Grist for the Mill

[William R. Monroe]

I concur with David.  I don't know that I buy into slipping tuning pins
being [mostly] responsible for this change in pitch, though.  I too,
however, routinely find instruments tuned @ 6mo intervals to be 5 to 15
cents off, sometimes more.  This is without humidity control, of course.
Often, I find instruments closer at annual visits than those serviced every
6mo.  Ahh, humidity.

I think there is a confounding factor though, for those of us in parts of
the world where large humidity swings are the norm, like here in Wisconsin,
USA.  That is, what is the net change in pitch year to year?  Because of all
the wild swings, and instruments going sharp or flat to greater and lesser
degrees each year (depending upon the extent of those humidity swings), it
is rather a difficult proposition to measure the annual drop in pitch.

One of lifes many great mysteries....................

Respectfully,
William R. Monroe




----- Original Message ----- 
From: "David Vanderhoofven" <david@vanderpiano.com>
To: "Pianotech" <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Wednesday, May 11, 2005 9:40 PM
Subject: Re: Grist for the Mill


> 5 cents per year?  Quite conservative.  Happens all the time.  Tuned a
> Kimball studio today, last tuned in 1994.  The worst note was 92 cents
> flat, average 30 to 50 cents flat overall.  I would say 5 cents pitch drop
> per year is quite conservative and happens very often in Missouri.
>
> Actually, pianos that get tuned on an annual basis, with no humidity
> control often have a 10 to 20 cent pitch correction needed, and often
> more.  You are living a sheltered life!  It would be nice to live in a
> place where pianos stayed at the correct pitch.
>
> David Vanderhoofven
> Joplin, MO
>
> At 09:03 PM 5/11/2005, you wrote:
> >5 cents per year? Quite unreasonable. With only one exception, pianos
that
> >I tune regularly - at least once per year (and most only once per year) -
> >never need a pitch raise - and if any were 5 cents flat, it would need a
> >pitch raise. Two cents or less per year would be my estimate. Do you find
> >pianos that have not been tuned for 10 years to be 50 cents flat? I find
> >that it takes more like 25 or 30 years (or more) to go 50 cents flat.
> >
> >Terry Farrell
>
>
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