Up & Down

[Don]

Hi John,

Temperature changes in churches in my area are a *great* problem. As if they
keep the heat even through the week.

And what ever the situation consider a humidity control system. Be sure not
to *stint* on the dehumidifier...go for the 50 watt rod 

At 08:48 AM 9/29/97 -0600, you wrote:
>List:  If you can give me some clues, hints, etc. regarding this
>situation I would really appreciate it.
>	I have, over the past 3 years, been servicing a Bradford uprt. in
>a nearby church.  The first time I tuned it I had to lower pitch at A4
>42c.  The lady that was in charge of the music for the church told me
>that the last person that tuned the piano had had to raise the pitch
>quite a bit and wondered if he had raised it too far.  At the time, I
>thought that was a possibility.  However, since then, I have had to raise
>the pitch 40c in the spring, then lower it in the fall, then raise it
>again in the spring, etc.  The pitch changes have been about equal each
>time within 3-4c.  I am stumped as the humidity has been between 30 and
>45% each time that I have worked on it.  Yesterday, I tuned the piano
>again (fall tuning) to find that the instrument was 45c high  at A4 and
>closer to 80c high in the top octave(no wonder they said it sounded
>terrible with their other instruments.  The bass is staying rather stable
>(rises and falls a few cents), but the tenor and treble really stray from
>where they are supposed to be.  
>	Before you ask, yes, I have tightened all available plate
>hardware that goes into the wood structure.  Tuning pins are nice and
>tight, but not overly so.  The piano is about 2 feet from a baseboard
>heater which has a shield to protect the back of the instrument from
>gross temp/ R.H. changes.
>	The church's flooring is wooden over a basement that also has a
>piano in it.  The downstairs piano stays nice and stable (+/- 3-4c).  Is
>it possible that the flooring is shifting enough with weather changes to
>"tweak" the piano THAT far?
>	Any and all input regarding this will greatly be appreciated.
> 
>	Thanks in advance for any input that you can give in this matter.
>
>                                                                     
>John Fortiner
>                                                                      
>e-mail: pianoserv440@juno.com
>
>
Regards,
Don Rose, B.Mus., A.M.U.S., A.MUS., R.M.T., R.P.T.
"Tuner for the Centre of the Arts"
drose@dlcwest.com
3004 Grant Rd.
REGINA, SK
S4S 5G7
306-352-3620 or 1-888-29t-uner