Piano tuning and rebuilding

Questions you might have

How regularly should I tune my piano?

Because we live on the east end of Long Island the climactic changes swing from very wet in the summer to very dry in the winter. We suggest, as do piano manufactures, to 3 to 4 times a year. Humidity and the lack there of, affects the pianos ability to hold it’s tuning. The reason for this is that the instrument is made of wood that supports anywhere from 18 to 23 tons of pressure. The wood expands with moisture and shrinks with the lack of humidity. The target for the humidity is 45 to 55 %year round. That means dehumidify in the summer and humidify in the winter. The consistency of temperature is also going to help stabilize the wood and your tuning. Spinnet pianos are 39” high at the back of the piano and a grand upright is 52” high. The taller the piano the longer it will stay in tune. Grand pianos are 4 foot 10” to 9 feet or more. The larger the piano the more colorful the tone and the more stable it is.

Most piano owners who play the piano 4 to 5 hours a week could very possibly tune the piano 2 times a year and be quite satisfied.
If the piano is not being played at all it should be tuned once a year. If it is left unattended damage can occur. When long periods of time elapse between tunings, more than one tuning will be necessary to bring the piano up to concert 440 pitch. All instruments in this country are tuned to 440. So if you would like to play the piano along with a trumpet or clarinet; a fix pitch instrument and the piano is not up to pitch……. it’s not going to sound good. Stringed instruments can tune down to the piano

If I have my piano moved, does it need a tuning?

Yes, it will need a tuning but you should wait 2 to 3 weeks before you have the tuning done. If the piano sounds bad or doesn’t play right when it has been moved there might be other problems. You should contact us to have us take a look to resolve the problem. If the piano is properly moved it should sound and play like it did before it was moved.

Where should I locate the piano in the room?

The ideal location is an inside wall when there is no direct heat or sun. Sometimes the only location for the piano is against baseboard heating unit or hot air vent. It is very important to protect the piano from the extreme heat changes going on and off. The tuning will be lost the first time the heat comes on and off. The structure of the piano will be put in distress and serious repair might be necessary.

If you have technical problems with how the piano is playing or sounding, we can help. We will explain the problems so you can understand how or why they happened and what we will have to do to repair them.