Frequently Asked Questions & Tips
Q: "Does a piano need tuning after it's moved?"
Answer: It depends. The piano is a complex instrument, with over 200 individual strings and thousands of moving parts. Each string must be painstakingly adjusted to put the piano in tune. Even the tiniest change in a string's tension can be heard by a practiced ear.
You might think, then, that trucking a piano down the highway or even rolling it down a hall could "knock it out of tune." However, pianos are actually quite tough. They're built to withstand up to 20 tons of string tension and decades of heavy usage, so the physical movement of a piano usually has very little effect on its tuning or other adjustments.
It's the climate change associated with the move, rather than the actual move itself, that makes pianos go out of tune. A substantial difference in humidity between its previous location and its new home will change the shape of the piano's soundboard, changing tension on the strings.
For instance, a well-tuned piano moved fifty miles from a heated, dry apartment to a cool, humid home will sound fine immediately after the move. But a week later, after adjusting to the higher humidity, the piano will sound out of tune. Even moving a piano from one room to another in the same building can affect it if heating or air-conditioning patterns are different.
An exception is the vertical piano. Because they have four legs (grands have three), they occasionally flex enough to distort their tuning pattern immediately if moved to an uneven floor. Moving the piano back to a flat surface will return the tuning to normal. This is most noticeable with lightly built spinets and consoles, and can occur simply by moving the piano a few inches if one caster rolls off the carpeting or into a low spot on the floor.
So, do you have to tune your piano after moving it? Pianos need periodic tuning anyway, whether they are moved or not, so it's likely that a piano that has just been moved was already due for tuning before the move. If so, it's best to let the piano adjust to its new environment for a week or two, then have it tuned. On the other hand, if the piano had been recently tuned before the move, you might just hold off and see how the piano sounds after a few weeks. If the climate of the new location is similar to the old, your piano will probably sound fine until its next regular service date.
Q: "How often should
I have my piano tuned, I don't play it very often"?
Answer: Tuning &
servicing your piano is a normal part of piano
ownership. The main reasons a piano goes out of tune,
are the atmospheric variations (temperature changes),
and the nature of a piano's construction. If the piano
is new or newly repinned, it should be tuned 3 or 4
times in the first year.
A good rule of thumb
for the average household in a moderate climate is to
tune the piano when the heat goes on in the Fall, and
again when the heat goes off in Spring. If you're
sensitive to tuning or if you live in a very dry or
humid climate, your may want your piano tuned 3 times or
more each year.
To put the matter of
tuning into perspective, remember that a concert piano
is tuned before every performance and as the concert
hall fills up, the temperature goes up, so it's usually
tuned again at intermission. A piano in a professional
recording studio, where it is in constant use, is tuned
3 or 4 times each week as a matter of course.
If you leave your piano
for years without tuning, moisture will collect on the
strings, consequently they rust and lose their tone.
Select
a Piano-Tuner-Technician with care. It's not only
important that the service person be competent to
perform tuning, regulation and repairs, but also that
the same person be someone you feel comfortable calling
with questions concerning your piano's performance.
Hiring a Tuner-Technician who is committed to
comprehensive service for your piano and not just an
occasional tuning, is your best assurance.
Q: "What are the
correct names for the different sizes of grand pianos"?
Answer:
5' 8" or smaller is a 'Baby Grand'
5' 9" - 5' 11" is a "Living Room Grand"
6' - 6' 3" is called a "Professional Grand"
6' 4" - 6' 7" is a "Drawing Room Grand"
6' 8" - 6' 10" is called "Parlour", "Artist", "Salon" or
"Music Room Grand"
7' 4" to 8' 6" is a "Half or Semi Concert Grand"
8' 11" and larger is a "Concert" or "Orchestral Concert
Grand"
[Source: Arthur A.
Reblitz Piano Servicing, Tuning & Rebuilding Book:]
Q: "Why does my piano
tuner use one of those electronic machines to tune the
piano?
Answer: Many people
think those machines tune the piano, they don't! Your
piano tuner does that job manually with his hands and
his ears. However, he needs to obtain the source of his
pitch from a
reliable point of origin. Years ago, only tuning forks
were used to obtain this pitch. There are 12 forks, one
for each note of the scale. They're still available
today, but thanks to modern technology, a tuner can now
get his sound source from a 'Pitch Generator'. This is a
machine that electronically gives out the correct pitch
allowing the tuner the use of both hands, which in turn
speeds up the tuning process. You'll find a technician
tunes the first octave with the generator to set the
'temperament', and the rest of the piano is balanced
according to the bearings obtained in that first octave.
