Pitch raising

[Stephen Powell]

Hi Clyde

If I have any doubt that a piano will take a pitch raise, then I raise all
of the A's (or C's) first.  If any strings break, then I reassess the
situation.  In general, I think that tuners tend to be too cautious when it
comes to pitch raising.  I have done a lot of pitch raising over the years
and have had very few strings break.  But replacing broken strings is really
no big deal, so long as it's only one or two.

Regards

Stephen

Stephen Powell
Pianotec@ihug.co.nz

-----Original Message-----
From: Clyde Hollinger <cedel@supernet.com>
To: pianotech@ptg.org <pianotech@ptg.org>
Date: Sunday, 17 December 2000 05:38 AM
Subject: Re: Pitch raising


>Wim and everybody,
>
>My comment on paragraph 1:
>     I agree with you that a string will likely break at a certain tension
>whether done in small increments or "one swell foop."  If a technician is
of the
>opinion that every piano *has* to be tuned to A440, may as well do it fast.
>     But I am not of that opinion.  For example, a client I first tuned for
in
>1995 has an old Foster upright, didn't want to pay for a pitchraise, but
has had
>the piano tuned every year since.  It is now up from 100 cents flat to 45
cents
>flat.  Last year it tore a low bass string and this year two treble
strings.  I'm
>not taking it any farther up.  What would have happened if she had
permitted me
>to raise it right away?  Broken strings all over the place, I reckon.  As
you may
>remember I have a mild paranoia about breaking strings.
>     I don't see this as an ethical question.  It's just that different
people do
>things different ways.  I'm getting paid for what I do, we're both happy,
and the
>piano is closer to pitch than it's been in decades.
>