Terry Farrel: A440 or bust! (Or not.)

Charles Neuman piano@charlesneuman.net
Fri, 23 Jan 2004 14:05:37 -0500 (EST)


That reminds me: Around these parts (Long Island), it's really cold
outside and dry heat makes pianos flat. I understand it is common to leave
the piano a little flat in the winter and a little sharp in the summer.
How much is an OK amount to be flatter than A440?

Also, on a recent tuning I did, different parts of the piano were flat by
different amounts. In the temperament region, it was flat by about 15
cents. In the upper treble and parts of the bass, the strings were only a
couple cents flat, if any. Some were even sharp. I suspect the previous
tuner hadn't stretched the piano much. On the other hand, could this have
been due to the change to the dry environment this winter?

Charles Neuman
PTG Assoc, Long Island



This PTG archive page provided courtesy of Moy Piano Service, LLC