Concert pitch, octave stretching, Journal Editor

[Steve Brady]

On Thu, 1 Dec 1994, Newton Hunt wrote:

>     Interesting solutions.
>     The one I like best, and fits the situation, is, "It's their
> problem."
>
>     New question!
>     Concert venue A=440 to A=442,3,4 for one concert?
>
>     Happy recital period.
>
>           Newton
>           Rutgers University
>           New Brunswick Cultural Center
>

Newton,

Interesting that you should bring this up. I normally am willing to go up
to 442 for one concert, but I really resist any higher pitch than that.
Usually, I just say, "I assume you're willing to cover the cost of three
extra tunings?" Whereupon they generally clear their throats and say that
maybe 440 will be OK after all, thanks.

Last week however, I tuned for Alexander Paley, and he requested that I
tune from middle C up at 442, and below middle C at 438!! He said it
makes the piano sound "huge." I told him I'd see what I could do, and I
finally tuned the middle two octaves at 440, and added an extra 2 cents
(beyond my normal stretch) per octave beginning at C5, an additional 2
cents starting at C6, and another 2 cents starting at C7. In the bass I
increased the stretch by 2 cents beginning at each C in similar fashion.
He tried the piano, pronounced the tuning a "great improvement" and so I
told him what I had done. I explained that to have followed his
instructions explicitly would have resulted in badly beating octaves in
the midrange, and he replied that what I had done was probably better
than what he had suggested.

Reflecting on this episode, I was reminded that most musicians confuse
cents with hz, so it's good not to take them too literally. Listening to
the recital, I had to admit that I liked the sound of the piano better
than when I tuned it in the "normal" manner.

I'm wondering if a) any of you have had similar experiences with Paley or
other pianists, and b) what the feeling is among you about octave
stretching for concerts and other tunings, as opposed to octave
stretching for purposes of taking the PTG exam.

By the way, I should mention that I've been appointed to be the new
Editor of the Journal, and I'm considering all contributions to pianotech to
be "fair game" for use in the Journal! :-)



Steve Brady, RPT        "The most expert and rapid tuners are...
University of Washington       possessed of a highly excitable,
sbrady@u.washington.edu        nervous, and emotional temperament,
                         verging on the border of insanity at times."
                              -Daniel Spillane, The Tuner's Guide