I'd like to offer temporary advice about the flute player. I am a flautist, and I almost always have to adjust sharp when playing with fretted string players. Until you re-tune your piano, take the opportunity to practice this skill. It is difficult, and the tone will suffer terribly without lots of practice, but what will she do if she ever has to play a concert with a sharp piano!?! This has happened to me several times, and I've gotten quite good at compensating with minimal tone loss. It's amazing how sharp you can push the flute with your lip and rolling out. But it takes LOTS of practice to make a big change without losing tone. The piano being out of tune will cause her to want to fix it (if she can hear), and she might learn more quickly. It's easier for most wind players to tweak a pitch toward another pitch than away from one. One time I had to play with an organ that was tuned over 25 cents sharp. I couldn't make that big a change myself, but I had to play the concert. I pushed in my end cork as far as I could without sacrificing my own temperament, then adjusted with my lip the rest of the way. It wasn't my best performance, but it got the job done. 12 cents is now extremely easy for me. Try it! :D -mags > -------------- Original message -------------- > From: "Michelle Smith" <michelle at cdaustin.com> > > Hello all. Curiosity question for you. I have a Steinway S here at the > house that was tuned to A440 in February. Weve since turned on the air > conditioner and the piano has gone sharp about 12 cents. This wouldnt be > a problem except that I have a flute student who cant push her head joint > in any farther to be in tune with my piano. Im probably going to retune > the piano because I dont think I can stand it any longer. (I hate to > mess up an otherwise good tuning that was done by someone far more > experienced than myself.) > > So my question is this. When you come to a piano that is sharp this time > of year, do you try to lower the pitch to A440 knowing that it will > probably drop significantly when the heat is turned back on in the winter? > > Thanks for your words of wisdom. > > Michelle Smith > Student Tuner > Bastrop, Texas Maggie Jusiel <http://www.magsmusic.net> <mags at magsmusic.net> The above address will not work with a few servers. If your mail is returned, try <jusielmr at concord.edu>, but please try the above address first. Thank you.
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