Tuning and Adjustment: Piano Care Tip #11

Posted on Jun 6, 2011 in Piano Care Tips | 0 comments

Pianos are delicate instruments which need professional attention periodically. Basically there are two types of professional piano care: tuning and adjustment. Tuning means correcting the pitch of every note by re-tightening the strings. Each piano string is normally stretched to a pressure of about 90 kilograms (198 ½ pounds), but eventually it will stretch further with use and lose some of its tension, causing the piano to lose its correct pitch.

The strings need to be tuned once or twice a year to restore them to their proper tension. Adjustment involves the entire piano action, keyboard, and pedal movements. Proper adjustment is especially important for grand pianos. Whether the piano will perform properly or not depends on how accurately the adjustment is made. Tuning and adjustment should only be done by an expert. When your piano requires either one, call a specialist.

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Do not place objects on top of the piano: Piano Care Tip #10

Posted on May 26, 2011 in Piano Care Tips | 0 comments

Do not place objects on top of the piano

A heavy object may cause poor tone or noisy vibration if placed on the piano. A vase of flowers may look attractive on the piano, but if it should spill water and enter the piano, serious damage can result. Water will rust the metal parts of the piano and damage the hammer and action. Avoid costly accidents and never place anything except sheet music and/or a metronome on the piano.

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Avoid Sudden Temperature Changes: Piano Care Tip #8

Posted on May 16, 2011 in Piano Care Tips | 0 comments

When a cold room is warmed suddenly, moisture will condense on the piano strings and other metal parts, causing them to rust. Felt parts will absorb moisture, dulling their action and resulting in unclean sound. Be especially careful about sudden temperature changes when moving your piano into a room in a cold northern climate or into an airtight room in a concrete building.

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How Humidity Affects A Piano: Piano Care Tip #5

Posted on May 10, 2011 in Piano Care Tips | 0 comments

Felt, cloth, leather, and the precision wood parts – some of them machined to tolerances as fine as 1/100mm – used in such critical parts of the piano as the action, are extremely sensitive to humidity. Too much humidity will result in dull hammer action, unclean tones, rusting of internal parts, and sticking keys. Before this happens the piano should be repaired.

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