newdaymoore@bellsouth.net wrote:
> I have found that the 1890 Sohmer piano is an a436 piano. What does
> that mean? Does that mean that the middle C on an a436 doesn't sound
> the same in pitch as the middle C on an a440 piano when both pianos
> are properly turned?
It means that when the piano was built, it was designed so that the
pitch of A4, or A #49 would be at 435 Hz. 435 was a pitch standard
before 440 was agreed upon. Many old pianos were designed to be tuned
to A=435, and bringing them up to 440 adds more tension than they were
designed to take, but thankfully, it's not a whole lot more, and most of
them can take it. But on some of them, there's a risk of breaking a
lot of strings or the soundboard or even the plate.
--David Nereson, RPT
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