tuning instability question

[Barbara E. Richmond]

At 04:53 PM 2/5/96 -0700, you wrote:
>     We're having some trouble with our Hamburg Steinway D going out of
>tune during performances(it seems to be getting worse) and wonder if the
>extreme low humidity in the hall could be a factor. The entire building is
>without humidity, so the piano has been at 25% RH for a month now. It DOES
>jump up to 33%, but it pretty much stays at 20-25%. The question is:
>
> Will constant low humidity cause tuning instability? I'd appreciate
>answers from those who have had experience with these conditions.
>Thanks...
>
>John Minor
>Piano Technician
>University of Illinois
>jminor@uiuc.edu
>

John,

This is how I prepared the concert instruments when they were experiencing
"extremes."  One would think that a month at a certain humidity range would
be enough, but I found that following this procedure really settled things
down.  You've probably already done this, but what the heck:

1. Tighten those plate screws (bolts is Steinway's case)!
2. Tune the piano to pitch, then
3. Seat the strings *everywhere* possible, anywhere the string goes over or
under a pressure point--if the string contacts something, seat it.
4. Tune again, pounding the ever living daylights out of it.

This method never failed me.  The pianos were beautifully stable (for a
while) whenever I did this.  The problem is, of course, that it takes a
while to do this and time in the concert hall is precious.

Barbara Richmond, RPT
brichmon@e-tex.com
Palestine, Texas