How often should I tune my piano?
Most manufacturers recommend a tuning schedule of every 3 months. While this is ideal, most people will never do this. A good rule of thumb is to tune after each major season change. In some areas, this would be 4 times per year. In Los Angeles and Orange County area, this is about twice per year. If the piano is new, it will need tuning more often than an older one. This is due to the extra “stretch” in new strings. Proper breaking in of a piano will give you a piano that is more stable, and that will not drift much between tunings. After it is properly broken in, keeping a regular tuning schedule will keep the piano on pitch so that tuning is all that is needed.
Why do pianos go out of tune?
The soundboard in a piano is curved upward to push the bridges against the strings. At the same time, the tremendous pressure of the strings pushes the soundboard downward. Shifts in humidity cause the soundboard to slightly rise and fall. The constant adding and taking away of pressure on the strings causes them to be slightly stretched and loosened on a fairly regular basis. This movement changes the tension on the strings, and they rarely go back exactly where they were. So a technician must put them back to the proper tensions, a process called “tuning”. This is why tuning schedules are often tied to season changes.
How soon should a piano be tuned after being moved?
A piano recently moved to a different location needs three to six months to adjust to the new environment. That doesn’t mean that the piano should not be tuned after it is moved. In fact, quite the opposite is true because having it tuned after it is moved, stabilizes it. Just keep in mind that when a piano is tuned within three to six months after being moved, it might get slightly out of tune pretty soon. The reason for this is because the wood and strings are now in a different environment with different humidity levels and different atmospheric pressures, as well as a different constant temperature. The piano needs to adjust to its surroundings and bend and swell or shrink before it settles.
What is the best way to clean a high gloss finish piano?
The best products I have personally tested are Cory Piano Polish and Music Nomad Piano Polish.
Avoid using furniture polish. High gloss polyester finishes are not absorbent, so furniture polish sits on top of the finish like grease.
How do you clean a piano that doesn’t have a high gloss finish?
If your piano isn’t finished with polyester, it is finished in lacquer, satin, or matte finish. Polyester and lacquer are not absorbent and should be cleaned with the products recommended above. As with the high gloss polyester finishes, you should clean the finish only, not oil it up with furniture polish. For absorbent finishes such as satin and matte, I recommend Cory Satin Sheen Piano Cleaner.
My high polished piano is getting dull. What can I do to get back shine?
The good news is that if the finish isn’t too worn it can be brought back to almost new condition by polishing. The bad news is – without the proper tools, polishes, and know-how, it will take you forever.
What is the ideal humidity range for a piano?
Actually, keeping the humidity level consistent is more important than staying at a certain humidity range. That said, a piano does it’s best when kept at a humidity level of between 40% and 50%. While it is not uncommon for pianos to live in much higher or lower ranges and do just fine, it is better if you can keep them within the ideal range and that you keep the humidity consistent. Going from 40% to 50% over and over again every day is harder on the piano than a steady 65% humidity. You must do two things – keep it somewhere in the ideal range, and then keep it consistent to minimize expansion and contraction of the piano.
What can be done to keep the humidity level consistent?
The best way is to have a piano technician install a PIANO LIFE SAVER system in the piano. These systems are designed to control the temperature and humidity around the piano. The system will pull moisture out of the air if it is too humid, and add moisture if it is too dry, and keep the temperature at a consistent level. This offers you several benefits. The piano will hold its tuning longer, which will save you on maintenance costs. It will also minimize the stress placed on things such as glue joints, felts, screws, and so forth, extending the useful life of your piano.
What’s the difference between grand piano, console piano, and studio piano?
Pianos come in two types – those that stand up vertically, and those that are laid out horizontal to the floor. Each type is built in different sizes. Some names used to describe pianos are generic, some are specific. Horizontal pianos are generically referred to as grands. Grands are then given names based on length which are more or less specific. Commonly, any grand less than 5 1/2′ in length will be referred to as a baby grand. 5 1/2′ – 6′ are called parlor or studio grands. 6′ – 7′ are referred to as conservatory grands. 7’or larger are referred to as semi concert grands, with the largest ones, usually around 9′, being referred to as concert grands.
Verticals are generically referred to as vertical, upright, or less commonly, standups. Just as grands become more specifically defined by length, vertical pianos are defined specifically by height. Verticals that are 40″ tall or less are called spinets. 41″ to 44″ are called consoles. 45″ – 48″ are called studios, 48″ to 52″ are called uprights. Years ago vertical pianos were built as tall as 60″ or more. These are also referred to as uprights. Sometimes people will call them “upright grands”, but there is in reality no such thing. It was simply a marketing strategy used by some manufacturers in an attempt to impart the illusion of superiority over the competition. An upright is an upright, not a grand stood up the wall.
Height is only one factor, though, particularly when referring to consoles and studios. The piano’s action is a factor in properly labeling the piano. A full-sized action is generally found in the studio, and a compressed or smaller, shorter action is found in a console. But there are pianos of console height with full-sized studio actions, and though shorter physically they rightfully can be called studios. Likewise, there are pianos of studio height but that have compressed actions, and as such should be considered a console. All the other sizes are more clearly defined.
Why Should My Piano Be Serviced Regularly?
A piano is a valuable investment, and should therefore be maintained regularly by a professional piano tuner to avoid costly repairs. Materials such as wood and felt of which the piano is manufactured make it subject to change with climatic conditions. Hot and cold or wet and dry extremes cause these materials to swell and contract, affecting tone, pitch, and action response or touch. An out-of-tune piano or an unresponsive touch can discourage even novice musicians and is no pleasure listening to.
