While everyone loves the elegant sound of a well tuned piano, few piano owners invest the money and energy in keeping their piano well maintained. Some believe that piano tuning is extremely expensive, or that simple piano upkeep is a chore. While keeping your piano well tuned isn’t terribly inexpensive, it also shouldn’t be a financial drain.
Variations in temperature, humidity and other environmental factors can wreak havoc on these intricate instruments, and the hundreds of working, moving parts it is made of. These changes, along with regular use, lead to brassy sounding notes, "light" or "stuck" keys, and eventually long term damage to the piano. By having a piano tuned regularly, you’re turning back the clock. Instead of having loose strings or stuck keys that become even more damaged as time goes on, a professional technician will fix these problems so the piano won’t develop lasting damage.
Depending on your climate and playing habits, the general rule is to have a professional come out once or twice a year to tune your piano. If your piano is used often, like in a church or school, you may need to have it tuned more frequently. If your piano is infrequently used, or if you live in a very stable climate, you may not need to tune it as often.
Whenever your piano is moved, you should have a professional come tune it, as the moving process could loosen the necessary tension on the strings, keys and other internal pieces. Many moving companies can recommend local piano technicians, or vice versa. If you are concerned about having your piano moved, ask your technician to suggest a reputable moving company.
When a piano is tuned, the pitch and notes of the strings are compared to another device, usually a tuning fork, to measure the accuracy of the piano’s keys. To actually tune the keys, the strings must be tightened with a specialized tool, to a very specific tension to ensure the most accurate note. Many technicians will also do minor repairs or cleaning on other internals parts.
Piano tuning is a long, involved process, and something owners should not attempt to do themselves. It takes years of training, certifications and many specialized skills to tune pianos. Since the internal components are under such high tension, any attempt to tune them, without proper training and equipment, could result irreversible damage, such as snapped strings. You can find a certified, local piano technician by visiting websites like the Piano Technician’s Guild, or visiting local businesses that have often used pianos and asking for a reference to their technician.