Piano Care

Piano Tuning

Your piano is designed to be maintained at a standard pitch of A440. That is, A = 440 vibrations a second. As time passes, strings stretch and lose pitch. Without proper tuning and maintenance, you strings will fall to the point that tuning them back to A440 can actually do damage to the quality of the steel in the string. I recommend tuning a piano at least once a year. More or less may be needed depending on the quality of piano and the demands placed on it. A piano which is in an unstable climate may need to be tuned as often as once every 2 to 3 months.

Piano Cleaning

Your local piano technician can instruct you as to the best way to clean your piano. This usually involves dusting of the finish, cleaning of the finish (this will vary with different types of finishes. A lightly dampened cloth will work. Polish will also work but do not over polish), cleaning of keys (lightly dampened cloth, dry immediately. Do not use solvents!), and vacuuming the inside areas. I am often asked if a vacuum can damage the inside of a piano. Under normal circumstances, it is not possible to suck any of your piano parts into the vacuum cleaner. However, this job is best left to your local piano technician.

Repair

DO NOT ATTEMPT TO REPAIR YOUR PIANO. It is a mistake to "do it yourself" with a piano. Pianos are not like cars where a part can be taken off easily and replaced easily. Piano parts are removed and replaced in steps. Damage can be done if these steps are not followed. It takes a
piano technician may years of apprenticeship to master the art of piano repair. This is a job best left to the professional.

Weather

Pianos are extremely sensitive to weather conditions. Heater vents, windows, ceiling fans, exhaust fans, wood stoves, and even natural house hold air currents will affect your pianos tuning. It is best to keep you piano in a low draft, stable area of the house. Older piano tuners used to say that an outside wall of a house is the worst place for a piano. This is only true if your house is not properly insulated such as a house built at the turn of the centruy. A properly insulated outside wall is perfectly suitable for a piano as long as it is located away from doors, windows and vents. It is also worth mentioning that direct sunlight can affect the tuning and finish of your piano.

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