Regarding the effect of room temperature on the strings, I have found it's optimal to tune the piano at the same temperature it will be performed on. Even on a top quality instrument, different sections will change at different rates in response to temperature; a good instrument will return to the most coherent state when the room temperature is the same as when it was tuned. I routinely tune a C7x at 5 to 10 degrees cooler than when it is used. The pitch drops and the different sections are not as well in tune, as much as 1.8 cents variance though mostly closer. The next day when I return and the temp. is back down the entire piano has snapped back to where I left it, mostly within .2 cents.
If you tune it at the performance temperature, you can tune it right at the desired pitch without allowing for a general rise or fall due to warmer or cooler strings rather than try to guess where overall pitch will be in different conditions.
If the lid is up during performance, then it's advisable to have it up at least part way for the pre warming otherwise it will be changing on you for the first 20 minutes or so when you lift the lid to tune. More than a 2 degree change is noticeable/measurable. Perhaps the DC and undercover mitigates this, I don't know.
I've learned this by having the opportunity to tune the piano over 200 times in 3 years, sometimes daily. The piano is a rock and the unisons hold throughout the temperature variations but the overall pitch is going to change in sections in response to room temperature.
Tuning the piano once a year is painting with a much broader brush but I think the same principles apply.
------------------------------
Steven Rosenthal
Honolulu HI
808-521-7129
------------------------------
Original Message:
Sent: 01-02-2020 23:13
From: Susan Kline
Subject: room temp for the tuning
I have a similar situation for a church with a very good rebuilt Steinway A, which has Sunday afternoon concerts every couple of months. I tune the piano on a Friday, since churches are used on Sunday mornings. I always have to take fifteen minutes or so on Sunday after the musicians have rehearsed, to reset the tenor and bass, since the piano has experienced the Sunday morning hea cycle for several hours.
I think you'll have better results if they put on the heat at Sunday levels, allowing a couple of hours for it to soak into the piano before you tune. It's only reasonable to try to tune in the conditions the piano will be in when it is played.
------------------------------
Susan Kline
Philomath, Oregon
Original Message:
Sent: 01-02-2020 22:59
From: Jim Ialeggio
Subject: room temp for the tuning
I have a church tuning gig, in an old historic edifice, for one of my rebuilds. Piano has a DC and undercover, and is quite stable, even though I'm tuning it about mostly once a year these days. I'm at sixes-and-sevens as to whether I should have them bring the room up the night before, up to Sunday morning temp, or just tune in my long johns and hat, as I usually do. I'm not thinking about comfort, but about tuning for the temp its at on Sunday morning. Any thoughts?
------------------------------
Jim Ialeggio
grandpianosolutions.com
Shirley, MA
978 425-9026
------------------------------