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                    Grand Piano Construction (Courtesy MSN Encarta)

PIANO CARE

The piano is a beautiful and complex musical instrument.  It is a valuable investment that if properly maintained can bring you and your family a lifetime of musical pleasure.  Conversely, your investment is lost if you neglect the basic maintenance requirements.  I am often called to a home to “tune “a piano that has been neglected for many years.  If the piano is even tunable, deferred maintenance must be performed in addition to a pitch raise and tuning.

A piano is a marvel in craftsmanship, artistry, and engineering, which should be kept in good condition to enjoy the benefits it offers.  You should think of maintaining your piano the same way you do your automobile, another expensive investment.  If you do not maintain your automobile, with regular oil changes, etc. it will deteriorate and not perform as your require.

TIP:  You should develop a relationship with a qualified piano tuner-technician who can provide advice throughout the years of ownership.  (Hopefully me!).  Your tuner will get to know the nuances and idiosyncrasies of your piano and service it accordingly.  A good piano tuner-technician is part artist, craftsman, and businessperson.  It takes many years for a tuner-technician to hone his or her craft.

 Following is a brief description of regular maintenance requirements and piano care tips on how to protect your investment so it can last a lifetime.

TUNING

Pianos go out of tune due to humidity fluctuations, which cause expansion and detraction of the soundboard, moving the bridge and strings.  String stretching on new pianos and, deterioration of critical parts are also factors.    A new piano should be tuned 3 to 4 times in the first year.  After that every 6 moths is recommended.  Depending on previous maintenance, a once a year tuning may suffice. (See the  “TUNING-HOW OFTEN” page, which discusses in detail why a piano goes out of tune, why you should tune your piano, what a tuning entails, pitch raises, how long does a tuning last, and how often you should tune your piano.)

 TOUCH-REGULATION

The piano action, which is the mechanism that causes a hammer to hit a string when a key is depressed, is comprised of over 9,000 parts.  These parts are made of wood, felt and buckskin.  They are affected by humidity and wear.  The action must be periodically regulated to critical tolerances to afford proper key to hammer response.  (See the “TOUCH-REGULATION” page, which discusses in detail, the concept of touch and the science of regulation.)

 TONE-VOICING

Pianos are designed to have a specific musical tone.  Tone can be altered through a technique called voicing.  This involves changing the density of the piano hammers with needles, sandpaper, and/or lacquer.  Piano hammers made of felt, will wear with play.  The rounded edges will become flat and grooved from string indentations.  This causes a harsh, unpleasant tone.  The hammers can be reshaped and voiced to bring the piano back to a richer tone. (See the “TONE-VOICING” PAGE, which discusses in detail the concept of musical tone, voicing, and hammer restoration.)

CLEANING

Cabinet

Your piano cabinet is constructed of fine quality veneers and hardwoods.  To clean, dust first using a feather duster.  Smudge marks can be removed with a soft damp cloth.  Rub in the direction of the grain.   Do not use polishes.  They can soften the finish  

Piano Keys

Piano keys can be cleaned by using a feather duster and a soft damp cloth.  I have had to remove peanut butter and other food from keys by using a slightly damp cloth with a small amount of liquid detergent. (plastic keys only).  You can also use warm water and vinegar.  Ivory keys should be cleaned with a soft clean dry cloth.  For stubborn stains, use a small amount of toothpaste.  TAKE CARE NO TO ALLOW WATER TO SEEP BETWEEN THE KEYS. 

Inside of the Piano

The inside of the piano should be periodically cleaned by your piano tuner-technician.   Many delicate parts could be damaged if one does not know what they are doing.  The only exception is the bottom of a vertical piano.  You could periodically remove the bottom panel and vacuum the bottom, taking care not to interfere with the pedal trap work.   

PLACEMENT

Your piano may be placed against any wall in a well insulated home, except in direct line with sunlight.  Avoid placing your piano near heating vents and fireplaces, or air conditioning vents. 

HUMIDITY

Ah! The humidity problem!!  Your piano is constructed of thousands of parts made primarily of wood.   Wood is greatly affected by humidity.  Seasonal, even daily changes in humidity cause wood parts to swell and contract affecting tuning stability and touch.  Extreme swings in humidity can cause wood to crack and glue joints to fail.

The felt and leather parts in your piano action and pedal trap work can also be affected by humidity fluctuations.  High moisture content can swell the moving parts of the action, causing it to be sluggish.  Low moisture content can cause shrinking of the parts making the touch weak and rattling.  These extremes can eventually cause cracking of critical parts in the action.

Affects of high moisture content can be rust on the strings, tuning pins and other metal parts.  This is Not Good!   Conversely, prolong dryness will cause deterioration of critical wood parts such as the soundboard, bridge, and pin block. 

Pianos are stabilized at  the optimum relative humidity of 42% and temperature of 68%.

Keeping the humidity level around your piano as constant as possible and close to 42% will help it stay in tune and regulation longer, and inhibit the deterioration of the soundboard, bridge, tuning pins, and strings.  

Proper placement of your piano as describe above is the first step.  The use of a room humidifier in the dry season and a dehumidifier in the humid season will help.   Another way to attack the humidity problem is to have a humidity control system, installed in the piano.  These systems include a humidifier, dehumidifier, and a humidistat. The humidistat senses the relative humidity in the air within the piano and activates the proper system. 

Please consult your tuner-technician regarding humidity control and the advisability of installing a system.  Below are links to two firms who manufacture humidity control systems for pianos.

DAMPP CHASER:           www.dampp-chaser.com

MOISTURE KING:           www.kingmaker.net/mears.htm