One more tuning question...

[Richard Gullion]

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How does one solve the problem with the piano when it goes out of tune to differant degrees. Some sections goe sharper or flatter than others, no matter what A does.  Despite the fact A=440, it might be the only one in tune ??????

Richard Oliver Snelson <rsnelson0984@mchsi.com> wrote:Julia, 
I would ask you this question. Let's assume you end your tuning with the piano on A=440. Tomorrow the weather changes a bit and the humidity goes up. Where is you tuning at the end of the day or the third day after you tuned? If you are aware of season changes and how they will affect the piano it is only good practice in my opinion to "float" the pitch in some cases. For example leave it slightly low if you know it's going to go sharp in a few weeks. Over all the customer ends up with a piano that's closer to A=440 for a longer time. I'm sure there maybe a few customers, performers, even tuners, that can tell the piano is not A=440, most can not without a fork, tone, ETD. I weekly find fine artists  playing with a 20 cent flat or sharp piano and not having the least idea it sharp or flat. There is no reason you can't explain what you are doing to the customer and why it will keep the piano closer to 440. 
The pianos that I tune on a two month basis I will end the tunings at A=440 during the same season.  Unless I'm tuning just before the heat come on or summer and the air is about to start, then I will think of allowing a small amount of pitch "Float".  Rich
 
----- Original Message ----- 
From: Alpha88x@aol.com 
To: pianotech@ptg.org 
Sent: Friday, February 18, 2005 8:36 AM
Subject: One more tuning question...


Greetings, 

            Is one way of doing business for some tuners to just tune the piano "where it is"? In other words, they check the A and if its close enough (or even if its not close to 440 ) just tune the piano so that it is in tune with itself???

           And even going further, If they have a regular client, such as a church, to do the above mentioned thing, cleaning up unisons (so as to do a "bang-up" tuning) and then, on every 4th tuning or so pull it back up to A440 or alittle above, so they are set up to repeat the whole process, thereby saving themselves some time on intermittent tunings, yet leaving the customer believing that they are receiving an A440 tuning each and every time...when they aren't receiving a true tuning (as far as proper pitch goes) each and every time??

            Not that I would do such a thing in my practice. I do not condone it either. I think it is dishonest. My question is do some tooners do this?? is it possible? 
    

Julia 
Reading, PA



Richard
the "Piano Guy"
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