TUNING

 I am frequently asked “HOW OFTEN SHOULD I HAVE MY PIANO TUNED?”

The answer is “IT DEPENDS.”

It depends on factors such as the piano’s age, usage, environment, and individual tolerance.  Before I answer the question as to how often should your piano be tuned, I will explain why a piano goes out of tune, why you should have your piano tuned, what a tuning entails, pitch raises, and how long a tuning lasts.

WHY DOES A PIANO GO OUT OF TUNE?

Humidity Changes (The Number One Reason)

A piano is constructed of thousands of parts, mostly wood.  Humidity fluctuations change the moisture content of these parts, which affects the stability of the piano.  Piano strings are strung across a bridge, which is attached to the soundboard, much like the construction of a guitar, violin, and other stringed instruments.  When the humidity is high, the crown of the soundboard swells, raising the bridge, causing the mid-range strings to become tighter, which raises the pitch.   When the humidity is low the soundboard crown diminishes, causing the pitch to go flat.  The bad news is the strings do not change pitch equally, causing the piano to not be in harmony and sound sour.  I often describe the sound as “fingernails on the blackboard.”    

Your piano will perform best and maintain stability under consistent conditions neither too wet nor too dry.  Piano manufacturers recommend that the optimal temperature of 68 degrees Fahrenheit and relative of humidity of 42% be maintained.  (The Piano Care page discusses humidity issue in detail)

String Tension/Stretching

The average piano has about 18 to 20 tons (36,000 to 40,000 pounds) of tension when the strings are tuned to the correct pitch.  The average piano has about 220 strings (3 string unisons in the tenor and treble and two string unions in the upper base).  Each string has around 160 to 180 pounds of tension.  The natural tendency of something that is taut is to relax.  The string tension is constantly competing with the pin-block, frame, case, and supports to maintain the string in its proper position.   The tension will win out and the string tension will lower, which causes the pitch to go flat.  This affects the equilibrium of the piano. New pianos drop in pitch rapidly for the first few years due to new stings stretching and wood parts settling.

Aging Pianos

Pianos that are properly maintained can last a lifetime.  If a piano has not been maintained and kept in an environment that is unfriendly, the construction of the piano that assist keeping the piano in reasonable tune can deteriorate.  Piano wire (string) is coiled around a tuning pin, which is imbedded in a pin block or wrest plank made of different layers of wood.  The cross grains of the wood hold the pin in place.  As a piano ages, the pin block can deteriorate, especially if kept in a dry climate.  This, along with the 160 to 180 pound of string tension, will cause the tuning pin to slip or turn easily causing the piano to go flat. 

Playing the Piano

Playing the piano often and hard will cause the piano to go out of tune faster due to the hammers constantly hitting and moving the strings.   However, playing is the least cause of pianos going out of tune.  Playing is encouraged!

WHY SHOULD I KEEP MY PIANO IN TUNE?

A piano is a musical instrument.  To fulfill its function as a musical instrument it must sound musically correct.  Imagine other musical instruments, such as a guitar or violin, being played out of tune.  Not Good!  Your piano is designed to sound its best when it is  tuned to international concert pitch.  International concert pitch is referenced as the “A” note above “Middle C” (consisting of a three string unison) vibrating at 400 CPS (cycles per second).  When a key on the piano is depressed, the resulting musical pitch should be heard.  If the strings are flat, sharp, or if the three strings are not tuned in unison, the wrong pitch results.

Keeping a piano tuned is important for one to enjoy music the way it was meant to be heard.  It is especially important to keep the piano in tune if a student is using the piano for practice.  Proper tuning is essential for the student to be able to understand the relationship between the keys being depressed and the pitch being heard when the hammers strike the strings. 

You should keep your piano in tune, even if it is not played regularly.  Regular tunings will keep the piano stabilized at its intended 18 to 20 tons of tension.  If a piano is ½ step flat, that means when you play that “A” above “Middle C”, you are actually hearing the pitch of the G#.  This loss of tension on the string results in about 5,000 lbs of lost tension on the piano.  Not Good! Also, a piano this flat sound lifeless. 

