Customer Complaint on Tuning

[Elwood Doss]

My sister-in-law is the pianist at her church.  She is a bit hard of
hearing and wears hearing aids.  She kept complaining that there was a
ringing in the high bass of the church piano, a Yamaha studio upright,
however I could not hear a thing.  I worked on it a bit, adjusting
dampers, needling hammers, etc.  She said it was better, but I could
tell she was not satisfied.  One Sunday she forgot her hearing aids and,
voila, the ringing was gone!  She wore her hearing aids the next Sunday
and it was back.  Guess where the ringing was coming from?!

Joy!

Elwood

 

Elwood Doss, Jr., M.M.E., RPT

Piano Technician/Technical Director

Department of Music

145 Fine Arts Building

The University of Tennessee at Martin

Martin, TN  38238

731/881-1852

FAX: 731/881-7415

HOME: 731/587-5700

________________________________

From: Ed Sutton [mailto:ed440 at mindspring.com] 
Sent: Saturday, August 09, 2008 10:47 AM
To: Will Truitt; 'Pianotech List'
Subject: Re: Customer Complaint on Tuning

 

Will-

 

Perhaps if you take it to the point where the strings are obviously
muted, she'll accept it's not a problem with the piano.

 

My customer had reached a point of transposing pieces lower on the
piano, but eventually there just weren't enough octaves left.

Interestingly, she said "When I hear you play from the next room I can
tell the piano is o.k."

 

A friend with hearing distortions can still play violin quite well by
wearing earplugs. I find that musician's earplugs give the effect of
being a few feet away when I'm tuning. Earplugs might help.

 

It takes incredible communication skills. One of my friends, a piano
teacher, is showing signs of hearing distortion. She says it hurts to
sit by the piano during lessons, and has gradually moved her chair to
the far side of the room. My suggestion she see an audiologist or at
least try earplugs is so far unheeded.

 

Please let us know how it goes. 

 

Ed 

	----- Original Message ----- 

	From: Will Truitt <mailto:surfdog at metrocast.net>  

	To: 'Ed Sutton' <mailto:ed440 at mindspring.com>  ; 'Pianotech
List' <mailto:pianotech at ptg.org>  

	Sent: Saturday, August 09, 2008 7:34 AM

	Subject: RE: Customer Complaint on Tuning

	 

	Hi Ed:

	 

	That's just the point - I can't ever get it to the place where
it sounds good for her.  I've all but killed the hammers in the treble I
have needled them down so much, and her response has changed little
along the way.  Balancing the extremely voiced down treble with my
friend Laura's observation about high frequency hypersensitivity amongst
some of the elderly, along with my sessions at the piano with my
customer - all very friendly, workmanlike, and non confrontational;
brings me to my admittedly layman's conclusion that my customer has this
condition.  Short of removing the hammers from the rail, I don't think I
can satisfy her need.  I have very developed voicing skills which I take
pride in and believe I am good at.  It is not a failure of technique or
lack of effort on my part.  I would very much like to meet her need if I
could, but I have arrived at the conclusion that is not possible.  

	 

	Whether your suggestions would moderate her sensitivities, I
don't know.

	 

	Will

	 

	terry at farrellpiano.com

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