advice??back

[pianoman]

Al,  The difference between and 435 is almost 20c not 5c. or did you mean
Hz.?
 James Grebe
R.P.T. from St. Louis
pianoman@inlink.com
"I am only as good as my last tuning"

----------
> From: Al Jeschke <jeschkea@cadvision.com>
> To: pianotech@ptg.org
> Subject: Re: advice??
> Date: Monday, December 22, 1997 11:45 AM
> 
> 
> 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
> >
> >
>