Pete's Piano Service
Call Us Today: (319) 432-3252
Whether your piano is 50 or 5 years old, it is essential to have your piano tuned every 6 months. Your piano will go out of tune and need tuning due to seasonal changes. In the dry months, your piano will go flat due to the wood (soundboard) shrinking. The wood grain will expand in the humid months, causing the piano to go sharp. What this means to you is that your piano won't sound right. In fact, it might be intolerable! If you feel you may need your piano looked at, call Pete’s Piano Service in Cedar Rapids, IA, at (319) 432-3252.
Let's Check the Soundboard
The 220+ piano strings are stretched to a tension of approximately 168 lbs. per string, causing enormous downward pressure on the bridges, which is transferred to the soundboard. The soundboard is a large piece of wood under the strings. It looks flat, but it's not. It's actually rounded like an upside-down bowl, higher in the middle of the soundboard. If you look at the back of a guitar, cello, or violin, you will notice that the back sides are rounded, just like on a soundboard. The soundboard in a piano is the same, only under a much greater amount of pressure. In an upright piano, the total string tension is approximately 12 tons; in a grand piano, approximately 20 tons. With seasonal changes in humidity and temperature, the woods and metal expand and contract. This is what causes your piano to go out of tune.
Recommended Piano Maintenance
It is very important to tune your piano every 6 months, especially living in Iowa. You may not notice that the piano has gone out of tune because the tension may have changed evenly. The longer a piano goes without regular maintenance, the more it will cost in the long run. A quality piano will not sound good, and an older piano will only be worse. With proper maintenance every 6 months, you will extend the life of your piano while enjoying the purity and harmonious tone your piano is capable of. This also allows for regular inspection of other components needing adjustment or repair and issues concerning things like sticking keys, noises, and pedal adjustments.
When a piano goes for a long time without being regularly tuned, it's likely that the piano will be extremely flat. When this happens, it's usually required to tune the piano twice, sometimes three times, before the tuning will hold. The first pass is a rough tuning called a pitch raise or pitch adjustment. This brings total tension into the ballpark, especially when it is close to the pitch. The second pass is a fine-tuning, allowing the sting tension to be equalized and the tuning pins set.
Ideal Room Temperature
Maintaining the average temperature and humidity in the room where the piano lives will dramatically help prevent wide changes in piano pitch. Ideally, when the piano is tuned, there should be as little movement of the tuning pins as possible. The rule of thumb is that the less the strings and pins have to move, the better.
It's a good idea to purchase a digital hygrometer to tell you how the room behaves regarding humidity and temperature fluctuation. If it's difficult to control, a humidifier system can be installed in your piano. Take care of your piano, and it will take care of you!
