Piano Tuning; What Goes Into a 1 Hour Service Call?

 

During a piano tuning appointment, clients will often ask questions like “How often should my piano be tuned?,” “What kind of work do you recommend to fix my piano?” or even just “How bad was it?” We always appreciate these kinds of questions, because they represent an underlying concern about keeping the piano working properly. We feel a strong responsibility to give these questions answers that will help people understand their piano better, and it is from the conversations that result from these questions that I am attempting to distill some useful information here for current and future piano owners.

“I called you out here because it’s been a few years since I tuned the piano last, but it sounds fine to me. What do you think about this piano, is it way out of tune?”  

Pianos are a bit like people, when they are young they are able to perform feats of athleticism that when they are old become more difficult. Pianos develop creaky joints, begin to respond unevenly, and parts begin to wear and become brittle. Friction can increase and cause parts of the piano to stop working entirely. Guitar and string players know well how much of a difference new strings can make on their instruments’ sound, even after only a few years have passed.

Unlike some instruments such as violins, which have very few moving parts, and can become more valuable with age, pianos, with literally thousands of joints, pivots, and friction points will even after 20-30 years begin to show the marks of time, and after 50 often require restoration work to continue to perform at a consistent level, especially if they have not been maintained regularly. When we sit down at a piano for the first time, besides listening to how the piano currently sounds, we are also looking at various parts and feeling the keys. We look for each key to travel smoothly and have a similar weight from note to note. We feel if there is a gap between when the key is pressed and when it engages the hammer, and test the damper pedal to see if all keys cut off consistently and evenly. Often there is other work that can be done to quickly improve a piano that feels inconsistent or sluggish.

“Oh, I see you have the whole piano taken apart. I’ve never seen the piano opened up like that. Is everything OK?”

More Info : Piano Lifesaver System Installation

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ty Uphoff Piano Tuning is now Vanguard Piano Service

Ty Uphoff Piano Tuning has transitioned from Ty’s solo career to include his talented team of piano technicians serving the Greater Saint Louis and Kansas City Areas. In July 2019, Ty launched Vanguard Piano Service to better meet the needs of our expanding community of piano musicians. The Vanguard Piano Service team embodies professionalism, passion for continued education in piano technology, and a love for making pianos sound and play beautifully. If you were working with Ty prior to 2019, he is happy to continue servicing your piano. However, you will now have the option to work with our other professional piano technicians as well.  More Info : Trained Piano Tuner 
Read more

Piano Tuning in Edwardsville, IL: Why It Matters and How to Choose the Right Service

If you own a piano in Edwardsville, IL, regular tuning is essential to maintain its sound quality and longevity. Whether you’re a professional musician, a student, or someone who enjoys playing for leisure, keeping your piano in tune ensures an enjoyable playing experience and protects your investment. This blog will guide you through the importance of piano tuning, what to expect during a service, and how to find the best piano tuner in Edwardsville, IL. Why Piano Tuning is Important Pianos are intricate instruments with over 200 strings stretched across a wooden frame. Over time, factors like humidity, temperature changes, and regular use can cause the strings to lose tension, leading to a less harmonious sound. Regular tuning ensures: Optimal Sound Quality : A well-tuned piano produces rich and balanced tones, enhancing your playing experience. Instrument Longevity : Proper tuning helps prevent long-term damage to the piano’s internal components, such as the soundboard and strings. ...
Read more

Understanding Humidity Changes and Your Piano | Vanguard Piano Service

Image
  As a piano technician, one of the frequent questions I get from piano owners is about how to take care of the piano better.  There are several ways to do so and today I would like to specifically talk about how humidity affects the piano.  Materials we can find in the piano consist of metal, felt, wool and wood.  Changes in the humidity can affect all of these things that is why it is important to keep the piano in a controlled environment. With the changes in humidity, there are several ways the piano might be impacted. The most immediate change people notice is in the pitch of the piano.  Sometimes you may notice the keys feel weird when they feel heavy to the touch or sometimes stick down in high humidity, other times you may notice there are rattles or clicks when the keys are played with low humidity. Permanent damage may be caused when the piano goes through extreme humidity changes where parts swell and shrink rapidly, this may cause wooden parts to hav...
Read more