Temp/humidity/tuning stability

[Elwood Doss, Jr.]

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December of '99 I tuned a Baldwin Studio Upright in a small rural church =
in extreme northwest Tennessee--the heat had been on in the sanctuary =
over night, was a bit cool, yet comfortable, I would judge around 70 or =
72
degrees.  Humidity in this part of the country averages around 50-60%  =
Often around 90%-seldom less than around 30% (we are in the Mississippi =
River Valley).  The piano has been in the church for around 20 years.  =
Generally in good shape.  Tuned it before, no problem with stability.

The lady who contacted me to tune the piano called the latter part of =
January and said her son, who is the pianist there, sounded like it had =
gone out of tune real bad.  I made an appointment to go by the church =
and meet her son there.  When I walked in the sanctuary, he was playing. =
 The piano sounded very well in tune--and I began to wonder what was =
going on.  I spoke to him and he turned around and exclaimed, "the piano =
sounds great!"  It was the same temperature as when I tuned it.  I asked =
him if this was the temperature in the sanctuary on Sunday mornings.  He =
exclaimed, "We try to keep it this temperature, when the old folks come =
in they crank it up to where it is burning up!" =20

At my own church I tuned the concert grand in the Worship Center when it =
was cool outside, and although the heat was on, it was barely on--around =
72 degrees in WC.  Two weeks later we had a cold snap and piano did not =
sound as good as it had.  Temperature was 72 degrees in the WC, yet the =
heat was on.  A couple of weeks later we had a warming trend, and piano =
was back in tune.  During the week, the heat is generally reduced to in =
the 50-60 degree range.

I believe that the humidity, rather than temperature, has more effect on =
a piano stability.  Around here where we have fairly high humidity, it =
manifests itself pretty dramatically.  At the same time temperature (as =
well as heat, AC, type of heat) has an effect on the amount of humidity =
in a room.

Joy!
Elwood Doss, Jr.
University of Tennessee at Martin

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