Strange call

[Greg Newell]

Terry and list,

    Strangest thing is that I don't have to look for a cause for the piano to be
so sharp. The tuner told the customer, after the fact, that he tuned it sharp on
purpose! This in a room full of other instruments for the piano to be played
with!    ...      ???? I really don't get it!!! It probably dropped between when
he tuned it and when I got to it too!!!

Greg

Farrell wrote:

> Sure, I know what happened. Have you ever noticed that many aural tuners
> will stretch C88 WAY, WAY sharp? Like even 50 cents sharp of where most
> would arguably tune it? Well, maybe this dude tuned C88 by ear (to who knows
> what - maybe he/she had perfect pitch) and then used a SAT to tune from
> there - just adjust the pitch of the SAT a little bit. Just a thought.
> Although, it sounds like someone using some kind of machine without a clue.
>
> Sometimes if a piano is like a semitone or more flat and my pitch raise
> comes out a little bit sharp - like maybe 4 or 5 cents sharp - if the whole
> piano is more or less there I will often leave it a tad sharp - figuring it
> will go nowhere but flat, and soon. But 35 to 40 cents?
>
> Now did these folks mention anything about just moving from Death Valley,
> where the piano was last tuned in January, and you just maybe had three
> straight weeks of rain in Ohio - and the piano was on a back porch with
> windows open? That might do it. But I don't suppose that is the case.
>
> Terry Farrell
> Piano Tuning & Service
> Tampa, Florida
> mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Greg Newell" <gnewell@ameritech.net>
> To: "Pianotech, forum" <pianotech@ptg.org>
> Sent: Wednesday, February 28, 2001 10:33 PM
> Subject: Strang call
>
> Hey folks,
>     I went on a strange call tonight. A school teacher and his wife had
> a run of the mill Acrosonic that needed some attention. The couple are
> collectors and performers of such instruments as folk harp, autoharp,
> mandolin, dulcimer and the like. The room the piano was in was
> completely full of these instruments some of which were hand made and
> some that were purchased. Interesting to say the least! I was quite
> perplexed, however when they related the story of what the last tooner
> did. They say that he took the action out and back to his shop because
> it just wouldn't work all dirty like it was. He returned it with steamed
> hammers and I think reshaped as well but did not bother to align them to
> the strings. The lost motion was adjusted such that the hammers all had
> varying blow distances, most on the rail but no margin for error and
> quite a few off the rail creating a wild looking hammer line. All this
> was easily corrected but what puzzled me the most was their relating how
> the last tooner said that he had tuned the piano sharp! Now I didn't
> give this much thought until I sat down and found after sampling quite a
> few notes throughout the scale that it was approximately 35-40 cents
> sharp on average. Now the customer had not had it tuned again  in over a
> year for fear that they would get another one like the last guy. Could
> any of you shed some light on why a piano might be tuned THAT sharp
> intentionally? It seems to me that even if the piano were 150-200 cents
> flat and the overpull stuck like glue where you put it it still wouldn't
> account for it being that sharp by accident. I really don't get it! Is
> there any kind of reason of benefit to doing this? It really sounded
> quite shrill! As if an Acrosonic needed any help in that department. :>)
> Well, chime away if you care to.
>
> Greg
> --
> Greg Newell
> Greg's Piano Forté
> 19270 Harlon Ave.
> Lakewood, Ohio 44107
> 216-226-3791
> mailto:gnewell@ameritech.net

--
Greg Newell
Greg's Piano Forté
19270 Harlon Ave.
Lakewood, Ohio 44107
216-226-3791
mailto:gnewell@ameritech.net