pitch raising

[John Lillico, RPT]

>I'd like to get some feedback on pitch raising, aural style.
>        My teacher says he can do a 100 cent pitch raise, and make it "stick" on
>the second pass.  Another tech, local, says "NO" to that notion, and says
>one should tell the customer "It will take three tunings, two weeks
>apart", to get it stabilized.  My question is regarding the
>"stretchiness" of strings on ordinary pianos needing PR's of 50 cents or
>more, and better pianos which need less adjustment, but may not have been
>tuned in two-four years.  I'd be most appreciative of the experience of
>others.
>les bartlett

Les,

Assuming you have structural integrity, a 1/2 tone pitch raise can be done and made to "stick", but scheduling and expense enters into the equasion. It's a tough sell to collect a double fee in one shot but it becomes much easier with a recommended period of "rest" or adjustment for the piano (and the owner) prior to tuning-- say 3 to 4 weeks. I pretty much do this with anything over 50 cents.

Then again, it could depend on who moved the piano last.

John Lillico, RPT
Oakville, Ontario