Our Piano Tuning Services

We provide a professional piano tuning service at reasonable rates. Concert pitch tuning and pitch raising are among our specialities. We also offer a tuning reminder service free of charge.

WHY DO PIANOS GO OUT OF TUNE?

There are many reasons why pianos go out of tune. Below is a list of possible causes.

1. THE PIANIST!

The more the piano is played and the heavier the pianist’s touch, the faster the piano will go out of tune. This is because, when keys are played, the piano strings are struck by the piano’s hammers. Obviously, the harder and more often the hammers strike the strings, the more the piano will go out of tune.

2. ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS

Ideally the piano should be kept in an atmosphere with a constant humidity of around 50% and a constant moderate temperature.
Of course, in reality, this is not always possible, but the less fluctuation in temperature and humidity, the better. Seasonal variations play a part here.

3. THE PIANO'S DESIGN AND BUILD QUALITY

The better the design and build quality, the better the tuning stability should be.
Good quality pianos include in their design a full cast iron frame (plate), a laminated wrest plank (pinblock) and strong supporting back bracings.

4. NEW AND NEARLY NEW PIANOS

Pianos tend to go out of tune more frequently during the first three years of life due to the fact that new strings take time to settle in and become used to being kept at their correct tension and hence, pitch.

5. THE PIANO'S CONDITION

If the tuning pins are loose, the piano will not stay in tune for as long as it should and in severe cases where the pinblock (the plank of wood which encases the tuning pins) is soft or cracked, the piano may be unable to be tuned at all. If this is the case, our technician will advise accordingly.

6. THE PIANO TUNER!

When tuning a piano, there are certain techniques which can be used to improve tuning stability.
Needless to say our fully qualified and experienced piano tuners always employ these techniques.

CARING FOR YOUR PIANO

1. HAVE YOUR PIANO TUNED REGULARLY

The recommended interval between tunings for normal domestic environments (private dwellings) is to have your piano tuned every 6 months. However, continual and/or heavy use will cause your piano to go out of tune more quickly and to need tuning more frequently.

It’s also worth bearing in mind that even if the piano sounds in tune when playing solo, it may have dropped below concert pitch (A=440Hz).

2. KEEP YOUR PIANO TUNED TO THE CORRECT PITCH (measured in Hertz (Hz))

Most modern pianos and many older pianos are designed to be tuned to A=440Hz (commonly referred to as “concert pitch”) and this is the pitch to which we would normally tune your piano.
However, occasionally, for various reasons clients may require alternative pitch settings.
We can tune your piano to any desired pitch, unless, in our professional opinion, to do so would be detrimental to the piano, in which case, we would strongly advice against such a course of action.

3. CONSIDER THE PIANO’S LOCATION

The ideal setting for a piano is to be kept in a location which has constant and moderate humidity and temperature.
Pay special attention to heat sources! Position your piano as far away as possible from radiators (certainly no closer than 4ft (approx. 1.2m) and out of direct strong sunlight.
Try to situate your piano away from exterior walls as these are often subject to greater fluctuations in heat and humidity.
Avoid placing pianos in rooms with open plan kitchens, as steam produced when cooking can cause wild fluctuations in heat and humidity which may not only affect the piano’s tuning but can also cause keys to stick.

In conclusion, our tuners/technicians will always tell you if they notice anything untoward happening to your piano.

4. DON’T PLACE OBJECTS ON TOP OF THE PIANO

Putting objects on top of pianos is always risky. If they were to fall, they could damage the casework and/or the key coverings.
Even if this does not happen, placing objects on top of the piano can cause annoying rattling sounds when the piano is played.
Especially important, do not place objects containing liquids on top of pianos, because if they topple over, this could cause extensive damage, leading to costly repairs.

5. TO LOCK OR NOT TO LOCK – THAT IS THE QUESTION!

The “lid” which can be closed to cover the piano keys is called the “FALL”.
The advantages of keeping the fall open when the piano is not in use are that if the white keytops are made of ivory, leaving the fall open can help to prevent the ivories from yellowing over time and also some might argue that having the keys visible looks attractive.
The advantage of keeping the fall locked (assuming the fall has a working lock and key) is that the chance of damaging the piano keys is greatly reduced, especially if the piano is situated in an environment where very young children are present, or if the piano is in a public building.

Our Piano Tuning Services

We provide a professional piano tuning service at reasonable rates. Concert pitch tuning and pitch raising are among our specialities. We also offer a tuning reminder service free of charge.

WHY DO PIANOS GO OUT OF TUNE?

There are many reasons why pianos go out of tune. Below is a list of possible causes.

CARING FOR YOUR PIANO

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