WHAT DOES TUNING THE PIANO ENTAIL?

A piano sounds in tune when its strings vibrate at certain frequencies determined by musical and acoustical rules.  There are volumes written on tuning practices and theory.  In brief, a tuner must listen, compare and adjust the tension of the strings so they sound pleasant and correct when played.  A piano tuner tunes the piano by adjusting the tuning pins with a tuning hammer (wrench) to either lower or raise the pitch (tension) as required.  Each piano requires specific adjustments to compensate for or compliment the piano scale.  (The piano scale refers to the design of the piano including but not limited to string length, gauge and placement.)

Piano tuners can either tune by the aural method (“tuning by ear”), or a combination of aural and electronic or computer tuning devices for a visual reference.  The goal is consistency, precision, and stability.  It takes a great deal of instruction and practice before a tuner is competent to consistently tune pianos with precision. 

WHAT IS A PITCH RAISE?

Piano theory has divided the difference between ½ steps (i.e. the G# to A) into cents.  One cent equals one-hundredth of a half step.  There are 100 cents in any half step.  If any note is a half strep flat, then it is 100 cents flat.   If a piano is allowed to go flat by more than 10 to 12 cents, then the piano will probably require a “pitch raise’ to bring it to proper pitch. 

A pitch raise is a tuning method that will bring the piano back into pitch if it is too flat. Bringing a piano back up to pitch will add extra tension on the strings, which will add tension to the bridge, soundboard, frame, and case.  Great care must be used when doing this so as not to damage the bridge, soundboard, frame, and case, plus there is a risk of breaking strings.  A pitch raise usually involves a tuning or two to get the piano roughly in to correct pitch. Then a fine tuning can be accomplished.   If the piano is too flat, then another tuning will probably be required at a later time after the piano has settled from its pitch raise..  The Tuner-Technician should advise you as to what the piano requires.

A pitch lowering might also be required if the tension is too high.  A string that has been set at a higher than required tension, will have a tendency to revert to its higher tension when lowered.

HOW LONG DOES A PIANO STAY IN TUNE?

A piano does not stay in tune perfectly for very long.   You should expect that the piano be in “perfect” tune for a day or so.  You are probably thinking: “A couple of days? I can’t get my piano tuned every couple of days!”  The good news is you probably do not require this frequency.  Keep in mind pianos in recording studios and concert halls are tuned before each performance and at least several times a week. 

If for some reason your piano does not stay in perfect tune for more than a day, your tuner-technician should discuss the reasons with you.  It could be deterioration of the pin block or environmental conditions. A piano will gradually go out of tune based on string stretching and tension.  Most people cannot discern the subtle differences in a piano gradually going out of tune or they can tolerate the differences until the piano is “too out of tune.” 

Certain situations will shock the piano out of tune quickly: 

           1) If you have your air condition on, then turn it off for a few days.

            2) Turning the heat on in the fall or winter

3) Moving

SO BACK TO THE ORIGINAL QUESTION: HOW OFTEN SHOULD I HAVE MY PIANO TUNED?

The answer still is: “It depends.”  It depends on the age of the piano, environment, usage, purpose, and tolerance.  As stated earlier, pianos in recording studios and concert halls are tuned before every performance and at least several times a week.  However, the requirement for these pianos to be “perfect” for every performance probably exceeds the requirement for the average piano owner.

As discussed, a new piano will go out of tune faster than one that is stabilized.  The Piano Manufacturers International recommends that a new piano be tuned at least three times in the first year and at least twice a year after that.

The most common arrangement and recommended practice is a twice a year tuning.  Depending on your requirements and age of the piano you could have your piano tuned more or less frequently.  If a student is practicing on the piano, a tuning at least every 6 months is recommended.   If the piano is not played regularly, but has been maintained according to recommendations when it was new, then a once a year tuning may suffice.  This once a year tuning will keep the piano in reasonable tune and proper tension.  Discuss this with your tuner.