Services

Piano Tuning

Like any acoustic musical instrument, pianos (both vertical and grand) need to be tuned. How often your piano needs to be tuned will vary, but it is typically recommended that a piano be tuned every 6 months. Over time a piano will drift out of tune. Like having a car serviced on a consistent basis, having your piano tuned regularly will keep the instrument in top shape, allow the piano technician to address problems when they are small, and make the instrument sound great.

Although the typical modern piano has 88 keys, internally a piano has approximately 250 individual strings. Some of the bass notes are one string per note, but the majority of the notes have 2 or 3 strings per note sounded. If these strings are not in tune with each other then the instrument will sound "off" or "sour." If the pitch of the instrument is not set to a common standard (A=440), then playing with other instruments will prove difficult.

The process is tuning a piano is quite involved and includes making adjustments to pitch, setting the temperament (the interval between notes), and ensuring that all of the unison strings are perfectly in tune with themselves.

Standard Tuning

For a piano that has been tuned on a regular basis, a standard tuning is performed on the instrument. This tuning includes minor adjustment to pitch & temperament, and making sure that all of the unison strings are perfectly in tune with each other. 

For a standard tuning I allow 2 hours.

Pitch Raise

Pianos that have not been tuned regularly may require a pitch raise. This is a more complicated 2-pass tuning process, the first to adjust the pitch of all of the strings and the second to make minor adjustments to pitch, set the temperament, and tune all of the unison strings. To determine if a pitch raise is required, the piano technician measures how far off standard pitch the instrument is. This is typically done by sampling the tuning of individual notes across the entire range of the piano.

For a pitch raise tuning I allow 3 hours. 

It is strongly advised that after a pitch raise you schedule the next standard tuning in 3-4 months. After that tuning, a tuning of every 6 months is recommended.

Your MILEAGE Will Vary...

How often your piano will need to be tuned depends on a wide range of factors including:

• Environment - temperature and humidity changes over time
• Playing time and style - how often the instrument is played and how it is played
• Age and condition of the piano, the tuning pins, and the strings