A 'Pitch Generator' is also useful for some older pianos
that cannot be brought up to standard pitch (A440).
Q: "We live in a
cold climate, and my parents used to put a bowl of water
in the lower part of our upright piano in the winter. Is
this a good idea"?
Answer: This is not a
good idea! The proximity of water, to steel or copper
(the strings) encourages rust. Piano Humidifiers are
available for both Upright and Grand Pianos, or the
humidifier on your furnace may be sufficient.
Beware
of excessive dryness! If the air becomes too dry the
wooden and felt components will shrink. It sometimes
helps to have some kind of leafy plant in the piano
room. Keep the piano away from fire places, hot air
registers, radiators, open windows and doors.
Q: "I like to play
my piano along with music from my tape recorder or
record player. Why does the piano sound out of tune when
I do this"?
Answer: Unless you are
in a recording studio with professional equipment,
you'll find that most consumer tape recorders and record
players generally run either minutely slow or fast, so
the pitch will rarely be the same as your piano.
Q: "I need my piano
tuned, but I live out of town... can I send the strings
to you by courier, to be tuned?"
Answer:
Uummmm.....We believe if you need an answer to this
question... perhaps you should take up the drums! :-)
Q: "Why is the
finish on my piano all cracked and dull?"
Answer: This is called
'sun checked' and it's usually caused by placing your
piano in direct sunlight. Perhaps in a window alcove...
or by having your drapes open near the piano. The finish
on the piano begins to shrink. There are products that
will diminish this problem...however if you want a
perfect finish, it would be best to have the piano
completely stripped down and refinished.
Avoid
using paste waxes, liquid waxes, or spray waxes
containing "silicones" on your piano. Over time a
'cloudy' build-up will harm the finish.
Q: "How much is my
old piano worth?"
Answer: This is the
most asked question we receive. It's impossible for
anyone to assess or appraise an old or antique piano
without physically seeing it.
Don't be fooled by some
of the 'self-appointed experts' out there who want to
charge you money for appraisals over the internet or by
telephone. You might be misled & then insure, buy, or
sell your piano for the wrong value. There have been
more than 12,000 piano manufacturers around the world,
who in turn made dozens of models of their pianos, and
with up to 12,500 parts in a piano, there are too many
variables that MUST be seen and touched to give you a
proper appraisal.
There is no 'blue
book', 'guesstimate', or 'ballpark figure" for the worth
of old pianos. Although some manufacturers are superior
to others, the value of an older piano is judged
strictly by its present condition as assessed by a
'qualified piano technician'. There is also a difference
between an "Old" and an "Antique" piano. Most of the
older pianos are just that..."Old". A piano is said to
have 'Antique' quality if it was one of a 'very few'
manufactured, or had special hand carving on it, or
perhaps was one of the original models built by a
particular company. However, you can discard the notion
that an 'old' piano is worthless. If it was a good
quality-made piano to begin with, and it has been well
maintained over the years, restoring it to it's original
sound and beauty can give it more worth than some of the
pianos built today on an assembly line.
Be aware that unlike
electronic instruments, acoustic pianos 'appreciate' in
value. So if your piano is fairly new, and you've looked
after it by having it serviced regularly, just phone a
store that sells your type of piano and ask the current
value. That will give you some idea what yours is worth.
Don't forget, the value of pianos will change with your
location, and in the end an old piano, like antiques, is
only worth what someone is willing to pay for it!
Q: "I have a Grand
Piano and sometimes dirt gets on the soundboard, under
the strings. How can I clean it?"
Answer: The interior of
your piano should be considered out of bounds to you and
your family. Any dealings with your piano's interior
should be handled by a qualified piano technician.
However, we do have a soundboard steel, in our 'Online
Shop' that you can use to get rid of everyday dust under
the strings on a Grand Piano!
Q: "I've heard I
shouldn't put a piano on an outside wall, why is this?"
Answer: This was a
problem many years ago, when houses weren't so well
insulated. If your home is well insulated, you should
have no problems. However, your piano needs ventilation,
so if you put it against any wall, make sure that a
'Grand' has its lid opening towards the centre of the
room.... and an 'Upright' is 4 inches to 6 inches from
the wall.
About 70% of your piano
is wood, which even though it has been carefully
selected and dried, is still 'alive', so to speak. It
reacts just as your body does to variations in
temperature and humidity. Constant fluctuation in either
of these variables is definitely bad for your piano's
health. Your piano should remain in a stable atmosphere
at a temperature between 64 - 73 degrees Fahrenheit (18
- 23 degrees Celsius) and between 40% - 50% relative
humidity.
