Organ Tuning and Maintenance 101 March 23, 2019
The Pipe Organ is a very complex and sensitive instrument. Today, John and I will discuss and let you experience a few of the many complicated features and how you may master a few basic techniques. We’ll address some of the problems we have to deal with when servicing/tuning a pipe organ.
Silent organ
If the organ is silent and yet you can hear the blower, check the electrical breaker. Also check breakers if the blower doesn’t start. Sometimes breakers are tripped and a visit to fix a ‘dead’ organ requires no more than the flip of a switch. If nothing works, call the technician and write in the maintenance book what you tried. Wind supply quits for the oddest reasons- the main valve on the blower output fails or a fuse blows on the organ power supply 12-14 volts direct current- all giving the “Sound of Silence” as Simon and Garfunkel sang.
Basic tuning of the odd note
A pipe found badly out of tune can be a delicate problem for the organist. Safety is paramount- take no risks. You may need permission from the church before trying to rectify the issue. It is often a reed pipe (trumpet, oboe, clarinet, clarion) that can fly off pitch.
Plug the key with a pencil before going into the pipe chamber if you don’t have an assistant. The “wand” with a small tip of tissue is a help to find the note. The offending reed, when played with the Octave 4’ or Principal 4’ will indicate the out of tuneness by beating. The wand (rather than your hand) brought slowly over the pipe top, will either make the beating (difference in pitch to the tuning rank) slow or speed up. Slowing the beat by shading (covering) the pipe top gradually means the reed is sharp and the tuning wire needs to be raised toward the ceiling by consecutive gentle taps of the tuning knife. Success is indicated by the slowing of the beats until none are audible- it’s in tune. If the beating speeds up when the pipe top is covered, it means the note is flat and needs to have the tuning wire tapped down to raise the pitch. Be careful as the smaller the reed pipe the more sensitive it is and balancing the tuning knife to give a very gentle tap is needed.
The same sequence of finding a note with the wand (do not hit the pipe) can be used to locate any other flue pipe. Once again, shading flattens and uncovering sharpens. Be careful not to disturb neighbouring pipes as you may cause more to be out of tune than you try to adjust. Watch where you walk, what you touch and how you balance yourself.
Stuck Note (Cypher)
Finding the problem of a stuck note can be tricky and a cypher may be the keyboard key stuck rather than the pipe wind valve. Grasp the key firmly and rub it side to side as you work it up and down. This will help to loosen the felt guides in the key and free the vertical travel.
Turning off the blower after the stuck note has been found may help. When it is turned back on, the note may or may not stop sounding when played staccato with a rest between repeats. If unsuccessful and safe access is available, the offending pipe can be silenced by gently lifting it up and tipping it sideways. (You know now how to find the offending pipe with the wand.) Larger wooden pipes may be silenced by stuffing a cloth or towel in their mouths.
Tuning and Temperature
The pipe organ is sensitive to heat changes- summer and winter particularly. Organ pipes do not change in length with heat variations but simple physics tells us hot air (less dense) vibrates faster than cold air. Also, the circulation of ambient air in a pipe chamber is usually slow. The custodian who tells the tuner “I put the heat up an hour ago” may not have allowed time to have all sections of the organ at the same temperature. It is also impossible to expect a tuner to achieve A=440 on a very hot day or in a cold church. Going with the seasons means at times the pitch of an instrument may be flat or sharp- cold or warm air temperatures.
Compounding this is the tuning of the reeds which react differently than the flue pipes.
A large instrument such as St. John the Divine may have over 3000 pipes- several days worth of tuning if the church budget allowed it. As the reeds are most noticeable when out of tune and represent only 15% of the pipework, these are the pipes we concentrate on in most visits. The smaller flue pipes show tuning issues as they are the most sensitive. Pedal Bourdon 16’, Open Wood 16’ and Principal 16’ are usually tuned once when the instrument is new (unless a bird has died in a pipe).
Chests (wind chests with air valve controls to pipes) have thin leather components which need to be renewed after 40 years or so as the lifespan of leather is finite.
Primum non nocere
In conclusion, I would emphasize do not take risks if climbing a ladder or walking on a narrow walkboard is uncomfortable for you. Also, as they say in the medical profession, do no harm. It really is okay to use the piano if an organ technician is unavailable before Sunday’s service.