Tuning Pianos and the Doppler Effect

[Jon Page]

There is an interesting article in the latest journal
about sound motion. Not that any of us will actually
be called to testify on this affect,  I would like to
correlate this to tuning a piano.

I pointed out this affect to a customer who was purposefully
trying to be very quite as he moved around the room, constantly.

He mentioned that he would be very quiet and not disturb me.
He's an accomplished pianist so I had to give him first-hand
knowledge of this effect: his bustling about.

I asked him to come to the keyboard and play a note and listen
to the sound. I asked him to play it again, then I walked towards the piano.
"Wow, That's weird." Then I asked to play the note again and I walked
away from the piano at the same speed. "WOW."

The sound is actually worse while the reflecting object is moving away
from the source than towards the source.

Mix that with wait staff coming and going and talking across the room
while vacuums are going and the ice is being dumped into the bins
while the silverware is clanging on the tables.

Maybe you'll get a nice concert gig, folding chairs being set up, light crew,
sound crew...  Drummer setting up, can not do without banging, gotta
show off his chops. Banging, clanging cymbals.

Sounds?   What sounds... just tune the piano. You make more noise 
them all of them.
And this post started out so calm and quiet but I digress.
-- 

Regards,

Jon Page