[pianotech] tuning cold pianos

William Monroe pianotech at a440piano.net
Wed Jan 21 14:29:47 PST 2009


Hi Barbara,

  SNIP



  It's been awhile, but I remember that stage lights make pianos go flat, so if these pianos are cold when we get to them, should we tune high (if so, how much?) and assume they'll fall in pitch when they warm up?  



  I would tune sharp.  How much?  I don't have a chart for temperature change vs. pitch change, but if it were me and I hadn't asked the wise list <G> my first instinct would be to tune around 442.  With 442 a commonly used pitch, anything between 440 and 442 should be more than acceptable in this case.



  Will the treble and bass sections change at the same rate?   I can't count on the pianos having been tuned recently.



  Yeah, here's the rub.  Unfortunately, no matter what you do tuning-wise, things will go out unevenly when the temperature rises.  And, here's where you may get some great feedback on your unison stability <G>.  In the end, the best you can do is tune as stable as possible, slightly sharp and let the chips fall, IMO.  If the venue requires better tunings, they'll have to invest in better storage solutions.



  This gig is always <interesting>...    I do it for the money.  :-o



  Thanks,



  Barbara Richmond, RPT

  near Peoria, IL


  As always, I'll be interested to hear what others with more experience have to say.  Maybe I'll learn something.



  William R. Monroe
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