curved church floors

[Jessica Masse]

Hi,
I have this notion that regardless of the piano being a grand or upright 
that in these old churches with curved or bowled floors the piano is in 
constant flex.  In this one particular church they had a very small 
grand and it was impossible to tune on this floor. 

They later purchased a 7 foot quality grand and a rolling stage was 
built for it.  It was a steel framed platform on hydraulic legs with 
locking wheels some engineering parishoners got together to build it and 
it worked.

Now the new music director decides he wants the piano off the stage so 
there is more freedom to move it.  I guess he couldn't imagine how the 
key board would slope to the left and the bench may not be on the same 
pitch as the piano.  You feel like your on a listing ship, and The Piano 
Misbehaved (is now unstable) when I tuned it last.

I had recommended that they leave things alone.   I'm sure that when 
these churches were built that no one considered they would want to 
install a piano and that it might become the center of their musical 
devotion.

I had recommended in the first place, with the small piano that they 
level the floor by building a carpeted platform to just take the curve 
out of the floor in the centre front of the church.   My feeling is that 
no piano can take this kind of twisting and flexing and stay tuned.

Anybody have any ideas.

Jessica Masse

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