<!doctype html public "-//w3c//dtd html 4.0 transitional//en"> <html> Wim, I float pitch for many reasons.  But mainly I realized the pianos were going to float on their own regardless of what pitch I set.  Simple fact.  Yes people should hear A440.  But 90% of the time they won't because the piano has moved from A440 just from climate changes.  Nothing we did or didn't do.  I should make the changes smoother for those who use the pianos.  In my mind that is what it is about.  The piano floats on its own, so I should make the float smooth.  I get more complaints about pianos that are out of tune with themselves than pianos that are off pitch (haven't even had a complaint about that). That said, for me this doesn't apply to concert work.   Artist contracts are very specific for a reason. Tim Coates Wapin Co., LLP Wimblees@aol.com wrote: <blockquote TYPE=CITE>In a message dated 8/28/02 2:17:31 PM Central Daylight Time, kswafford@earthlink.net writes:     <blockquote TYPE=CITE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px">Here David has finally tried a technique that results in measurably better, more stable tunings, and you, just in your 2nd year as a CAUT, try to introduce doubts. Shame on you, Wim. Pitch floating makes sense; hold out as long as you like, but you're going to like it when you finally try it!  :) Congratulations, David. Hang in there. Kent Swafford  </blockquote> Kent It's not in my 1 + years as a CAUT that I have had this philosophy. I have always maintained that pianos should be tuned to the correct pitch. In my opinion, that is what we are paid to do. I know it's more work, but I'm sorry you guys, I just can't justify not doing it. Isn't that what we spent a lot of time discussing last spring, how much our workload is effected by humidity controls, (or rather the lack of it). If we maintain that poor humidity and temperature control is effecting how much work we do, and then come along and let the pitch float so as not to create more work for us, that, to me, is talking out of two sides of our mouth. Yes, if we float the pitch a piano will stay in tune for a longer period of time, which makes our job easier. But, pianos need to be tuned at A440, not for our sake, but for the student's and faculty's sake. So if it takes more work, and more time, then that is what we have to do. Now, I realize that for those of you who get paid a set fee by the piano, you want to get through as quickly as possible. Otherwise, as David pointed out, he winds up doing more work for less pay. I don't know the answer for that, other than negotiate a higher fee, which might not be possible. But under other circumstances, the pitch is what is important, even if we have to tune the piano more often. As usual, I am probably all alone with this thinking. But that's my story, and I'm sticking to it.  :) Wim</blockquote> </html>