How to explain a pitch adjustment

[Conrad Hoffsommer]

At 14:44 12/20/2005, you wrote:
>Greetings all --
>
>Many pianos need a pitch adjustment prior to tuning. Usually because it 
>hasn't been touched in five years. Therefore, like many of you I'm sure, I 
>frequently find myself having to explain to customers what a pitch 
>adjustment is, and why their piano needs one prior to tuning. I have found 
>that car analogies often help when explaining things but I have not been 
>able to come up with one that would help with a pitch adjustment. Even 
>after explaining, as simply as I know how, the relationship of the 
>incredible string tension across the plate and why it needs to be 
>equalized before a fine tuning will hold, I often feel like I'm coming off 
>trying to sell them something bogus. How do you people explain pitch 
>adjustments to your customers whose piano needs it so that they not only 
>understand what it is but why it's important that their piano gets one 
>prior to tuning?
>
>-- Geoff Sykes
>-- Assoc. Los Angeles


Most of the folks I tune for still know about sagging clotheslines.   I say 
something about "you know how when you pull that first line up to the right 
height. Then you pull up the second. What happens? The first one drops, 
right?  You're only dealing with 6-8 lines, there. This piano has ____(fill 
in the blank with an appropriate number) lines.  For things to look right 
and sound right, you have to first get them all close to where they should be."





Conrad Hoffsommer
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