Bringing them down

[jpage@capecod.net]

>On Wed, 3 Jul 1996, Mark Graham wrote:
>> This time of year I encounter a lot of Steinways and other pianos which
>> are very sharp. I can do pitch raises competently, but lowering the pitch
>> of a severly sharp piano and putting it in good tune takes me longer than
>> I would like. Any tips? Things seem to drift back up again, particularly
>> in the treble and particularly in Steinways.
>> Mark Graham, Baldwin-Wallace Conservatory

>Mark:
>Unless the pitch is _very_ high, leave it up.  Since my Winter goal is
>440, having the piano go to 443 in the Summer is no big deal (Sopranos
>might hate it but...).  Both of our "Ds" in our main recital hall are
>about 442 right now, and that room has pretty good humidity control.
>
>I've found that if I bring them down in the Summer and back up in the
>Winter, they never feel stable.  If I let them go where they want to,
>they behave pretty well.  Our double reed players like me in the
>Summer, and the Sopranos are happier in the Winter!
>
>David M. Porritt, RPT
>Dallas, Texas

I agree with Dave. Unless there is a concert to be played with fixed pitch
instruments (loose term), I leave it there. It would only have to be brought
back up in a few months. All that wrenching around of the pins can take its
toll.
In fact, tuning just before summer; if it's flat, I'll leave it a little flat.
Schools (ugh) are always sharp at the end of the summer but come down with
the heat. So rather than lower pitch & tune in Sept. & raise pitch & tune in
Dec.;
tuning sharp in Sept. allows fewer tunings. This saves me time/fatigue (20
pianos
in one school) and them $$. Pianos are more stable, pins stay tighter longer.
One voice teacher likes to keep them sharp, but unfortunately her Grotrian has a
wider humidity sound board flex range than her Ibach.  Perhaps Dampp-chaser
willl work here since room conditioning is not in the cards.
As far as tips on lowering pitch; just as pulling sharp of 440 in raising pitch,
lower pitch a few beats on first tuning. Always do *speed tuning* on pitch
raising/lowering. Lowering pitch IS more difficult than raising.
Stay Sharp,
Jon Page
Cape Cod. Mass
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