need some opinions

[Diane Hofstetter]

The problems in this situation include the facts that the temperature and humidity changes affect the pipe organ and the piano tunings in exactly the opposite directions.  And the pipe organ tuning changes more dramatically than the piano's.  When the piano is going sharp, the organ is going flat at a quicker pace.  The only way to solve the problem is to have a perfectly controlled environment (yeah, sure), and one tuner, whose sole purpose in life is to keep the piano and organ constantly tuned.

 My father, husband and I all worked for the same conference center for 25 years; whenever we traded off on tuning the concert grands, they became less stable.  Whenever one of us consistently tuned the same piano, it became more more and more stable.


Diane Hofstetter




Leslie Bartlett l-bartlett at sbcglobal.net said:
I have been a tuner for a large church in town, the other tuner having
retired.  I learned that actually was not quite the case. I have been
sharing the tunings with another tuner in the city.  The church's
pianist indicated some time ago she wished me to come with her and tell
her why she "hated the Steinway"......  Well, it was tuned to 440, while
the pipe organ was about 13 cents flat..................  So having
fixed the disparity (not tuning the pipe organ, to be sure), the
Steinway seemed quite more agreeable.

For a major recent concert the piano was tuned by the other tuner.  I
was called this week to "bring the piano up to pitch" because a major
concert venue was to use it this weekend.  Here is what I found.  The
variance was from +17 cents, to -23 cents, most of the top octave being
20 or more cents flat, and the low-to mid sections being mostly 6-to-ten
cents sharp.  My typical tunings of that piano will vary as much as
seven cents over three-four months in a worship room seating nearly
1000, and in which the heating/air conditioning is on/off, on/off,
depending on whether the room is being used.

I informed the pianist that I could not share such tunings with another
tuner because it would ultimately affect the piano, and could affect the
reputations of two tuners.   I would appreciate some opinions as to the
veracity (or not) of my statements.  If you would "reply all", then your
responses will also go to the pianist of the church, unedited by
myself.  Thanks
les bartlett
houston
>


Diane Hofstetter