Piano Tuning & Maintenance
Acoustic pianos are fantastic instruments to practice on, but they require regular tuning and maintenance.
It's important to have your piano tuned regularly for the following reasons:
At Ovation Music Studio, we consult Riley Stairs of Stairs Pianocraft for all of our tuning needs! We highly recommend Riley to anyone looking for piano tuning or maintenance. You can find Riley's contact info below, as well as some helpful information he prepared especially for the students of our studio!
It's important to have your piano tuned regularly for the following reasons:
- It helps students to develop proper playing technique ("sticky" piano keys and delayed reaction can hinder this!)
- It helps students to develop a musical ear, a very important part of their musical training!
- It is much more enjoyable for a student and their family as they listen to their practicing.
- It creates a more consistent sound and touch for students that will perform on other pianos.
- It can motivate students to practice more, knowing that their instrument sounds pleasing and is well taken-care-of.
- It creates a higher-quality, more professional, performance instrument when submitting videos for virtual auditions, performances, etc.
At Ovation Music Studio, we consult Riley Stairs of Stairs Pianocraft for all of our tuning needs! We highly recommend Riley to anyone looking for piano tuning or maintenance. You can find Riley's contact info below, as well as some helpful information he prepared especially for the students of our studio!
Stairs Pianocraft Ltd. - Riley Stairs
765-8701
[email protected]
www.stairspianocraft.com
https://www.facebook.com/rileystairspianotechnician
765-8701
[email protected]
www.stairspianocraft.com
https://www.facebook.com/rileystairspianotechnician
*Prepared especially for the friends of Ovation Music Studio*
An overview of proper piano care and maintenance for prospective and existing piano owners:
You may be considering the purchase of a used or new acoustic piano, or already be a piano owner. Perhaps your piano is a family heirloom in a corner of your home, and due to a child's recent interest, you've just noticed it sitting there! Perhaps you have had it tuned occasionally over the years, or keep meaning to schedule with a piano tuner but it is never top of mind. Did you know that with a simple, yet regular maintenance regime, your piano can be a source of musical development, enjoyment and inspiration for generations? On the reverse, neglecting a piano's maintenance needs will only limit a student's ability to develop musically and discourage them from this pursuit. As a piano technician in NL for over 12 years, I have noted time and again that when there is a priority put on providing a quality instrument matched with proper maintenance, a student will maintain an interest and will flourish. So what is proper piano maintenance? It begins and ends with a regular tuning schedule.
-Piano Tuning is a process of adjusting the tension of the roughly 230 strings that are inside of a piano in order to bring out the most harmonious relationship possible between all notes.This is done auraly (by ear) by a skilled technician through a series of very intentional checks and intervals and each tuning is slightly unique to each piano. A piano's tuning is meant to be kept at concert pitch (A-440). For example, an "A" on your piano, should correspond and be at the same pitch as "A" on a guitar or flute. When tuned properly at concert pitch, there is an immense tension inside of your piano (ranging from 12-21 tons depending on the piano) due to the tension of all the individual strings. These strings, while kept in place by a cast iron frame, are suspended and bearing down on wooden bridges and a wooden soundboard. The fact that wood reacts to humidity changes means that a piano's tuning will react in step with seasonal changes!
-How Often Should I Have My Piano Tuned? Due to seasonal cycles with less or more humidity, a piano's tuning will tend to follow a seasonal cycle going sharp in the summer, and flat in the winter. In most "home" environments, a yearly tuning is enough to keep a piano well stabilized and sounding good through the seasonal cycles. In a setting where a piano is exposed to greater swings in humidity, more frequent tunings are required to keep the piano sounding good. Miss Hicks and most other teachers have their pianos tuned twice per year. Most churches and heavy use environments have their pianos tuned 3-4+ times per year! It is very rare that we recommend allowing more than 1 year to pass between tunings if tuning stability is to be achieved.
-Should A Piano Be Tuned In The Fall Or Spring? Either season is just fine. We recommend these shoulder seasons as being preferable to summer and the dead of winter as a greater tuning stability is achieved when not tuning at the extremes of the seasonal cycle. The most important thing is to be consistent. Most piano technicians will keep a record of their client's piano service schedule and contact the client when their piano is due for tuning.
-Should I Keep My Piano Off An Outside Wall? You may have been advised to keep a piano off an outside wall, and in large part, yes this is preferable. This advice was more applicable in years gone by when an outside wall was less insulated than a modern house. I will revise this advice and say: Keep a piano away from any floor vent, baseboard heater, window or doorway when at all possible. While this advice may leave no good options in the space you have to work with, just keep in mind that any close exposure to these things that cause erratic changes in heat, humidity and air currents will have an effect on the stability of your piano. In an extreme scenario where large humidity fluctuation cannot be avoided, there are mechanical humidity control systems designed to be installed inside pianos to combat these effects. Consult a piano technician for details.
-Can A Piano Tuner Fix Sticking Keys, Broken Notes, Etc.? Any professional piano technician should be able to diagnose and repair all potential issues with the mechanics of a piano. There are roughly 15,000 small parts that make up the average piano, and it's mechanisms are very complex. Part of the importance of the regular piano tuning is the fact that the technician has the opportunity to address small issues within the piano before they start to wear parts improperly and become larger issues.
