What 9 Things are Good to Know About Piano Tuning?

June 14, 2021 Leslie Young

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If you wondered if you are in need of a piano tuning, you most likely are! If something doesn’t sound quite right to your ear; something’s off; the sounds don’t “ring” clear and true like they used to – It’s time for a tuning. Here are nine things good to know about piano tuning.

How often in general for a piano tuning? At bare minimum, plan on once a year. There are quite a few things that cause an acoustical piano to go out of tune. If you don’t plug in your piano to an electrical outlet, you have an acoustical piano.

These 9 Things Make a Piano Go Out of Tune:

Not maintaining a constant humidity level of about 50%
Not having a constant temperature of around 70 degrees F
Strings getting a lot of play get stretched longer and then shorter
Generally, the harder and longer the piano is played the sooner it will go out of tune
The soundboard changes shape as it increases or decreases in water content depending on room humidity
The pin block stability as well as the tuning pins need adjustments
Age of the instrument, including past care
Length of time since the last piano tuning
Because of environmental changes, the different materials of a piano expand or contract in unique ways so that one may create a change in another material. In extreme cases, this could cause significant damage. A piano will go out of tune even if it is not played because of the different components of wood, iron, steel, and copper.

Did you know?

For each key, every string has to be tuned individually, and the keys

in the middle and higher areas of the keyboard have multiple strings!

Of course, the quality of pianos range from excellent, even professional, to very poor. There is a point in the life of a piano, just as with a car, that it costs way more to repair than the result would be worth. For argument sake, let’s say you have a piano that has some age but still lots of playing life and it is very worthwhile to tune.

If it has been too long since the last tuning, your piano may require more than one session to bring it up to standard pitch of A440hz – International Concert pitch, which creates the best tone and volume. That’s not an attempt to charge you more – there really is a need for more work than can be accomplished in one piano tuning session.

In a piano of 235 strings, generally each stretched steel string is under around 160 pounds of pressure. That’s a combined tension of about 18 tons! No wonder a piano needs care and tuning regularly. Good to consider these things when wondering if you have a piano tuning to schedule.

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Leslie Young is the author/composer of the Revolutionary Piano Method. She co-founded a K-12th grade charter school in Texas and has been a piano teacher for about 40 years. She has had experience teaching a variety of students tackling piano for the first time or as returning students.

She states: “In teaching piano to students of varying ages, what also varies is a commitment of time and the amount of dedication. Children of certain ages may do very well with a parent as teacher; others may need someone who is not family to instruct them. Some older children and adults prefer to make progress on their own, and this method is designed to act as a meticulous guide through new material. Some adults and teens insist on professional teachers, which also encourages continuity. Because these books are self-explanatory, a new or experienced professional teacher will have no trouble using the Revolutionary Piano Method with students. It is an easy way to learn piano.”

Leslie believe that “learning to play the piano is more about diligence and perseverance” – but would add that just as critical to success is the method that is used, the encouragement of critical thinking, and the instructional principles that promote immediate success.

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