What would you do?

[John Ross]

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Hi Corte,

Depends on your weather cycles.
I always tell my customers, to do their pianos, once a year during the heating on season. To tune it during the summer, would be doing them a disservice, in my opinion. The summers can have a humidity of 90% one week, and 60% the next week. Under those conditions, when should it be tuned?

I do a University, and in September, I lower the pitch 30c, and in January, I raise the pitch 30c. (That is the worst area of the piano) I missed one piano one year, and when I went to tune it, it was almost right on.

By floating the tuning, the extremes, wouldn't be as bad, and unless they really need A440, there should be no problem. Discuss their requirements of the piano, and let that guide your decision.

There are of course, exceptions, music teachers,  and special occasions, etc.
I have always worked this way, since I started, in 1975.

Through the summer, I do restringing, keytops, hammer replacement and people who call me for a tuning. The people who call, normally have a piano, that is so far out, that it won't stabilize anyway, so I reschedule another tuning, when the heat comes on.

Works for me.

Regards, 
John M. Ross

Windsor, Nova Scotia, Canada
jrpiano@win.eastlink.ca
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: SUSAN P SWEARINGEN 
  To: pianotech@ptg.org 
  Sent: Saturday, April 19, 2003 12:40 PM
  Subject: What would you do?


  Hello Everyone,

  I have a client and I service their very old beat-up grand, which they got for free.  The piano isn't all that stable but still can hold tune reasonably well.  

  The owners claim they can't even tell when it's out of tune and that they have a friend that plays it and tells them when it's time to call the tuner.  

  Whenever I usually get to the piano, it's usually out by 10 cents or so (I tune it once in the summer and once in the winter).  I'm thinking of just floating the pitch at wherever the "A" happens to be.  That would save me the trouble of pitch raising and adding instability to the instrument (since it is so old and not in great shape).

  What are the thoughts on this?  Am I, as a piano technician, not servicing the customer properly if I don't always tune to A-440?  Is it wrong to "cut corners" in this case even though the client would be oblivious to it all?

  Thanks,
  Corte Swearingen

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