I'll say that when I'm done, it'll be in a position to be tuned. Making the analogy of: You can't wax a dirty floor (we just cleared the furniture, swept it or washed it) or You can't wax a dirty car (hosed off the dirt/mud, washed it). Both will look good but won't have that 'polish'. It's prep'd. I also mention that it'll be an appreciable tuning and recommend a follow up tuning and give them a few suggestions: a week, 4~6 weeks, and certainly not beyond the next season change. I'll also mention that tuning is a process and not an event and that these early 'tunings' are really Tension Equalizations between sections and the backscale. They are a little surprised because they think the 'tuning' will be good for another year or two. Even if it's been more than 5 years since the last 'tuning'.
Most people don't realize that a piano requires constant maintenance. More like a wooden hulled boat and not a Boston Whaler where you just keep gas in it and water out of it.
What really gets them is that after regulation I'll say, Now we can find out what's wrong with the piano. Refinement is a process.
I explain how flat it is in cps and not cents and the need for overpull and how the structure reacts to the tension change; immediately and with playing the following week.
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Regards,
Jon Page
mailto:
jonpage@comcast.nethttp://www.pianocapecod.com------------------------------
Original Message:
Sent: 09-21-2021 21:43
From: Larry Messerly
Subject: Pitch Raise Terminology
I tell the customer when it's in the ball park I can hit a home run. Sometimes when it's in the city it takes extra time to hit that home run. Sometimes it's not even in the city, much less the ballpark.
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Larry Messerly, RPT
Bringing Harmony to Homes
www.lacrossepianotuning.com
ljmesserly@gmail.com
928-899-7292
Original Message:
Sent: 09-21-2021 20:01
From: Wim Blees
Subject: Pitch Raise Terminology
I never talk to my customers about a pitch raise, pitch adjustment, pitch stabilization, or anything. I ask how long it's been since the piano was tuned. If they say anything from 3 year or longer, I just tell them I have to charge them a full service fee. (which is about 50% more than my basic fee). I don't explain why I have to charge extra. I do say that the full service fee includes pitch adjustment and minor repairs. (the customer usually says there is a sticking key, too). Then I also say, "if my opinion, the repairs are more than what I consider minor, I will tell you how much extra the fee will be, and get permission to do the work". I've never had a customer question me about the higher Full Service fee. In fact, on numerous occasions
Iv'e had customers brag that they know it will cost more. That's when I say to myself, "ca-ching".
Wim
Original Message:
Sent: 9/21/2021 6:47:00 PM
From: David Bauguess
Subject: RE: Pitch Raise Terminology
Like Steven, I don't use "pitch raise" because it doesn't cover pitch lowering. I don't care for "pitch correction" either because I don't think a customer would understand what it means. To a customer it would apply to any adjustment of pitch including the fine tuning pass.
For my billing form I settled on "Pitch Preparation" as a better descriptor, which is to say it is the step of preparing the pitch for fine tuning by raising and/or lowering it so the fine tuning adjustments will be small. Next to that label, I have a checkbox next to Raise and by Lower. Next to that is a line to specify "up to 50¢", "20¢ - 65", etc. or leave it blank. Also on the form is the label "Total Passes" which might be 1 or more or, if a partial pass is part of the preparation, I enter 1+ or 2+ etc.
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David Bauguess
Grand Junction CO
970-257-1750
Original Message:
Sent: 09-21-2021 15:59
From: Steven Rosenthal
Subject: Pitch Raise Terminology
To answer your question, I take an average. It's not uncommon for an instrument to be about 10 cents down in the bass, 15 to 20 in the middle, and then progresses to 40, then 60 cents flat in the 5th 6th and 7th octaves. This averages out to 35-40 cents flat. A benefit of the ETD is that this assessment can accurately be made very quickly.
I've taken to calling it a "pitch adjustment" as there are instances in which the piano isn't necessarily very flat but is all over the place to an extent that it will take multiple passes to stabilize. For example, pianos that have made multiple overseas transports can have strings that vary from 20 cents flat to 20 cents sharp, that's a span of 40 cents. That span is a factor also regardless of the average pitch.
We call it pitch but really what we're talking about is tension and the task is balancing (and stabilizing) the tension in the system in the way it was designed.
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Steven Rosenthal
Honolulu HI
808-521-7129
Original Message:
Sent: 09-21-2021 14:30
From: Petrus Janssen
Subject: Pitch Raise Terminology
Hello Benjamin.
I don't know if there is an official classification to rate pitch raises: I assume there none.
Typically, when I encounter a piano that is that much and inconsistently out of tune, I just mention in my invoice that the piano was flat by 75% to 125% of one half step.
I would always do 2 pitch corrections, followed by the tuning and let the customer know that the piano probably will need to be tuned again in 3 to 6 months.
Peter
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Petrus Janssen
Peachtree City GA
678-416-8055
Original Message:
Sent: 09-21-2021 11:18
From: Benjamin Sanchez
Subject: Pitch Raise Terminology
Hi all,
I don't remember if I've asked this question here before or not, but if I already did I apologize. Is there an official way to classify a pitch raise? For example, if I say I did a 100¢ pitch raise, does that mean:
1. The closest note was 100¢ flat?
2. The farthest note was 100¢ flat?
3. The piano averaged 100¢ flat?
4. Or, is it more proper to say I did a 75¢-125¢ pitch raise - which is my usual situation. But if that's the case, what does it mean to do a 100¢ pitch raise?
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Benjamin Sanchez, RPT
Piano Technician / Artisan
(256) 947-9999
www.professional-piano-services.com
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