Beware of Excessive Dryness: Piano Care Tip #7

Posted on May 12, 2011 in Piano Care Tips | 0 comments

Just as Piano Care Tip #6 says to be careful about excessive moisture, excessive dryness can also cause problems, and reek havoc on your pianos!

Too much humidity is a problem, but excessive dryness is an even more serious one, especially where heating or cooling systems are used to create artificially dehumidified rooms. Used in naturally dry climates, the piano has enough natural moisture to prevent excessive drying. However, if the air becomes too dry, the wooden and felt components will shrink. In extreme cases, the soundboard, joints, and other laminated sections may even come apart, even though they have been glued together carefully. Slight distortion of the parts may cause noise, and the tuning pins may work loose, making it difficult to keep the piano in tune. To avoid excessive dryness, it is best to keep some kind of leafy plant or a humidifier in the piano room.

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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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Provide enough ventilation (Tip #1)

Posted on May 4, 2011 in Piano Care Tips | 0 comments

Pianos need ventilation, but the wrong kind of ventilation can damage them. The best location for your piano is in the center of the room or against a wall which divides two rooms. If possible, avoid placing it next to an exterior wall where outside weather conditions might cause tone quality and volume to suffer. If there is no other choice, at least make sure that the piano has adequate ventilation on all sides.