Explaining Pitch vs Tone

[Farrell]

I had a call-back yesterday on a 1970s Baldwin console that I pitch-raised 50 cents and tuned about two months ago. The lady said that the piano sounded brassy and harsh. Well, yes, of course it did - it's a 1970s Baldwin console! But she also said that it sounded fine before I tuned it! She then said: "when you were here tuning last time you said that you also raised something - is that why it sounds brassy?"

I then tried to explain that I raised the pitch of the piano, but did not directly do anything to the piano tone. I also told her that raising the pitch will definitely cause an audible tone difference in the bass strings, but not so much that most folks notice in the plain wire sections (although, I guess it likely does make it a bit brighter). I told her that this is what likely has caused what she has noticed.

Then she asked me to put it back to where it was! YIKES! I then tried to explain the difference between pitch and tone. Her eyes started to glass over. I tried the automobile thing - "you like the nice soft ride you get when all four tires are low on air - but you really want to put the proper air pressure in for a variety of reasons - if you then don't like the ride you may want new shocks or something." Didn't get real far with that.

I tried the tone control on a stereo thing. Did a little better with that, but she still did not have a clue of the difference between tone and pitch.

Then I asked to let me voice a small section and she how she feels about that. I steamed an octave in the tenor and she like it. I did all the hammers and she liked it. As I was leaving she said: "and next time, you will tune it back the way it was?"

Oh, Good Grief! I think what I will do next time is tune it properly and just hit it with a little steam if it needs it.

Any good ideas on how to explain tone and pitch??? Thanks.

Terry Farrell