pitch change

[Warren Fisher]

John,

This doesn't help with your problem, but it could indicate how the change
occured.
In the soggy New Orleans area a local caterer had his business and residence
next door to Slidell Chamber of Commerce.  He owned a 40 plus year old console
that I had tuned annually for ten years.  The tuning was very stable, needing
little adjustment each time I serviced it.  The Chamber rented the instrument
for their Independence Day Bash.  The caterer, being a smart operator,  charged
them for two tunings, one at their location and a retune once the piano was
returned to his home.

Remember this piano had been very stable for years, but didn't have a D/C
system.  The C of  C  picked up the piano at 8a.m. and installed it on the
outside porch of their building.  At 10a.m., your's truly arrived to do my
thing.  A4 measured 13 cents sharp!!  The piano was used by the C of C until it
was returned to the caterer at 6:30p.m that day.   At 9a.m. the next day, I
measured A4 again at 18 cents sharp!!  For those of you still using your forks,
that's nearly a third of a half-step in 23 hours!
The temperature was in the 90's and humidity high 80's

I submit that your church may have had "dinner on the ground" and left the
church doors open without the airconditioning on.  I'd say you were lucky it
wasn't a bigger change!

Sweltering Fisher

"John M. Formsma" wrote:

> Don,
>
> <<Clearly the most unstable note on a piano is the lowest plain steel wire.
> It would make sense to measure this note and its octaves.
>
> Another "weird" note is the first string after the treble break. It behaves
> differently than the note just below the break. Again, I extend by octaves.
>
> These measurements give me a far better *feel* for the pitch  condition of
> the instrument than measuring all the A's. The second measurement tends to
> give me a *feel* for the design of the instrument and how this particular
> piano will react to pitch correction.
>
> I am curious if any aural tuners do these sort of "checks" and if so what
> notes they choose.  >>
>
> I use the Sanderson Accu-fork, so it is easy with the "slider" to get a
> general idea of where the pitch change occurred most. I usually measure A4
> first. Then I check A3 to see if there has been more change in that area.
> Then, I will check the lower plain wire, then A2. By this time, I have a
> pretty good idea of the amount of pitch correction necessary, but I go to
> the treble and quickly check by octaves, using the 10th-17th test. E.g.,
> F3-A4, A5 on up to about Db4-F5, F6. This gives me an idea how flat or sharp
> the treble is compared to the rest of the piano, and I adjust pitch
> correction there accordingly. The amount of adjustmest is by "feel" or
> experience, but it usually comes out OK.
>
> Not much discussion on this thread. Maybe this is what you were looking for.
>
> John Formsma
> Blue Mountain, MS
>
> mailto:jformsma@dixie-net.com

--
Warren Fisher RPT                   Beginners & Lurkers
fish@Communique.net                 Basic Pianotech discussed
1422 Briarwood Dr.                  Ask any question.
Slidell, LA 70458-3102              fish@gs.verio.net