What Is Regulation And How Does It Affect My Piano’s Performance?
Regulation is the adjustment of the mechanical parts of the piano’s action optimizing its performance to compensate for the effects of wear and tear, the compacting and settling of cloth, felt, and leather, as well as dimensional changes in wood and felt parts due to changes in humidity and temperature. The three systems implicated in regulation are the action, pedal system, and keyboard.
What Is The Piano Action And Why Does It Need Maintaining?
The action is the mechanical part of the piano that transfers the motion of the fingers on the keys to the hammers, which strike the strings. When you look inside your piano, you will find a cast iron plate or “harp”, strung with steel and copper-wound strings over a large expanse of wood which is the soundboard, and all these form part of the piano’s backframe. If you take a closer look, you will discover a system of levers, springs, and hammers, largely consisting of wood and felt, connected to the keyboard, which causes a hammer to strike a string when a key is pressed, and this is called the action. It consists of over 9 000 parts which require adjustment to critical tolerances to be able to respond to a pianist’s every command. It includes the damper system which is the mechanical part of the piano that stops the vibration of the string when the key is released and is controlled by the key and pedal systems. Like all other instruments that are subject to wear and tear, it is essential that these important parts of the piano are serviced regularly by a qualified piano technician also called a piano tuner. Each and every note needs to be perfectly regulated individually to give optimum performance. The pedals also need occasional adjustment.
What Is The Pedal System?
The pedal system is a collection of levers, dowels, and springs which connect the pedals to the action controlling sustain and dynamics.
What Is The Keyboard?
The keyboard or claviature of a modern piano consists of seven octaves and a minor third or 88 keys. This is the section of the action used by the pianist to play the piano and from where the touch is controlled. The keys act as levers that set the action in motion. This motion causes the hammers to hit the strings and produce sounds.
Why Is Restoration Or Rebuilding Of The Mechanical Systems Sometimes Necessary Prior To Regulation?
If it has badly worn parts, or if there has been corrosion or moth damage, the piano may not be able to be properly regulated without some repairs or replacement of parts.
Piano Moving
Piano moving can also get a piano out of tune. The delicate position of the tuning pins in the pin block and the strings over the bridge pins is quite sensitive. Any time a piano is tilted or handled, there can be a shift in these positions.
Changes In Humidity
Changes in humidity are the main cause of changes in piano tuning. When all the wooden parts like the soundboard, pin block, and bridge are in a moist environment, the wood cells will absorb the moisture and swell up, which causes expansion and this pulls the strings tighter, which forces the piano to go sharp. On the other hand, if the piano is moved to a drier environment, the result is shrinking of the wood. The strings will lose their tension and go flat, and wood might also crack. Opening of splits may occur and buzzes may be heard when the piano is played. It may also lead to enlargement of the holes for the tuning pins in the tuning block, also called a wrest plank, which will cause loose tuning pins making piano tuning unstable, or even impossible. Each and every seasonal change, wet or dry, alters a piano’s tuning.
Changes In Temperature
The effect of changes in temperature is quite related to humidity. When the steel strings heat up, they slack, lose tension, and go flat. When the steel strings get cold, they tighten, gain tension and the piano goes sharp. This happens every winter and summer, day and night as temperature changes, making piano tuning unstable.
No Vases And Drinks On The Piano
Do not stuff your piano with vases or any other heavy materials. Keeping drinks off your piano must always be a general rule. Spilling water or drinks on the piano can in some cases cause irreversible or expensive damage. If a liquid is spilled on the piano, and it gets to the action of the piano, contact your piano technician immediately to prevent any further damage.
Won’t I Have Fewer Expenses, And Get More Joy From An Electronic Synthesized Piano?
The beautiful, natural, unique sound of an acoustic piano is due to the remarkable blending of such materials as wood, metal, leather, and felt. Together they create a sound like no other instrument in the world. While electronic synthesizers may approximate the sound of an acoustic piano, it cannot approach the true beauty of the real thing, and never will accomplish that. The artificial sound and touch of an electronic instrument will never match that of an acoustic piano.
How Does Temperature And Humidity Changes Affect My Piano?
Hot to cold, or dry to wet, extremes are harmful to your piano. Dryness causes the pitch to go flat, whilst moisture let it go sharp. Repeated swings in relative humidity can cause soundboards to crack or distort. Extreme dryness can also weaken the glue joints that hold the soundboard and other wood portions of the piano together. Moisture may lead to string rust. A piano functions best under fairly consistent conditions, which are neither too wet, nor too dry.
Why Is Restoration Or Rebuilding Of The Mechanical Systems Sometimes Necessary Prior To Regulation?
If it has badly worn parts, or if there has been corrosion or moth damage, the piano may not be able to be properly regulated without some repairs or replacement of parts.
What Is Piano Rebuilding?
Rebuilding involves complete disassembly, inspection, and repair as necessary with replacement of all worn or deteriorated parts. The piano is then reassembled, tested, and adjusted to the same or similar tolerance and performance as when it was new.
What Is Piano Restoration?
Restoration is the process of restoring your piano back to good condition by cleaning, repairing, and adjusting it for maximum performance with replacement parts only where needed. If your piano has deteriorated beyond simple restoration, it may need to be rebuilt.