HOW THE PIANO CAN CHANGE WHILE LEFT UNTOUCHED

[ciocia_fifi]

hi guys, pls help me solve my problem, as im not a specialist in tuning, acoustics, etc;
well, its my upright piano which really pisses me off: i used 2 practise on it everyday, since ever, and now ( its been almost 1 year) i use it very rarely (as i ve moved out). so, for example:last time i tried to practise, it was ok- the keyboard was balanced, i didnt have 2 change my touch, 2 force myself, the sound was really bright and colourful. and then i left 4 abt 5 weeks, practised on a dffrnt 1. right now im back , and im terrified by what i ve found here! the piano is cmpltly deaf!! and it cannot be my technique that has changed. the temperature&the humidity in the room hasnt changed much. nb has touched thie piano. so why has it changed so badly?? i should add that its still in tune, so thats only the quality& colour of the sound which are sth new 2 me. how can i prevent myself from such suprises? whats the problem?tnx in advance

[rachfan]

Hi fifi,

I'd offer a couple of possibilities why the piano seems to different to you.  First, you practiced on another piano for several weeks.  During that time, you readjusted yourself, got used to  the action and the sound, etc.  That piano now lives in your ear.  When you returned to the first instrument, it seemed foreign to you.  What you  were probably experiencing was a mental comparison of the two, even though you assumed you were dealing with the original piano only on its own merits.  In fact, it seems that the second piano won out in that the original piano just didn't measure up in some ways.  Thus, your perception of the original piano wasn't too favorable.

Here's a similar example: My parents have an Ivers & Pond baby grand that I played for years and I always thought was pretty good.   Now I own my own Baldwin parlor grand that is an artist quality instrument.  When I visit my parents now and play what always seemed to be an adequate piano, it strikes me as being, well, terrible.  When I return to my own piano, I'm in heaven.

The other thing I would mention is that even though temperature and humidity were fairly constant, outdoor weather changes can make the piano sound temporarily different.  For example, my piano sounds different on a rainy day than on a sunny day--every time.  So you have to take that variable into account too.  

[ciocia_fifi]

tnx , u r pretty right

[tosca1]

I would also ask you how long since your piano was tuned. Although your piano may still be approximately in tune micro changes in the tuning can affect the timbre of the piano.  These changes will inevitably occur  whether the piano is played or not. As RachFan has pointed out, there will still be changes in the weather that must influence the piano because of humidity and temperature swings.
Another reason is that a piano that is rarely played will not sound as good as one that is regularly played.  Frequent playing keeps the soundboard and the strings and indeed everything in good working order  and although this deterioration may be slight and subtle, it is noticeable particularly when you know the piano well.
Low pressure and high pressure weather patterns also affect the piano. Clear, anticyclonic weather bodes well for piano sound (possibly because of the reduction of humidity) whereas  as low pressure changes are less favourable.
Regards,
Robert.  

[ciocia_fifi]

hello robert, tnx 4 your point of view as well:)
well, its been a year since the piano was tuned 4 d last time. but i should add that i left in september and since that time i only played it in december and in march ( 4 a few days of vacation  from my conservatory). the temperature stays d same in that room. its ridiculous, but in march the sound was great , in opposition 2 the december, when i found it deaf just d same like now. its really hard 2 explain that phenomenom, isnt it?
regards