New Piano Out of Tune — Pianoconcerto Forum

gian

Member

Posts: 60

June 21, 2011, 16:54

I should preface that I am a beginner piano student, but an "adult" student, in the sense that I am not a child; to be precise, I am an adult "child," 😆 more or less. However, the passion I feel for the piano is intense, just like adolescent loves, and indeed, knowing that when I fall in love I mean business, having purchased the piano about three years ago, I decided to buy a Bechstein vertical concert 8. As soon as it was brought home, I was always sitting in front of it, and for over six months I played it every day, sometimes even 5-6 hours a day. When I bought it, the company from which I purchased it told me that after six months I should call them to perform the second tuning. Unfortunately, I had problems instead (life is unpredictable), problems that prevented me from playing my beloved piano, so after seven months from the purchase I no longer played it, nor did I have it tuned. Last winter I started playing it again, but I noticed that the sound had dropped significantly, which I imagine was due to the loosening of the strings. I continued playing it by doing Beyer exercises; meanwhile, I called the tuner. I had to wait a bit for the tuner because he was busy, and he came at the end of last February, practically almost two years after the purchase (and also since the first and only tuning). When the tuner came, he seemed a bit in difficulty to me, and after almost three hours he called me to say he had finished. He told me that the tuning would not be perfect because the piano is new, and that it should have been tuned sooner. He told me that even if the piano is not played, it must be tuned, otherwise it gets ruined. A few days after his tuning, the sound began to drop again, and now, since the heat has arrived, it has dropped even more, especially in the low octaves. Furthermore, in the middle section, some notes are sweeter, others more metallic; so much so that, not knowing the piano, I started to worry that I had ruined it by neglecting to have it tuned. Four months have passed since the tuning, the tuner cannot come before September, and I am worried. Perhaps this is normal, perhaps I haven't caused any damage, but I am worried. And if this is normal, can I play it in the meantime even if it is out of tune? Thank you very much for the opportunity you give us to confide our anxieties here, on this site, which I have just discovered and which inspires confidence in me. Congratulations on creating it.

pianoexpert

Moderator

Posts: 3,876
City: rocca di papa

June 21, 2011, 21:02

a certain settling must occur. But you possess a fantastic piano and it must sound good. The tuning must hold much longer than you claim. A piano, if well tuned, should go out of tune uniformly. Sound discontinuity depends on the regulation of the hammers, which must be addressed without compromising the overall tone of the instrument. Regulation also affects the "touch" and the sensation the pianist feels during "discontinuity." You haven't caused any damage!!! You have a sensitive piano on your hands and it must be well cared for. It seems to me that the piano is new. Is that so? Or is it restored? Tell me. Because if that were the case, the stability of the tuning needs to be verified.

gian

Member

Posts: 60

June 22, 2011, 15:16

pianoexpert wrote:
it must undergo a certain settling in. But you possess a fantastic piano and it must sound good. The tuning must hold much more than you claim. The piano, if well tuned, must go out of tune uniformly. Sound discontinuity depends on the voicing of the hammers, which must be followed without compromising the general tone of the instrument. Regulation also affects the "touch" and the sensation the pianist feels during "discontinuity". You haven't caused any damage!!! You have a sensitive piano on your hands and it must be well cared for. It seems to me that the piano is new. Is that so? Or is it restored? Tell me. Because if that were the case, the stability of the tuning needs to be verified.

Yes, Paolo, the piano is new, I am the first owner, and therefore this instrument has so far been played only by me. Perhaps, if I understand the meaning of your response correctly, the explanation is that the piano "must undergo a certain settling in," as you textually wrote. Does this mean that the instrument, precisely because it is new, must settle, and therefore "mature" its voice only after the settling in? Forgive me if I express myself with somewhat "homemade" terms, but not being a technician, I don't know how to express myself adequately. Anyway, your answer reassures me; after all, the piano is good (among uprights, the absolute best, as reported to me by the company from which I purchased it, are my Bechstein concert 8 and the one built by Steinway; a serious company, among other things, which I think you have heard mentioned, whose name I do not wish to write here—in fact, I will write it to you privately), and anyway, logically speaking, a piano of this level should not, I suppose, be damaged if it hasn't been tuned for two years. My fears depend, I believe, precisely on my lack of knowledge of the instrument, that is, of the piano in general. Paolo, I am thinking about your word, "settling in," and I think of the human voice: as an adolescent, the sound is not "perfect," but as an adult, that is, after the vocal cords have "settled," the voice becomes perfect. Is that it, Paolo? Is that the concept?

Furthermore, you spoke to me about "hammer voicing," terms still unknown to me, but which now, after having learned them from you, I will be able to ask the tuner about when he comes to retune the piano. Well, Paolo, your expertise, which you make available to us through your precious videos and through this equally precious forum, can only be useful to us because, as you say, it is important to know the instrument one plays. Thank you very much. Now I will go to private messages to write you the name of the company, certainly serious and which you certainly know, from whom I purchased my piano.

gian

Member

Posts: 60

June 24, 2011, 16:40

I have always wanted to play the piano, but I am starting from scratch, as an adult. Since I am starting now, I bought a decent piano (I saved money by not buying a new car), so I avoid having to buy another one when I become "grown-up" (usually, I assume, people start very young with a practice piano and then move on to a "serious" piano 😆 Did I say that right?). Starting everything from zero, both in terms of study and knowledge of the instrument, carries the risk of getting stuck, or of being frightened into thinking you have contracted a serious illness due to a simple and common stomach ache; this is exactly what happened to me. Because of my ignorance on the subject and some unfavorable circumstances (the piano was sidelined for a year), I was already imagining my piano's funeral, but I must thank this site and Paolo, who kindly explained to me that the piano is in excellent health: it simply needs stable tuning at 440 Hz, hammer voicing, and fine regulation. Thank you Paolo, now I am truly happy. I wish this site a long and happy life.

automobile nuova), così evito di comprarne un altro quando divento "grande" (di solito, suppongo, si comincia da giovanissimi con un pianoforte da studio per poi passare a un pianoforte "serio" 😆 Ho detto bene?). Iniziare comunque tutto da zero, sia nello studio sia nella conoscenza dello strumento, si rischia di restare impantanati, o di spaventarsi di aver contratto una brutta malattia a un semplice e comune mal di pancia, come appunto era successo a me che già mi stavo immaginando il funerale del mio pianoforte a causa della mia ignoranza in materia e di alcune circostanze sfavorevoli (il fermo per un anno del pianoforte), ma devo ringraziare questo sito e Paolo che mi ha gentilmente spiegato che il pianoforte è in ottima salute: ha semplicemente bisogno di una accordatura stabile a 440 Hz, una intonazione dei martelli e fine regolazione. Grazio Paolo, ora sono proprio contento. Auguro a questo sito una lunga e felice vita.