newdaymoore@bellsouth.net wrote: > I have found that the 1890 Sohmer piano is an a436 piano. What does > that mean? Does that mean that the middle C on an a436 doesn't sound > the same in pitch as the middle C on an a440 piano when both pianos > are properly turned? It means that when the piano was built, it was designed so that the pitch of A4, or A #49 would be at 435 Hz. 435 was a pitch standard before 440 was agreed upon. Many old pianos were designed to be tuned to A=435, and bringing them up to 440 adds more tension than they were designed to take, but thankfully, it's not a whole lot more, and most of them can take it. But on some of them, there's a risk of breaking a lot of strings or the soundboard or even the plate. --David Nereson, RPT
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