Moisture, cracking, and tension drift make every grand piano uniquely voiced over its lifetime

Evidence

Stretch tune. Modulates the Railsback effect. Stretch tuning makes the low range slightly flatter and the high range slightly sharper so you hear an in-tune piano across the full range. — Eric J. Heller, Why You Hear What You Hear- An…, 1849 (#expands, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Pianos are stretch-tuned so low notes sit flat and high notes sharp — Eric J. Heller, Why You Hear What You Hear- An…, 1849

Related

• Pianos are stretch-tuned so low notes sit flat and high notes sharp (similarity 0.93)
• Stretched partials give the piano its characteristic musical color (similarity 0.86)
• Piano tuning stretched so far it has become a required sound (similarity 0.86)
• Slightly mistuned piano strings produce richer, longer-lasting sound (similarity 0.85)
• Physically correct octaves actually cause audible beats in a real piano (similarity 0.84)
• Piano octave stretching grows with pitch as strings shorten (similarity 0.83)
• Octave stretching on pianos emerges directly from string inharmonicity (similarity 0.83)
• Even the perfect octave is routinely violated in piano tuning (similarity 0.83)
• Piano tuning must sacrifice perfect octaves to avoid beating against sharp harmonics (similarity 0.83)
• Real piano strings force a stretched tuning to avoid audible beats (similarity 0.83)
• Piano octaves are stretched because lower notes’ overtones are inharmonic (similarity 0.82)
• Railsback chart quantifies the gap between stretched piano tuning and equal temperament (similarity 0.82)
• Environmental changes make each piano’s resonances unique and unstable (similarity 0.81)
• Hammer impact speed and mass trade off to shape a piano’s tone (similarity 0.81)
• Finite wire thickness raises higher piano partials, producing stretched harmonics (similarity 0.81)

Broader Connections

• Pianos are stretch-tuned so low notes sit flat and high notes sharp #expands (0.78) — Eric J. Heller, Why You Hear What You Hear- An…, 1849