Standard Pitch 1870 to Present

[Billbrpt@AOL.COM]

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In a message dated 9/18/01 11:56:11 AM Central Daylight Time, 
tompiano@gate.net (Tom Servinsky) writes:


> Terry,
> According to Bob Beck, one of the few welders of broken plates in the USA,
> raising pitch beyond the designated A435 could pose problems....broken
> plates. However, as we all know many pianos have been brought up to standard
> .
(snip)

Terry's question is a good one and Tom's answer was good and interesting too. 
 This used to be one of the questions on the PTG Written Exam.  As I 
remember, it was worded as a True/False question, something like, "A piano 
designed to be tuned at A-435 cannot (or should not) be tuned (or raised) to 
A-440."  The correct answer was False.

I can see why they took that question out.  Not everyone agrees on this 
issue.  Consider this, however:  The difference between 435 and 440 is 20 
cents.  In my climate, the pitch of many pianos, particularly those in public 
places where people depend on the piano as the foundation for music making 
such as churches and schools, the pitch typically goes as much as 30 cents 
high in Summer and 30 cents flat in Winter (a range of 60 cents).

While I never tune any pianos at +30 cents, I sometimes reluctantly leave the 
pitch at +20 cents (at a maximum) because I am aware of the futility of 
trying to maintain 440.  None of the plates ever break and strings don't pop 
when the pitch goes high.

There is a Chickering Grand in my clientele which is tuned twice a year but 
has no humidity control.  In Winter, I tune it at -20 cents but in Summer, 
it's pitch climbs to about 440, maybe even a little higher.  I've taken care 
of it for about 15 years.  It's behavior is fairly predictable.  There has 
never been any evidence of plate failure.

Of course, you can't rely on anecdotal evidence or accounts.  My advice would 
be to *not* insist on 440, even if the user is a student.  If there is some 
kind of complaint because of incompatibility with other instruments or claims 
of having "perfect pitch" or whatever, the best solution would be rescaling 
or replacement with another piano designed for 440.

I doubt that in your climate the pitch is as volatile as it is here, so that 
would not be an issue or factor.  I can tell you however that here, when the 
schools start in late August and they want the piano tuned at that time, if I 
lowered the pitch to 440, it would be at -10 cents by October, -20 cents by 
December and -30 cents by January.
This is no exaggeration.  I have no qualms about tuning certain crummy old 
pianos at -20 cents in the dead of Winter.  They'll easily approach 440 by 
Summer.

Bill Bremmer RPT
Madison, Wisconsin

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