How often should I tune my piano & why do pianos go out of tune?

It is recommended that a piano should be tuned twice a year if it is being used in a home environment, although brand new pianos, during the first year or so, and some much older instruments may require more frequent tuning.

The pitch of your piano will drop if it is not tuned regularly. One of the most common factors that causes newer pianos to go out of tune is change of room temperature. Older instruments, and even poor quality newer ones, can suffer tuning issues because of poor quality or badly warn parts. One of the main reasons for tuning problems with old pianos is that the pins holding the strings can become loose and cannot hold the string tension, causing the piano to go out of tune. People often believe a piano needs to be tuned after it’s moved. Although moving may cause slight tuning problems, more often it is a change in room temperature that causes the instrument to need tuning. Any piano that has been moved to a permanent new location should be left for a couple of weeks before it is tuned.

The reason a piano needs to be tuned, in simple terms, is that every time it is played the strings constantly move, causing them to stretch, making the instrument slowly go out of tune.Any movement of the soundboard that can then affect the bridge of the piano, will also cause tuning problems.  Soundboard movement is often caused by changes in humidity, pianos do not like to be kept in either a too hot or cold environment. Heating a room causes the air to dry out and cooling has the opposite effect, a room temperature between mid 60’s to about 72° F is ideal.

The ideal time to have a piano tuned is therefore a few weeks after a major seasonal weather change, when you switch from heating to cooling your home. Leaving the piano a few weeks enables it to adjust to the change in temperature and humidity.

Excessive changes in room temperature and humidity can cause the wood to shrink or expand, resulting in major mechanical and tuning issues. Other problems can be loose tuning pins, which in turn will cause instability with tuning and regulation.  In severe cases the soundboard can split. A piano technician may advise purchase of a climate control system to help maintain constant humidity in your piano. Pianos should also be kept away from direct sunlight, to avoid damage to the cabinet.


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