Euphonic Studio Piano Tuning

It's time for your spring tuning.  

Piano tuning is a required maintenance procedure that should be done at least twice a year to keep your instrument in top condition.  

Pictured below: I'm tuning my $60,000 Mason and Hamlin grand for a recording session.  A $600 spinet needs regular tuning, too!

Keeping your piano tuned not only makes it sound better, it also helps the piano last longer.  There are tons of pressure put on the piano frame, posts, soundboard, and bridge.  This pressure causes the load bearing parts of the piano to move and the strings naturally have a tendency to stretch under pressure, which makes them go flat.

Over time, if a piano is not tuned regularly, it will drop in pitch and the tension will change.  This can cause stresses on the instrument that are out of design specification and some of them may even damage the instrument.

The natural drop in pitch is gradual and happens due to seasonal changes.  The piano will tend to drop pitch in the winter, and then it recovers somewhat in the spring and summer but never gets back to pitch.  So over a few years, a piano may drop a whole note or even more in pitch.

Pitch Raising

Pitch raising is almost always required in pianos that have not been tuned regularly.  Please understand that raising the pitch of your piano may require more than one tuning.   This is because after raising the instrument to pitch, it will tend to settle over the next few days and weeks and it will likely need to be tuned again. 

If a piano needs to have the pitch raised, I will tune it twice on the first visit.  Sometimes this is sufficient, and it's up to you to decide if you would like another tuning appointment (you are not obligated to do that, it's up to you).  I have seen some instruments respond well to the pitch raise technique I'm using and hold very well after the initial tunings.

Some tuners charge extra for pitch raises.  I am not charging extra as of Spring 2009.

The biggest piano tuning myth

The biggest myth about piano tuning is "Nobody's playing it so it doesn't need to be tuned."  Unfortunately, this isn't the case, unless you are willing to risk the investment you have in your piano.  Pianos go out of tune whether they are played or not, and it's important to get them back in tune at least twice a year to avoid problems.

The BIG THREE for a long and happy piano life

•  Regular tuning at least twice a year
•  Keep the temperature in the room as steady as possible
•  Keep the humidity in the room as steady as possible

If you can do that for your piano, it will repay you with decades of quality service.

Euphonic Studio music lessons, piano tuning, and  digital recording services

Mount Vernon, Iowa serving Cedar Rapids, Marion, Solon, Mechanicsville, Ely, Springville, Anamosa, Iowa City and surrounding area

For information about music lessons, piano tuning, and digital recording at Euphonic Studio, call Bill at 319.895.8002