Friday Cries (not technical)

[Susan Kline]

At 08:00 AM 2/5/99 -0700, John wrote:
>I thought that I had had just about everything happen to me while tuning
>that I could imagine - "You don't mind if I run the vaccuum?"  Humming
>what the customer perceived to be correct pitch in my ear, and the likes.
> But, two days ago I was tuning a new YC.  After doing about 3+ octaves,
>the customer came in the room with her husband and said that they had
>decided that they wanted the piano against a different wall - some 20
>feet from its location at the time.  Well, it was their piano so I
>couldn't exactly stop them.  Yes, they did move the piano and then said
>"Hope that didn't raise havoc with the last 1/2 hour of work that you
>have done."  I had to do it all over again , of course, but next time I
>do it for them I'm going to be sure that the instrument is where they
>want it to STAY before I even open the lid.
>
>John R. Fortiner
>Billings, MT.

Dear John,

I don't see why this should have destroyed your tuning.... just rolling
it across the room? And it's a new piano, presumably without incredibly
loose pins?

The only time I know of when moving like this will ruin a tuning is
if one of the legs of an upright is off the ground, due to an unevenness
of the floor. Then the piano can flex, and throw off a tuning across
the break by several beats. The smaller the piano, the greater the flex.
Put a block or caster cup under the caster to fill up the space, and
the tuning heals itself.

At least, that's been my experience.

Susan

Susan Kline
P.O. Box 1651
Philomath, OR 97370
skline@proaxis.com