<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; = charset=iso-8859-1"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2800.1400" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>If the piano sees frequent tuning, what = is the rationale for keeping it at A430?</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Terry Farrell</FONT></DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; = BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT><BR></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Hello List, Richard Snelson and Julia = of Reading</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>When is a tuning not a tuning? What = constitutes a "tuning"? When is A=440 more important than A=430 or A=445... or = whatever. It is not cheating, in my mind, to tune a piano "to its own pitch" if the = client hasn't the wherewithall to pay! One does one's best under all = circumstances and advises the client accordingly. Here in the UK we do not have = those almighty seasonal changes you people in the USofA  have to = contend with, and the pianos seem to stay pretty well in tune - given that <EM>quality</EM> and <EM>conditions</EM> always apply. All the pianos = at the Opera House I tune for are tuned once a week - it is a continuing = problem that the pitch might move over the course of time. But we concentrate on = the worst offenders and simply "touch up" the unisons etc. of the rest. It = must be understood here that there are only about three hours to go = round all twenty-five pianos. So rehearsal pianos are tuned in rotation = three days a week during the Season. One day is for the A=430 pianos and = another for the A=440. (For the A=415 operas the repetiteur is obliged to play = an A=440 piano down a semi-tone. Now <EM>that's</EM>  quite a challenge! = Sight reading at the drop of a hat a semi-tone lower...!) The = third three-hour day is spent on the awkward pianos which can really move in = pitch due to the doors to the outside being left open etc. I know one of = them will start the season at A=440 but by the end it will have risen to = A=446+-. No one complains unless the unisons go out or a piano goes dramatically out = of tune. Pianos used with the orchestra or for a stage rehearsal are = tuned rigorously to A=440 on the day of the rehearsal or performance. I = have sometimes found the chorus using an A=430 piano on a rehearsal stage = - they just weren't aware it was not at A=440! So... Unless you = have perfect pitch (an awful complaint) pitch does not seem to be of = paramount importance ...... away from the orchestra!</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Regards</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Michael G.(UK)</FONT>----- Original = Message ----- </DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; = BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: = black"><B>From:</B> <A title=rsnelson0984@mchsi.com = href="mailto:rsnelson0984@mchsi.com">Richard Oliver Snelson</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A = title=pianotech@ptg.org href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">Pianotech</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Friday, February 18, = 2005 3:00 PM</DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: One more tuning question...</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV> <DIV>Julia, </DIV> <DIV>I would ask you this question. Let's assume you end your tuning = with the piano on A=440. Tomorrow the weather changes a bit and the = humidity goes up. Where is you tuning at the end of the day or the third day after = you tuned? If you are aware of season changes and how they will = affect the piano it is only good practice in my opinion to "float" the pitch in = some cases. For example leave it slightly low if you know it's going to = go sharp in a few weeks. Over all the customer ends up with a piano that's = closer to A=440 for a longer time. I'm sure there maybe a few customers, = performers, even tuners, that can tell the piano is not A=440, most can = not without a fork, tone, ETD. I weekly find fine artists  playing with a = 20 cent flat or sharp piano and not having the least idea it sharp or flat. There is no reason you can't explain what you are doing = to the customer and why it will keep the piano closer = to 440. </DIV> <DIV>The pianos that I tune on a two month basis I will end the = tunings at A=440 during the same season.  Unless I'm tuning just = before the heat come on or summer and the air is about to start, then I = will think of allowing a small amount of pitch "Float".  Rich</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; = BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- = </DIV> <DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: = black"><B>From:</B> <A title=Alpha88x@aol.com href="mailto:Alpha88x@aol.com">Alpha88x@aol.com</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A = title=pianotech@ptg.org href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">pianotech@ptg.org</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Friday, February 18, = 2005 8:36 AM</DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> One more tuning question...</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV><FONT face=arial,helvetica><FONT lang=0 = face=Arial size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" PTSIZE="10">Greetings, = <BR><BR>          &nbsp= ; Is one way of doing business for some tuners to just tune the = piano "where it is"? In other words, they check the A and if its close enough = (or even if its not close to 440 ) just tune the piano so that it is in = tune with = itself???<BR><BR>         &n= bsp; And even going further, If they have a regular client, such as a = church, to do the above mentioned thing, cleaning up unisons (so as to do = a "bang-up" tuning) and then, on every 4th tuning or so pull it back = up to A440 or alittle above, so they are set up to repeat the whole = process, thereby saving themselves some time on intermittent tunings, yet = leaving the customer believing that they are receiving an A440 tuning each = and every time...when they aren't receiving a true tuning (as far as = proper pitch goes) each and every = time??<BR><BR>         &nbsp= ;  Not that I would do such a thing in my practice. I do not condone = it either. I think it is dishonest. My question is do some tooners do = this?? is it possible? <BR>    <BR><BR>Julia <BR>Reading, = PA<BR></BLOCKQUOTE></BLOCKQUOTE></BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></FONT></BODY></HTML>=