Brand new Piano Goes Sharp?????

[Bosendorfer_214]

Hi

I just got my new Bosendorfer and I noticed that  couple of the notes are sharp.  I was tod that the piano was tuned upon arrival to the staes, but at the factory they are tuned to A443.  I have a small hand held tuner and caliberated it to A443 and the two notes are very close to being in tune at A 443.  When the piano settles is it possible for it to return to the original specifications of tunning.  In the wealth of literature that came with the piano it stated that the tuning can be adjusted from 440 to 445.  What am I supposed to do?  I havd a tech comming some time this week.  Thanks for your help.

Nic

[tosca1]

Dear Bosendorder_214,
There is nothing that you can do apart from play your magnificent new piano and wait for your tuner/technician to touch up the tuning.
Any piano, new or old, takes about 2 weeks to settle in a new home.  As pianos are made mostly of wood, they  will always be affected by temperature and  humidity levels which inevitably affect the tuning.  For example a slight increase in humidity may cause the sound board to swell even infinitesimally which may cause some notes to sharpen in pitch.
With a new piano there is also a settling in period as the soundboard frees up with playing and the new strings stretch so it is wise to have your new piano tuned at least four times in its first year.
I hope that your new beautiful piano will a constant source of pleasure for you.
Robert.

[rachfan]

I fully agree with tosca1's comments here.  

In addition, A445 is more like concert pitch, which is OK.  I've had my home piano tuned that way in the past, and it adds a bit of excitement to the playing.  However, in the home environment it can be a little edgy too, so these days I stick with the darker A440.

The other point I'd make to expand on tosca1's answer to your question, is that yes, tunings can turn sharp.  In New England it happens to pianos every year.  In winter with ultra low humidity, the tuning pins loosen a hair, and the pianos go slightly flat.  Come spring and summer when the humidity returns, the pianos go slightly sharp back to where they were.  

So once the new piano has settled, and depending on use, you might want to tune once or twice a year.  (Teachers and artists have to do it more frequently.)

The best time to tune is in winter and/or summer.  Tunings in spring and fall (at least in the New England climate) will not be as dependable, as the weather is unstable during those two seasons of change.  Many tuners will assert that it makes no difference whatsoever.  But their interest is in distributing their tuning workload evenly over 12 months so as not to have peaks that are difficult to manage.  And if  tunings from spring and fall fail and they are called back sooner than expected, well, that's--what else?  Extra fees!

[Bosendorfer_214]

Thanks-

I spoke with my tech today and he told me that this was to be expected with the sudden rise in humidity.  I have had the piano for about 2 weeks now and he will be coming to tune and voice, tune and voice, and tune and voice.

I usually have my piano tuned 4 times a year anyway.  I practice for several hours a day and can't stand to listen to poor intonation.  

La Campanella calls-

Nic