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The piano is a powerful, complex, and delicate instrument. With an average of 9,000 moving parts including the hammers, keys, pedals, and action, a piano needs regular care to maintain playing quality.

This brief article will cover just a few of the fundamental aspects of piano care, so that you can walk away with a better understanding of how you and your piano technician can maintain your piano.

 

So, what is piano tuning exactly? Piano tuning focuses on getting a piano “in tune”, or the adjustment of each key’s pitch. This involves the modification of string tension to ensure when a key is pressed, that the string tone produced resonates at the correct fundamental pitch. Many factors can contribute to changes in pitch: the amount of time a piano is played, humidity, and temperature fluctuations. One of the main reasons that piano tuning is necessary and complex is that pianos are always going out of tune, even when not played at all. Thus, a piano tuned on a regular schedule is more likely to stay in tune than a piano left untuned. On top of this, each key plays more than one string and they have to be the exact same pitch. 

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Tuning and voicing are important for the sound of your piano, but a piano may also need mechanical repairs to get your piano into its best playing shape. The first thing your piano technician will check is whether your piano is regulated. Are the mechanics consistent in your piano, or are there irregularities? Action regulation may be a minor or major endeavor, depending on your piano’s specific needs. The piano action encompasses most of the separate movable parts of the piano, so before a piano can be properly tuned, your technician should carefully inspect the internal workings of your piano. This could mean checking whether there are sticky keys (a key is more slow than another), “bobbling” hammers (the hammer hits the string more than once), or faulty dampers (ringing or other unwanted sounds are emitted). These are just a few common examples of regulation issues that can impact the playability of your piano. Because of the number of parts and the wear that can occur over years with a piano, regulation will likely occur more than once over the lifespan of your piano. Typically it will take longer for your piano to become unregulated, than for it to go out of tune. This is why tuning is the most regular way to care for your piano.

 

In addition to regulation, your piano may also require reconditioning. While regulation involves the modification of the parts of your piano, reconditioning does not involve changing or replacing any parts. It may include lubrication, roughing of the leather, key easings, and ensuring that all parts of the piano action are working up to their potential. 

 

While tuning is an important facet to getting your piano to sound its best, “voicing” is another means by which to create specific tonal qualities. After your piano is tuned and regulated, you may be interested in a brighter or softer tone. In order to achieve the desired tones, your technician will discuss with you the qualities you seek to hear when playing your instrument. They will then manipulate the compacted felt covering the wooden hammers with small needles or a file. Voicing is a more intensive process that can take a few hours, and is optional on behalf of the owner. This service often is not needed for 5-10 years for the average piano.

 

Before your tuner can tune, repair, or regulate your piano, it will need to be cleaned of any dust or objects that may be sitting inside the lid (you’d be surprised what you might find!). While cleaning has its cosmetic advantages, it also can help keep old dirt from becoming abrasive or corrosive to the moving parts inside your instrument. Our business conducts our cleanings in two parts - the interior and exterior. For the interior, the technician will remove the action and vacuum out all dust within the piano. They will also blow compressed air in a minimally invasive manner to further remove dust and debris. Cleaning and dusting of the exterior is also standard for our service. This may be followed with a polish for shine or a hand rub.

 

To recap, the piano is an amazingly nuanced and complicated complex instrument! The piano uses mechanisms that cannot be found in other instruments or devices, so that’s where the specialized knowledge, techniques, and tools of your piano technician is valuable. It is recommended to have your piano tuned 2-3 times per year. While we understand that this may not be feasible for every owner, the more frequent your tunings, the less likely your piano will completely fall out of tune. Durability - even after a piano has been regulated it will be immediately become unregulated 

Playing your piano causes the felt inside the hammers to become compressed, so over time there will be a further need to 

The act of playing the piano puts wear on a piano, much like putting more miles on your car every time you drive. While regulation does not need to occur all the time, it is advisable if you’re a frequent player of your piano.It is necessary because of these reasons to take care of your piano.

PIano technicians are equipped to answer any questions or concerns that you have about the status of your piano’s mechanics and tone.