Where oh where is the pitch??from Canada--AAA

[David Renaud]

Here's a new, interesting experience.
      When tuning for "Semiprofessional" concerts
perhaps I should always be there till the concert starts???

       I tune for a rather good community choral group, that
has done some recording, and has a regular concert series.
They own a C7 that I rebuilt for them last year.

      This weekend they have two concerts, tuned the piano
on Friday morning, the room was very cold, and the instrument,
was bang on A440( I have been tuning it once a month since
it was restrung). Cleaned up the tuning, did a little regulation.

      This morning I get a call to re-tune for tonight's concert,
because the piano was  "15 cents flat and sounded terrible".

     They had in 7 brass players who have been playing for
two years, grade school 7-8 to play with the choir. The school
music teacher tuned them "exactly" to his machine at 440.
and when they played with the piano it sounded extremely
flat. He assures me the machine was calibrated to 440.
     He then checked the piano with the machine, it reported
the piano 15 cents flat.
     I've checked my two forks they are both OK.
     I know I can set pitch, when I passed RPT exam, not
only did I have 100% on pitch, the deviation was 0.0-part luck.
     I've quite a bit of experience tuning for concerts with
orchestra, choir etc., and have never had a pitch problem.

     Seeing as I did not even raise the pitch is is unlikely it
slipped. The outdoor temperature during the day dropped
radically, and the church did not heat the room. so between
the tuning and the tuning and the concert room temp.
had dropped allot and was still cold, but in the process of
warming up as they "tuned". The cold temp.-hunidity
would have sent the low tenor area sharp not flat, and dropped
it back down as it warmed up.

    I spoke with the music teacher, who tells me that his
woodwinds at his school  are always very flat,
but the brass are fine.

    I suspect his cheap machine is about 15 cents off.
will find out today.

Question---- In your experience, how far off, how often
                   do you find cheaper machines incorrect as
                   far as defining A440? How much variation
                   have you seen? Have you run into similar
                   situations? If I confirm my suspicions, how
                   do you tell a music teacher tactfully that
                   he has been trying  to force his woodwinds
                  15 cents sharp for  several years?.

Should we get danger pay for concert tuning mixed
amateur groups??
HA HA.

                                        Looking forward to your
responses

                                         Dave Renaud
                                         RPT