Tuning Complaint - Help!

[Avery Todd]

Thanks for saying this, Wim. I was just getting ready to because I've
had the same thing happen to me, although much worse than Terry's
experience! :-)

Avery

At 09:55 AM 06/06/02 -0400, you wrote:
>In a message dated 6/6/02 7:52:27 AM Central Daylight Time, 
>mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com writes:
>
>
>>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
>
>
>This is a tricky one. Obviously, the piano is not "flat." But she is 
>complaining about something, and she describes it as flat. Her playing is 
>one of the problems, but I suspect that it has more to do with a lack of 
>hearing, than the condition of the piano.  Older people loose the upper 
>partials in their hearing. That is why it is difficult for them to hear 
>people speak. It also makes pianos sound flat, because the upper partials 
>are not heard.
>
>I had a similar situation with an older lady from church, who was an 
>excellent player with a Baldwin L. I had been tuning her piano for many 
>years, and one day she complained the piano was flat. Because we were such 
>good friends, I was able to talk to her, and explain what was happening. 
>She accepted my explanation. But...., she was a friend.
>
>I don't know what you can do, other than ask her to explain what she 
>means. Ask her to identify the notes that are bothering her. Actually try 
>to correct some of the notes that she hears as being "flat." Maybe when 
>she realizes that there is nothing wrong with the piano, she'll accept 
>that it is her problem, not the piano.
>
>Although it is going to take some time, for which you are not going to get 
>paid, sometimes we need to do that to satisfy the customer. Not because 
>she's going to keep paying you to tune her piano for many years, but 
>because we owe that to our "elders."
>
>Wim