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Topic: Playing on a badly tuned piano. (Read 7084 times)

chopinlover96

PS Silver Member
Jr. Member
Posts: 60

Playing on a badly tuned piano.

on: December 24, 2011, 05:33:38 PM

Is it bad for a pianist to play on a badly tuned piano. Whenever i go and see my Gran i have to put up with playing on the worstly tuned piano ever!

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Chopin-Waltz Op.42
Brahms-Intermezzo Op.118 No.2
Field-Sonata No.1
Beethoven-Sonata Op.14 No.1
Bach-Prelude and Fugue in B flat No.21 WTC 1

49410enrique

PS Silver Member
Sr. Member
Posts: 3538

Re: Playing on a badly tuned piano.

Reply #1 on: December 25, 2011, 12:55:11 AM

i refused a few times in the past, then relented to people's pleas, then regretted it. i refuse completely from now on. never again! think about it like this, the out of tune notes are 'wrong' notes, if the whole instrument sounds awefuly you didn't play a single thing right. insist they tune it if they want it played.

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jimbo320

PS Silver Member
Sr. Member
Posts: 726

Re: Playing on a badly tuned piano.

Reply #2 on: December 26, 2011, 04:54:46 PM

Don't ever play an out of tune piano. Part of learning is ear training which would suffer if not in tune...

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\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\"Music is art from the heart. Let it fly\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\"...

quantum

PS Silver Member
Sr. Member
Posts: 6242

Re: Playing on a badly tuned piano.

Reply #3 on: December 26, 2011, 06:25:22 PM

I'd play on one for doing certain styles of improvisation. It can be quite fun when playing along with properly tuned instruments. I remember a harpsichord at the university which only had the bottom manual tuned, the top manual was 1/4 tone flat or more. That was so cool to play, two tunings on one instrument.

On the other hand, for mostly all other music I do insist on a properly tuned and maintained instrument. On my own piano I'll very frequently pull out the tuning hammer to correct the slightest out of tune unison.

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Made a Liszt. Need new Handel's for Soler panel & Alkan foil. Will Faure Stein on the way to pick up Mendels' sohn. Josquin get Wolfgangs Schu with Clara. Gone Chopin, I'll be Bach

indianajo

PS Silver Member
Sr. Member
Posts: 1105

Re: Playing on a badly tuned piano.

Reply #4 on: December 31, 2011, 10:51:26 PM

If you're related to the owner of the vile piano, tune it. I just tuned my Sister-in-law's piano for Christmas. We had a happy Christmas, Took a day and a half. I played a few carols and arrangements for Christmas. She thanked me. It still needs a good pro tuning, but he won't have to start 1/2 tone flat. I had to tune my Steinway seven times (not tuned since 1966), and finally use the Hammond H100 organ as referance to get the top octave perfect.
I improvised the tuning key out of a 5/16" quarter drive socket, and a long arm 5/16" allen wrench. I pluck the strings with my fingers, don't need damper sticks. I hold the two octaves in reference damper off with rolls of coins, and used a guitar tuning fork on G. I warned her a string could break beforehand, but luckily it didn't. Wear safety glasses, a broken string can throw metal fragments.

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