Pipe Organ Pitch Variation

[Ron Nossaman]

At 11:59 PM 11/30/98 EST, you wrote:
>
>It is common knowledge that the pitch of a pipe organ varies with room
>temperature, but just how much?
>
>Occasionally I will be asked to tune a church piano with the pipe organ when
>the sanctuary is much cooler than it will be on performance day. I check the
>organ and it is off pitch. The question is, is there some formula that will
>tell me where the organ pitch will be at normal room temperature. In other
>words, if the room will be 10 degrees warmer when the piano and organ will be
>played together, how much will the pitch change?
>
>Dave Bunch
>
>

I don't know exactly, but it will change far more than the piano. I,
personally, refuse to compromise the more stable instrument (piano) to
accommodate the more reactive (pipe organ). I've lost a couple of church
gigs over this, but I think that's what a pitch standard is for. I say tune
the piano at pitch and they can do the same with the organ. The rest is
climate control and isn't your problem. Most organ 'tuners' these days make
no attempt to correct the pitch of the organ. They just touch them up
superficially and let them drift wherever they will. This is justifiable to
some extent because the overall pitch can move 20-30 cents from week to week
depending on whether the sun is shining or someone opened a door. Just
having a sanctuary full of people singing at the organ will throw it out of
tune, so I see no reason to screw up the piano to match a moving target.
There should be some provision for, and concessions to, reality in church
tunings. This is my call.  

 
 Ron