the previous unfinished send. I'm learning what NOT to do! Since the Hallet & Davis was above pitch, and dropped to A440, IMHO I would now leave it at A440, where pitch really should be. In doing some tension calculations on piano data I have on hand, and based on the average upright piano, overall tension on the Hallet & Davis has been dropped by approximately 2000 pounds, an average drop of approx. 9lbs per string from 47 cents sharp to A440. Dropping pitch to A435 (5 cents) is a drop of approx. 780 lbs, or only 3 1/2 lbs per string, not really sufficient to be concerned about. It's another consideration if the piano were 47 cents below A440, and number of strings were broken, or had been replaced. In any case, good luck! Al Jeschke RPT Jeschke's Piano Service Calgary, Alberta >Thanks Les for the information. I lowered it yesterday, but only to A 440. > I will check in a week or so, and maybe lower it at that time to 435. > > > > > > >At 11:02 PM 12/19/97 -0500, you wrote: >> >> >>On Fri, 19 Dec 1997, Edward Carwithen wrote: >> >>> I tuned a Hallet Davis & Co. piano today. Atlas indicates it was built >>> in 1885. Not a bad piano, but... It was 47 cents sharp on A4. A5 was >>> worse. The client says that the previous tuner indicated that pianos of >>> this time had a special tuning range. He was the 2nd tuner they had had >>> which had changed the frequency of the piano. >>> Here I come, and I lowered it back down to A - 440. I have to add that >>> there were a lot of replaced strings. Several had been tied off (very >>> neatly too), and several completely replaced. The sound board was also >>> split and repaired. this piano has been moved since previous tuning and >>> spent several months in storage >>> Anyone have any information about a "special" pitch for "pianos of this >>> time." Other than maybe tuning at 435, which is lower, I can't think of a >>> reason for tuning it sharp at all, much less almost 50 cents sharp. I >>> can't imagine that moving it, or storing it would cause it to go sharp, at >>> least not to that extent. >>> >>> Any thoughts??????? >> >>Yes--lower the pitch on that piano back down to A-435 as soon as you >>have the opportunity. If it's 50 cents sharp of A-440 NOW, with the >>heat already on in many places, and the humidity down, imaagine how sharp >>it might have been last spring or summer when the humidity was high. Al- >>though some piano manufacturers may have been tuning to A-440 by the >>early twenties, or even sooner, A-440 wasn't INFORMALLY adopted as stand- >>ard pitch by the manufacturers until 1925. It wasn't formally adopted by >>the forerunner of the US Bureau of standards until 1936 and it didn't >>become international in scope until 1939. The cause of the broken strings >>and the disintegrating soundboard is most likely trying to tune the in- >>strument to a higher pitch than it was originally intended for even when >>new. To continue to do so to an instrument that is well over a hundred >>years old is to just ASK for more trouble. Like maybe having the plate >>break on you. The problem most likely arose when the owner had it tuned >>during a period of low humidity. That tuner MAY have tuned it to A-435, >>or even, unknowingly to A-440. It most likely was later tuned during a >>period of high humidity which had pushed the pitch up to A-440, or higher. >>THAT tuner, being too lazy to take it back down to A-435, merely tuned it >>to where he found it--A-440, or higher. After a succession of tunings at >>higher than proper pitch, you now find it 50 cents higher than A-440. >>I would suggest that you bring it back down to proper pitch (A-435), >>realizing that it will rise again in the future. Inform the owner of >>what proper pitch is for his piano and write it on the plate somewhere >>inside so that the next tuner who comes along who doesn't know what >>he's doing will have a reference guide which he will probably ignore >>anyway. That way the owner won't be able to blame YOU if some night >>he's awakened by an explosion as the plate and/or soundboard let go >>due to excessive tension. I've never HEARD it happen, but I've SEEN >>what happens when called in the next morning to perform the autopsy >>and give the last rites. It ain't pretty. >> >>Les Smith >>lessmith@buffnet.net >> >> >Ed Carwithen >Oregon > >
This PTG archive page provided courtesy of Moy Piano Service, LLC