-What If My Piano Hasn't Been Tuned In 40 Years? Believe it or not, we encounter this scenario more often than you may think. It is almost always possible to bring a piano back from a state of neglect, however some amount of deeper servicing is usually necessary.
-I'm Buying A Piano... How Do I Know If It Is Worth The Asking Price? They all look so much alike from the outside! It is highly recommended that you hire a piano technician to inspect and assess a piano before investing in it. A technician usually charges a small fee for this service. They should be able to help steer you toward a solid purchase, and away from a "basket case" piano. For my part, I take pride in helping my clients find their best option that is within budget.
If you have more piano related questions, or would like to schedule our services, please do not hesitate to call or drop us a line! We are honoured to provide piano tuning and technical services in the Metro region, Avalon, Burin and Bonavista Peninsulas, Central regions as beyond.
Kind regards,
Riley
An overview of proper piano care and maintenance for prospective and existing piano owners:
You may be considering the purchase of a used or new acoustic piano, or already be a piano owner. Perhaps your piano is a family heirloom in a corner of your home, and due to a child's recent interest, you've just noticed it sitting there! Perhaps you have had it tuned occasionally over the years, or keep meaning to schedule with a piano tuner but it is never top of mind. Did you know that with a simple, yet regular maintenance regime, your piano can be a source of musical development, enjoyment and inspiration for generations? On the reverse, neglecting a piano's maintenance needs will only limit a student's ability to develop musically and discourage them from this pursuit. As a piano technician in NL for over 12 years, I have noted time and again that when there is a priority put on providing a quality instrument matched with proper maintenance, a student will maintain an interest and will flourish. So what is proper piano maintenance? It begins and ends with a regular tuning schedule.
-Piano Tuning is a process of adjusting the tension of the roughly 230 strings that are inside of a piano in order to bring out the most harmonious relationship possible between all notes.This is done auraly (by ear) by a skilled technician through a series of very intentional checks and intervals and each tuning is slightly unique to each piano. A piano's tuning is meant to be kept at concert pitch (A-440). For example, an "A" on your piano, should correspond and be at the same pitch as "A" on a guitar or flute. When tuned properly at concert pitch, there is an immense tension inside of your piano (ranging from 12-21 tons depending on the piano) due to the tension of all the individual strings. These strings, while kept in place by a cast iron frame, are suspended and bearing down on wooden bridges and a wooden soundboard. The fact that wood reacts to humidity changes means that a piano's tuning will react in step with seasonal changes!
-How Often Should I Have My Piano Tuned? Due to seasonal cycles with less or more humidity, a piano's tuning will tend to follow a seasonal cycle going sharp in the summer, and flat in the winter. In most "home" environments, a yearly tuning is enough to keep a piano well stabilized and sounding good through the seasonal cycles. In a setting where a piano is exposed to greater swings in humidity, more frequent tunings are required to keep the piano sounding good. Miss Hicks and most other teachers have their pianos tuned twice per year. Most churches and heavy use environments have their pianos tuned 3-4+ times per year! It is very rare that we recommend allowing more than 1 year to pass between tunings if tuning stability is to be achieved.
-Should A Piano Be Tuned In The Fall Or Spring? Either season is just fine. We recommend these shoulder seasons as being preferable to summer and the dead of winter as a greater tuning stability is achieved when not tuning at the extremes of the seasonal cycle. The most important thing is to be consistent. Most piano technicians will keep a record of their client's piano service schedule and contact the client when their piano is due for tuning.
-Should I Keep My Piano Off An Outside Wall? You may have been advised to keep a piano off an outside wall, and in large part, yes this is preferable. This advice was more applicable in years gone by when an outside wall was less insulated than a modern house. I will revise this advice and say: Keep a piano away from any floor vent, baseboard heater, window or doorway when at all possible. While this advice may leave no good options in the space you have to work with, just keep in mind that any close exposure to these things that cause erratic changes in heat, humidity and air currents will have an effect on the stability of your piano. In an extreme scenario where large humidity fluctuation cannot be avoided, there are mechanical humidity control systems designed to be installed inside pianos to combat these effects. Consult a piano technician for details.
-Can A Piano Tuner Fix Sticking Keys, Broken Notes, Etc.? Any professional piano technician should be able to diagnose and repair all potential issues with the mechanics of a piano. There are roughly 15,000 small parts that make up the average piano, and it's mechanisms are very complex. Part of the importance of the regular piano tuning is the fact that the technician has the opportunity to address small issues within the piano before they start to wear parts improperly and become larger issues.
-What If My Piano Hasn't Been Tuned In 40 Years? Believe it or not, we encounter this scenario more often than you may think. It is almost always possible to bring a piano back from a state of neglect, however some amount of deeper servicing is usually necessary.
-I'm Buying A Piano... How Do I Know If It Is Worth The Asking Price? They all look so much alike from the outside! It is highly recommended that you hire a piano technician to inspect and assess a piano before investing in it. A technician usually charges a small fee for this service. They should be able to help steer you toward a solid purchase, and away from a "basket case" piano. For my part, I take pride in helping my clients find their best option that is within budget.
If you have more piano related questions, or would like to schedule our services, please do not hesitate to call or drop us a line! We are honoured to provide piano tuning and technical services in the Metro region, Avalon, Burin and Bonavista Peninsulas, Central regions as beyond.
Kind regards,
Riley