What makes our tunings different from others?

One important concept in piano tuning is called temperament. A helpful way to understand it is to think of doing division and being left with a remainder—temperament is essentially how that "remainder" is spread across the notes of the scale. Most modern piano tuners use what's known as equal temperament, where the small differences in pitch are distributed evenly between every note. While this system is mathematically precise, it causes every key signature to sound nearly identical, giving the piano a uniform—but often sterile—sound.

At Hassell’s Piano Tuning, we use a method called well temperament. This approach, famously used by J.S. Bach in The Well-Tempered Clavier, gives each key its own unique tonal character or “personality.” For example, the keys of C, G, and F tend to sound warm and mellow, while keys with more sharps or flats—like B or C♯—have a crisper, more vibrant tone. With well temperament, you’ll notice greater emotional depth and color in your music, and your piano will produce a fuller, more resonant sound overall. It’s a tuning style that brings out the expressive potential of your instrument and makes each piece of music truly come alive.