How can the piano owner care for the piano?
Avoid placing your piano in direct sunlight, near heat vents or cold air returns. Clean your piano's case and keys with a soft, lint free cloth. It may be very slightly damp to remove finger prints on case parts or grime on key tops. Avoid using furniture polish that contains silicon. Never place plants, drinks or burning cigarettes on your piano. Keep small objects off the piano such as pens/pencils, paper clips, toys etc. They slip so easily inside and will cause problems.
How often does a piano need to be tuned?
In this climate it's best to tune every six months to achieve a stable piano, especially if lessons are being taken. Tuning at least once per year will keep the piano close to the appropriate pitch. Try to schedule your tunings at the same time of the year each time.
How long does it take to tune a piano?
It depends on how far off pitch it is. Close to pitch takes about one and a half hours. Moderately off pitch takes about two hours. Considerably off pitch can take longer. If repairs are necessary that will of course add to the time. A quiet environment will help.
Do I need to tune my piano if no one is using it?
A piano benefits from regular maintenance. It is designed to be held at a specific tension and without regular tuning will drift overtime very far from the appropriate tension. When this happens it will take several tunings before the piano will become stable enough to hold a tuning well for any length of time.
What is climate control?
Keeping your piano at a consistent level of humidity is important. A Piano Life Saver System installed in your upright or grand piano will assure a steady level of about 42 percent humidity year round. It functions automatically and only requires that you add water occasionally. Most piano manufacturers recommend this system for their pianos. Ask me for more details.
What is pitch adjustment?
There are about 22,000 pounds of tension produced by the strings on the structure of a piano. On a piano that has not been tuned in some time, generally over a year or more, the tension will have relaxed due to expansion and contraction of the piano structure caused mostly by humidity swings. As the piano technician works to bring the piano up to a tunable level, the change in tension is so great on the structure that strings that were just adjusted will fall flat again. Pitch must be adjusted a certain percentage higher than the target tension level so that at the end of the pitch adjustment the piano's tension will be at the appropriate level to create a stable tuning.
Avoid placing your piano in direct sunlight, near heat vents or cold air returns. Clean your piano's case and keys with a soft, lint free cloth. It may be very slightly damp to remove finger prints on case parts or grime on key tops. Avoid using furniture polish that contains silicon. Never place plants, drinks or burning cigarettes on your piano. Keep small objects off the piano such as pens/pencils, paper clips, toys etc. They slip so easily inside and will cause problems.
How often does a piano need to be tuned?
In this climate it's best to tune every six months to achieve a stable piano, especially if lessons are being taken. Tuning at least once per year will keep the piano close to the appropriate pitch. Try to schedule your tunings at the same time of the year each time.
How long does it take to tune a piano?
It depends on how far off pitch it is. Close to pitch takes about one and a half hours. Moderately off pitch takes about two hours. Considerably off pitch can take longer. If repairs are necessary that will of course add to the time. A quiet environment will help.
Do I need to tune my piano if no one is using it?
A piano benefits from regular maintenance. It is designed to be held at a specific tension and without regular tuning will drift overtime very far from the appropriate tension. When this happens it will take several tunings before the piano will become stable enough to hold a tuning well for any length of time.
What is climate control?
Keeping your piano at a consistent level of humidity is important. A Piano Life Saver System installed in your upright or grand piano will assure a steady level of about 42 percent humidity year round. It functions automatically and only requires that you add water occasionally. Most piano manufacturers recommend this system for their pianos. Ask me for more details.
What is pitch adjustment?
There are about 22,000 pounds of tension produced by the strings on the structure of a piano. On a piano that has not been tuned in some time, generally over a year or more, the tension will have relaxed due to expansion and contraction of the piano structure caused mostly by humidity swings. As the piano technician works to bring the piano up to a tunable level, the change in tension is so great on the structure that strings that were just adjusted will fall flat again. Pitch must be adjusted a certain percentage higher than the target tension level so that at the end of the pitch adjustment the piano's tension will be at the appropriate level to create a stable tuning.