Tuning Complaint - Help!

[Joe And Penny Goss]

Hi Terry,
Drag your wife, and make it a date to go out for dinner after.
Have you ever noticed that a piano that is a little off, played by a
beginner always sounds bad, while the same piano played by the pro sounds
much better?
Also while you are at it check out the fans that might be on while she is
playing, including AC fans. These might be causing some doppler effect.
Or it could be the piano has actually droped in pitch again. I find this is
common after a 40 pitch raise unless the strings have been reset on the
bridge after the pitch and raise prior to the fine tune.
Or as others have suggested if the piano has been well maintained at some
time in the past a pitch drop might not happen.
Joe Goss
imatunr@srvinet.com
www.mothergoosetools.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "Farrell" <mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Thursday, June 06, 2002 6:33 AM
Subject: Tuning Complaint - Help!


> Wouldn't you know it. The other day I had a great compliment from a
professional pianist that I put the best tuning he had ever received on his
Yamaha U3. Today I get my first tuning complaint!
>
> I am looking for recommendations on how to handle this one. The elderly
(mid-eighties) woman call me and tells me that some other tuner tuned her
piano a couple weeks ago, but it still sounds flat - will I tune it for her?
Sucker me says yes. I go there three days ago. Kimball/Whitney 36" spinet,
1960s. A real gem. Piano is pretty much in one piece, but typical for the
breed. The piano was indeed 40 cents flat. I thought - "hey, this lady's got
pretty good ears."
>
> So I raise the pitch to A441 and use the Thomas Moore temperament. I give
it a second fine tuning pass. Piano ended up sounding, er, a, well, like a
tuned 1960s Kimball/Whitney 36" spinet. I play some scales and cords. She
says it sounds good. Great. Collect fee, chit-chat about cute dog. Say good
bye.
>
> She just called this morning and says her piano sounds flat. It is just
like before I got there. I ask her to play middle C. It sounds the same as
my Boston grand at home (pitch-wise at least). It is not 40 cents flat.
>
> She asks me to listen to her play Amazing Grace. This is not one of my top
tunes, but I do know how the melody goes. I have no idea what she played. It
was just a bunch of notes mashed together. I think perhaps she doesn't know
her notes very well and thinks that the bad sounds are the tuning, rather
than the playing.
>
> This woman is very sweet, and did not call with an aggressive tone at
all - she is not trying to be antagonistic - she honestly thinks her piano
is flat ('course, maybe she is just hearing "bad" piano). I want to make her
comfortable with the situation, but I know that I can't significantly
improve the tuning on this nasty little piano - it is indeed pretty much
where it needs to be (although one could make an argument for the dump).
>
> Any suggestions on how I can show her that the piano is as good as it is
reasonably going to get? I don't play. I could possibly drag my wife over
there and get her to play Amazing Grace.
>
> Thanks for any suggestions.
>
> Terry Farrell