Piano Tuning

Piano tuning is the most basic of all piano services. However, as with all activities, it is essential that is is done by a trained and practised tuner. A bad tuning will make any piano sound ugly. A good tuning can make a piano sing.

There are various ways to tune a piano, most obviously, either aurally or using an electronic tuning device. Both ways have their advantages, and it can be beneficial to use one particular method at a particular time. Beware of tuners who are unable to tune aurally, as this could mean a lack of thorough training.

Tuning is the art of matching all the harmonics, or partials of each note to complement each other. Every piano will be tuned slightly differently due to the differring lengths and thicknesses of the strings. This gives every piano a different sound quality. Longer pianos will have a better quality of tone in the bass, as the strings are longer and therefore closer to the ideal. This is one reason why 9' pianos are used for concerts.

Pianos can go out of tune for various reasons and in various ways. If the piano is played often and strongly (i.e. big repertoire and loud works) then the piano may go out of tune note by note. You will hear the unisons go out of tune. Concert pianos get tuned before every concert as they required to be at the highest standard of tuning possible. Recording studio pianos must be tuned just as regularly, as a mis-tuned note will show up clearly on a recording.

Even if the piano is not played often, a piano will go out of tune gradually over time. It may not be as noticable, but the pitch will drop starting usually in the treble section where the piano is strung at the highest tension. It is easy to forget to tune a piano that is not often used, but this can result in a required pitch raise.

Brand new pianos will go out of tune more quickly than older pianos, this is because the strings are still settling into the tension they are strung at. In the same way that new strings on a guitar must be re-tuned often, so must a new piano be tuned more often if possible for the first few years.