Piano Care - Frequently Asked Questions:
For additional information, please view our PDF brochure

How often should a piano be tuned?
For many home pianos, a tuning schedule of twice per year is typical. If a piano is particularly stable, we may recommend 8 months or sometimes even longer. The tuning interval that is best for your piano depends on many factors, like the piano's overall stability, surrounding temperature and humidity changes, amount of daily usage, and what the piano is actually used for. Some pianists are more sensitive to a piano being out of tune, and may choose to tune more freqently. Also, brand new pianos may require more tunings in the first year or two because new strings stretch more rapidly.

What happens if when a piano is not tuned regularly?
If a piano has settled to a lower pitch due to infrequent tuning, it cannot be tuned in the same manner as a piano that receives regular service. The string tension must first be restored with a process called "pitch raise" tuning. This process increases the risk of string breakage, and the subsequent fine tuning is likely to not be as stable after such a large adjustment is made.

Does my piano need anything besides just tuning?
Yes. The piano is a complex machine with thousands of moving parts, many of which will start to wear down, change shape, and get out of adjustment. If you only tune the piano, but pay no attention to it's other service requirements, it will begin to develop issues that make it harder to play, or less pleasing to listen to. Over time, these minor annoyances can develop into serious problems. When you purchase a piano, you should do so with the knowledge that the piano's performance will decline over time, and that it will eventually be necessary to regulate the action, reshape and voice the hammers, or replace or recondition worn parts to keep the piano playing and sounding like it did when it was new.

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Besides regular service by a qualified technician, is there anything more I can do to protect my investment and care for my piano?
Yes. By installing a humidity control system known as a Piano Life Saver (Dampp-Chaser), you can maintain your piano's soundboard at an ideal 45% relative humidity. This will keep the piano sounding better in between tunings, help keep the action (touch response) consistent, and prolong the life span of the piano. Arizona is a dry climate, but the humidity still changes significantly at times. It is that change in humidity that causes the piano's wood to expand and contract seasonally, or with changing weather. This not only throws the piano out of tune, but weakens the wood's cellular structure, eventually causing serious damage. My piano has a Piano Life Saver system, and I would not invest in a piano without one installed. It's worth every penny, and easily pays for itself in the long run. Many people assume a room humidifier will be a better solution, but room humidifiers will cost more to buy and operate, and achieve inferior results in most cases. Unless you have a very sophisticated expensive system that uses a large amount of water and electricity, and are willing to maintain it constantly, you cannot expect to achieve better results. The Piano Life Saver is so practical and effective because it only needs to regulate the small "micro-climate" of air immediately surrounding the piano's soundboard!

What else can be done to protect a piano?
Make sure the piano does not receive any direct sunlight. Ultraviolet rays will destroy your piano's finish, and the daily cycles of heating and cooling will be damaging to the piano. Keep drinks and fluids away from the piano at all times. Whenever possible, keep your piano away from fireplaces and heating/cooling ducts. For grand pianos, it's best to close the lid completely when not in use. This keeps dust and airborne particles (like cooking oils) from accumulating on the strings, soundboard and plate. If you insist on keeping the lid open, a felt string cover is a good investment.

How can I avoid being ripped-off when purchasing a piano or having it serviced?
Honestly, the best thing you can do is to educate yourself. The more you know about pianos, the better you will be at choosing the right piano dealer, the best piano, and also finding a skilled technician who will be not just provide competent technical service, but also be able to listen to and understand your needs as the piano's owner. A good place to start is The Piano Book by Larry Fine, and visit his Piano Buyer website.

Regarding used pianos, I cannot stress enough the importance of having the piano professionally evaluated before you purchase one, or even accept one as a free gift. Even a free piano costs money to move into your home. Unfortunately, many people buy a used piano for very cheap, thinking they are getting a great deal, only to find out later that the piano has major problems. All too often, these "Craigs List Specials" are then re-sold to someone else who also fails to have the piano checked out. Remember that pianos are similar to cars in many ways. If you find a car for $300, it's probably priced that way because the person selling it did not want to pay the thousands of dollars it would take to make it safe or road-worthy. Very often, the cost to service a neglected piano can be much greater than the cost of buying a more recently manufactured piano that is already in decent shape. Also remember that some pianos were designed for the very lowest end of the market (the case for many spinet or drop-action models), and they were not of high quality when they were brand new. To spend hundreds or thousands of dollars to bring such a piano back into decent working condition might yield disappointing results.

This answers only a handful of questions. If you have other questions about caring for your piano, please give us a call.