Instrument condition

[Bbarasa@aol.com]

Re: Bobby Belue's questions about pitch raises:

Finally something I encounter all the time!! (And univeristy people probably
encounter seldom.)

I tell the customer:

The only reason you NEED to have a pitch raise is if the piano will be played
with other instruments that can't tune down that far.  If you are simply
playing the piano or singing with it, it is not NECESSARY, but is "correct"
by modern standards.  I explain the different criteria for a piano being "in
tune" (i.e., A=440, intervals properly set, unisons at same frequencies) and
that the piano can sound "in tune" by the last two criteria without meeting
the first.  They can choose a PR, or choose to have me bring it up a little
in one tuning and then have it brought up a little every time they have it
tuned.  Of course, if this is every 5 or 10 years, it will never get up to
pitch, but this isn't my problem!

I explain that a pitch raised piano MAY not be as stable a tuning as if it
had started out close to pitch.

If the piano is old, I warn them that it is possible that some strings will
break, that I have had excellent results without breaking strings, that they
usually break in the high end which is less of a hassle to fix, but that if
they decide to have a PR and strings in the temperament section start to
break (more than one) I will stop and we'll reconsider.

Usually I feel like a miracle worker because no strings break even in
EXTREMELY low pianos.  Many times they have been told by other tuners that
the piano CANNOT be brought up to pitch.  If I can accomplish "the
impossible" and they lose a string or two in the top octave, they are
thrilled.

My proudest moment in this area came when a player piano expert referred a
customer to me after getting their player mechanism working.  He said, "Barb
can get this thing sounding great!"  When I got there, they put a roll on and
you couldn't even tell what tune it was playing!  I think it was about a
minor third flat (I don't have any "cents" about this). I thought, "Well,
I've finally been put in an impossible situation."  When I left, it sounded
great.

I say, follow Mel Brooks' advice: Hope for the Best, Expect the Worst.  (And
prepare them for it.)  Then ... go for it!!

Barb Barasa (non-RPT)
Sycamore IL