Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Forum seasonal change?

Hi, Everyone,

This is my first spring as a piano owner. I have noticed some changes in the way that my Estonia 190 sounds. Could they be related to seasonal changes?

I'll try to describe them. However, I am so new to the piano that the language I use will most surely be off key.

Anyway. I had my piano tuned for the second time a few weeks ago. I told the tuner that the sound of low D was bothering me. I thought that that key was perhaps particularly out of tune. The tuner said that it was not out of tune but that he could hear that it didn't "fit in" with nearby keys. He needled the felt, and now low D sounds fine. I also told him that I felt that the uppermost octave could not keep up with the other octaves in terms of sustain and power. I'm sure that I'm using the wrong vernacular. In any event, he voiced? the octave so that it fits in beautifully.

My concern now is that the piano is demonstrating a "vibrato," particularly in the lower octaves. I'm not sure whether I'm hearing something that is completely expectable given the slower vibration of these strings AND the 10% increase in humidity, or if I should ask the tuner to come back and listen to it. I'm probably more surprised than upset by the fluctuation in sound, even though it isn't my favorite thing about my piano. If anyone can make sense of what I'm trying to write, please tell me if this is within the realm of an ordinary seasonal change for a piano. The sustained sound fluctuation is quite subtle, and if I were playing faster and more complicated pieces than some simple Satie, I might not even notice it.

My best to all, Lucy

Lucy:

If I "read" you correctly, the short answer is that your piano is going through a normal settling-in of the strings as they continue to be stretched by tunings, and this settling-in, in turn, is also being affected by the seasonal changes here in the Northeast.

I wouldn't be unduly concerned, but would plan to have the piano tuned three or four times during the first year of ownership. I had mine tuned five times during the first year, and continue to have it tuned at least three times a year. I bought it in February, 2000.

As long as you have a good tuner/tech to take care of the piano for you, you have to live with these little things in a new piano that have to be "tweaked" with each visit.

I hope you continue to enjoy your Estonia.

Regards,

This is what I find intriguing:
Back when Glen Gould was still around, my college buddies and I would joke about his propensity to wiggle his finger on a depressed key...as if he could possibly achieve vibrato.

Of course this is impossible, since nothing remains in contact with the string after the hammer strikes.

But I'd like to know what real factors are causing Lucy's vibrato! If the bichord unisons are slightly out of sync, that would explain it do a degree. But there's nothing to explain how the monochords could be creating a vibrato-like sound...

Could it have something to do with the quality of the bass string windings, or the way the string is contacting its bearing points?

-Jimbo

Dear Lucy,

I agree with Bruce. I think your piano is demonstrating normal settling in - particularly if it has only been tuned once in its first year.

I am pleased that you have taught it vibrato. Now lets see if you can teach it a decent "sotto voce".

Dear Bruce, Jimbo and Rich,

Thanks for your responses. What I didn't note in my post was how well my piano held its tune after a winter that its tuner said was horrific for pianos. I hadn't intended to have it tuned on so infrequent a basis during the first year, but I was advised to wait until I had some minor, transit related cabinet repair done. Its next tuning will be in a couple of months. The tuner told me that it was "standard advice" to have a piano tuned four times the first year but that my piano held its tune so well, despite frequent playing, that it really only needed to be tuned twice each year. Is this typically true of Estonias? He said that the optimal times for tuning it were January and July. Maybe these are the most extreme months in terms of humidity swings in NYC. In any case, unless I am harming the piano by not having it tuned more frequently, twice yearly tunings would be fine. The guy who tunes my piano is EXPENSIVE!

PS to Rich on sotto voce: You and my neighbors, both!

PS to Jimbo: the monochords are not creating the vibrato-like sound.

See my post in a thread down the list called "In Tune or Not".

But I'll add something that comes up often enough for me-- are you running a fan in the room, like a ceiling fan? If so try it with the fan off.

Regards,

Rick Clark

I would guess that the problems are all humidity related. The past few weeks have been very humid in NY. The "vibrato" is that the octaves are slightly out of tune.

Wait a month or so (until A/C has stabilized the humidity in the home for a few weeks) and have it re-tuned. I am confident that the problems will be resolved. Don't worry-Be happy!