One more tuning question...

[Michael Gamble]

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Hello List, Richard Snelson and Julia of Reading
When is a tuning not a tuning? What constitutes a "tuning"? When is =
A=3D440 more important than A=3D430 or A=3D445... or whatever. It is not =
cheating, in my mind, to tune a piano "to its own pitch" if the client =
hasn't the wherewithall to pay! One does one's best under all =
circumstances and advises the client accordingly. Here in the UK we do =
not have those almighty seasonal changes you people in the USofA  have =
to contend with, and the pianos seem to stay pretty well in tune - given =
that quality and conditions always apply. All the pianos at the Opera =
House I tune for are tuned once a week - it is a continuing problem that =
the pitch might move over the course of time. But we concentrate on the =
worst offenders and simply "touch up" the unisons etc. of the rest. It =
must be understood here that there are only about three hours to go =
round all twenty-five pianos. So rehearsal pianos are tuned in rotation =
three days a week during the Season. One day is for the A=3D430 pianos =
and another for the A=3D440. (For the A=3D415 operas the repetiteur is =
obliged to play an A=3D440 piano down a semi-tone. Now that's  quite a =
challenge! Sight reading at the drop of a hat a semi-tone lower...!) The =
third three-hour day is spent on the awkward pianos which can really =
move in pitch due to the doors to the outside being left open etc. I =
know one of them will start the season at A=3D440 but by the end it will =
have risen to A=3D446+-. No one complains unless the unisons go out or a =
piano goes dramatically out of tune. Pianos used with the orchestra or =
for a stage rehearsal are tuned rigorously to A=3D440 on the day of the =
rehearsal or performance. I have sometimes found the chorus using an =
A=3D430 piano on a rehearsal stage - they just weren't aware it was not =
at A=3D440! So... Unless you have perfect pitch (an awful complaint) =
pitch does not seem to be of paramount importance ...... away from the =
orchestra!
Regards
Michael G.(UK)----- Original Message -----=20
  From: Richard Oliver Snelson=20
  To: Pianotech=20
  Sent: Friday, February 18, 2005 3:00 PM
  Subject: Re: One more tuning question...


  Julia,=20
  I would ask you this question. Let's assume you end your tuning with =
the piano on A=3D440. 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=3D440 for a longer time. I'm sure there =
maybe a few customers, performers, even tuners, that can tell the piano =
is not A=3D440, 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.=20
  The pianos that I tune on a two month basis I will end the tunings at =
A=3D440 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 -----=20
    From: Alpha88x@aol.com=20
    To: pianotech@ptg.org=20
    Sent: Friday, February 18, 2005 8:36 AM
    Subject: One more tuning question...


    Greetings,=20

                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?=20
       =20

    Julia=20
    Reading, PA

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