Hi Tim, The client must have full disclosure of what is happening. That's what is ethical rather than A440. I agree that it is a standard to work towards. The only reasonable way to keep a piano at A440 for any reasonable length of time is to have exquisite control of humidity. I don't agree that frequent tunings cause unusual damage to the pin block. There are studio pianos that are tuned daily and last for a long time. At least where I live there is far more damage to the block due to variations in humidity. The old literature from Steinway recommended monthly tunings. At 01:09 PM 1/28/2006 -0600, you wrote: >List, > >It seems to me that the public has a natural >expectation (and rightly so) that a piano will be tuned at >A440 after a professional tuning, and I question whether >doing otherwise without explanation is even ethical. > >On that point, it seems to me that this practice might be >violating a regular customer's trust, as someone mentioned >that "most people won't notice," or something to that >effect. It seems to me as a musician and teacher that there >are essential reasons for students to hear a 440 tuning >which go beyond the practical considerations of playing with >other instruments. As this is the current standard, it does >have a bearing on pitch memory, some of which is >psychological and intuitive in one's listening and playing. > >Regarding the discussion about tuning frequency, it seems to >me that there could be one argument for tuning less >frequently, namely that the tuning pins will, over time, >gradually lose their tightness in the pinblock. Perhaps in >cases of regular tunings, this is a consideration, although >it still seems to me that any mitigating circumstances or >considerations should be discussed with the client before >leaving a piano at something other than A440. > >Tim Regards, Don Rose, B.Mus., A.M.U.S., A.MUS., R.P.T. Non calor sed umor est qui nobis incommodat mailto:pianotuna@yahoo.com http://us.geocities.com/drpt1948/ 3004 Grant Rd. REGINA, SK, S4S 5G7 306-539-0716 or 1-888-29t-uner
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