Piano Tuning
Michael stringing a grand piano after cabinet restoration
The Piano Doctor tunes by ear only.
The reason for this is that electronic tuning devices only deal with one frequency at a time, whereas music is all about many notes sounding in tune at the same time, as in intervals and harmony.
Professional musicians appear to agree with this.
The reason for this is that electronic tuning devices only deal with one frequency at a time, whereas music is all about many notes sounding in tune at the same time, as in intervals and harmony.
Professional musicians appear to agree with this.
How often should your piano be tuned? Some guidelines are listed below.
- A piano played by a concert pianist for 6 to 8 hours per day should be tuned every 3 months.
- A piano played by an AMEB student for 3 hours a day, should be tuned half yearly.
- A piano played for 2 to 8 hours per week should be tuned once a year.
- A piano played only once a month could be tuned every 18 months.
Is your piano below concert pitch A=440Hz?
- Your strings will sound brighter if they are kept at or around concert pitch..
- Pitch affects the resale value of the piano and also your ability to play the piano together with other instruments.
- A substantial pitch raise, for example by a full tone, is fairly disruptive to the tuning stability of the piano and it is certainly advisable to correct a pitch issue before it reaches that stage.