A piano is not a musical instrument
until it has been tuned. How often should a piano be tuned? Piano
manufacturers recommend at least one to two times each year. A
very serious and particular musician may even tune his piano four
or more times in a single year. An out of tune piano is not inspiring
to play, and may be so bad as to be discouraging to the player.
Why Do Pianos Go Out of Tune?
The reason a piano goes out of tune
is quite simply, humidity. As little as a ten percent change in
room humidity will begin to affect the tuning. While the average
person may not notice the first subtle changes, by the time it
sounds out of tune it may already be too late. Pianos from different
manufacturers vary in how long they will hold their tuning, and
people's perceptions vary as to how in tune their piano actually
is. Many times, children taking lessons may be keenly aware of
an out of tune piano, and the parent, who has not studied piano,
may not be able to tell until things are a real mess.
What happens if tuning is neglected?
- The Pitch Raise
A piano that is left untuned will
begin sinking in pitch. In order to be properly tuned such a piano
must be brought up to pitch first, then fine tuned. After this
"double tuning," the piano owner should follow up with
a second tuning at 3 to 6 months in order to avoid ending up back
at square one.
Remember to tune regularly - to
get the most out of your piano!
The Importance of a Competent Tuner
I have had numerous customers (including
piano teachers) who, at our first contact, remark that they are
having their pianos tuned regularly but that they seem to go significantly
out of tune within a few weeks. Perhaps something is wrong with
my piano, or my piano tuner?!
Inevitably, after I tune for them
and their pianos don't go quickly out of tune, they come to the
conclusion that the fault was indeed with that other tuner.
Not only does a tuner need to know
how to tune the piano, he or she has to know how to encourage
it to stay in tune. This is where proper technique comes in. Humidity
should be the only factor to cause the piano to go out of tune.
Some tunings can be wrecked by aggressive or heavy playing, and
some tunings wreck themselves because the tuner did not set the
strings or the tuning pins. After a few weeks, the strings begin
to slip, and there goes the tuning...
Proper tuning technique is no secret,
but you might think it was.
Choosing A Piano Tuner - What (or
Who) to Avoid
Technician #1 tunes pianos, but has no idea how to make spot
repairs. If a hammer breaks, for example, while he is tuning your
piano, he has no idea how to make a relatively simple repair and
your piano will be out of commission until someone can be found
who actually knows how to fix the problem.
Technician #2 tunes pianos, but has no understanding of tuning
theory or music theory. He charges a rate similar to others, but
really has no idea how to fine tune a piano. Sometimes he may
use a fancy electronic gadget to compensate for his lack of understanding.
Technician #3 understands how to tune a piano, but often will
just "touch up" the piano rather than fully tune it
(while still charging for a full tuning). If you hire a tuner
who is done in 45 minutes, you have hired #3. Often times, people
don't know any better. A month later, when the piano sounds terrible,
they usually figure it out.
Technician #4 understands tuning theory, but does not use proper
tuning technique. This too results in a tuning that disappears
rapidly, often within a few weeks.
Technician #5 tunes and regulates pianos, but does not play the
piano at all, or only at a very rudimentary level. He can tune
or regulate a piano according to a textbook, but reality often
varies from the textbook, in which case, he lacks the corresponding
musical skills to compensate, and to understand the problem from
the pianist's perspective.
Technician #6 is highly competent, but he won't lower himself
to touch your piano unless it is of an appropriately high pedigree.
Want him to tune your Wurlitzer? Sorry, this guy only tunes pianos
he judges to be good enough for him. However, in order to not
lose a potential sale, he will send over his subordinate with
a year and a half of experience who he pays $8 an hour.
While these descriptions are not
meant to refer to any specific individual, they are fictional
composites of actual characteristics I have observed in the piano
service industry.
