Tuning:

Pianos should be tuned a minimum of twice a year. This ensures that the piano maintains its correct pitch (usually A440). This also maintains a pleasant sounding instrument to everyone who plays it as the instrument was engineered to be played at exactly this frequency. This is especially important for young children learning piano as they develop tonal reference points to the notes that a piano produces. In other words a middle A played should produce of frequency of 440Hz.

New pianos (contrary to popular belief), should be tuned at least 5-6 times during their first two years. This is due to shrinking components, the wearing into place of the hammers / action felts and the initial stretching of the strings. Doing so will ensure that the piano "settles" into its correct tension which will promote more stable tunings during its extended service life.

If a pitch raise is required every time a piano is tuned, i.e. due to infrequent tunings, this puts unnecessary stress on the tuning block and strings. This will eventually lead to premature replacement of the tuning pins and much higher probability of string breakage (especially bass strings) and plate fracture. Also, if a piano is not tuned regularly, corrosion products accumulate at the contact points of the string and the bridge, hitch pins, agraffes, v-blocks etc... greatly increasing the chance of string breakage.

Note that a concert piano, or a studio piano is tuned before each performance and that pianos in learning institutes/universities are tuned about once a month.

Finally, an untuned piano sounds unpleasant and does not promote prolonged and enjoyable playing as the musician/student becomes tired of the beating of improperly tuned unisons, buzzing and unpleasant sounding of simple chords.
<top>

Humidity Levels:

The amount of playing and the humidity levels are the two main reasons why pianos to go out of tune. Since practicing is the only way to improve your skill level, choosing your location must then be done carefully in order to provide a relatively stable environment that will maximize your piano's tuning stability.

Humidity levels influences pitch and tuning changes in a piano. Ideally, a piano should be maintained in a environment where the relative humidity is between 40% and 45%. Higher humidity levels will cause the soundboard to swell therefore increasing the tension on the strings and increasing their pitch. This may also result in sticking keys, sluggish action and rusted pins and/or tuning pins. Lower humidity levels results in the soundboard shrinking therefore decreasing the tension on the springs - this results in lowered overall pitch.

Placing a hygrometer inside of a piano may allow you to determine if surrounding humidity changes are required.

Winter vs Summer: If all of the strings would rise and fall at the same rate during "wet" and "dry" periods, then the tuning would remain stable and only the pitch would change - that would be acceptable to most. However, this rarely happens. The strings, tuning pins, pin block and soundboard all respond differently to humidity changes and that is why pianos go out of tune during these periods - and why they should be tuned at least twice a year.
<top>

Where to put the Piano:

Put your piano where it sounds best: The piano should be placed in a room where the sound will be evenly distributed. A room where all the sound gathers in one spot will produce sound lag and echoes. The best room for your piano is one in which its sound will reverberate to produce pleasant, full-bodied tones without harsh echoes.

Provide sufficient ventilation on all sides. 4 inches minimum between an upright and a wall.

Pianos should NOT be placed in the following areas:

- Direct sunlight
- In front of heating / cooling ducts and electric baseboard heaters
- High humidity areas (kitchens, bathrooms, garages, outside...)
- Next to fireplaces
- Areas where the humidity varies constantly

Pianos should be placed on a solid floor which can support their weight:

You may want to protect your floor from damage from the piano casters (wheels). Uprights pianos have 4 casters and grands pianos have 3.

Wood floors may require caster cups to prevent scratching. Carpets should be protected with caster cups as the oxidation from the metallic casters (many times made of brass) will most likely transfer to the carpet leaving stubborn stains. Also, the heavy weight of the piano will crush the carpet permanently.

Note: The color from the felt from some caster cups may transfer to carpet or even wood floors.
<top>

Regulation / Hammers:

Regulation involves adjustment of the inner components of the piano called the action. Many action components include felts and buckskins which will wear and pack with use. Adjustments are made by regulating screws, bending action wires and realigning critical components.

Since the piano hammers are made of felt, they will wear with use. These must be realigned, resurfaced or replaced after time to restore the original contact angle and inertia. Most of a piano's tone is initiated as the hammer strikes the string.

In order to obtain an evenly distributed tonality and "loudness" between each note / hammer , a hammer voicing is done. Hammer voicings are also done when the hammer felt gets packed and starts sounding more brittle or scratchy.

Regular adjustments are necessary to prevent excessive wear and possibly damage to the many hundred parts inside of a piano.

This will restore the "feel" of the piano removing any "looseness". Also, regulation adjustements allows identifying and correcting potential problems that may otherwise not be noticed without a thorough inspection.
<top>

Exterior and Finish:

Many specialized products are available for cleaning and protecting the exterior finish of your piano. Some are designed for natural wood, some for high gloss polyester coatings, etc...

Choose carefully the products that you apply on your piano. Some products may permanently damage the finish !

Always feather dust a fine piano surface. The safest product to remove mild stains is a very soft damp cloth. This is followed by buffing with a very soft dry rag. Never allow water to come in direct contact with piano strings, tuning pins or action parts. If wet, dry thoroughly.

Do not place objects on top of the piano: A heavy object may cause poor tone, noisy vibrations and permanent marks on the finish of the piano. Needless to say that too many pianos have been damaged by over-watering one's finest house plants......

Pedals are made either of solid brass, plated brass or plated nickel. To restore the shine of the pedal, common brass polishing pastes will generally do a very good job.

Be careful before lifting a grand piano lid. Make sure that all of the hinges and hinge pins are in good condition.

Many upright pianos have front wooden legs usually with casters underneath. Many times, these are added in order to improve the piano's look - they do not support any of the piano's weight. Do not apply excessive pressure or lean the weight of the piano on the front legs.
<top>

Moving a piano:

Never move a piano by yourself. Their heavy weight can damage your house and your back - also including the piano itself if mishandled. Only hire specialized piano movers.

Never transport an upright piano on its back. This may result in a cracked plate.

If you want to move a piano from one room to the other, push the piano slowly on its casters.

Moving a piano will almost always detune it. Plan a tuning after moving a piano.

Contact us for a list of recommended piano movers.
<top>