Looking after a piano

Piano is not only a musical instrument but it also actually is a machine consisting of thousands moving parts, mainly made of wood, wool and metals. As every machine it needs regular maintenance and proper care! Otherwise it looses its sensitivity and accuracy.

Optimal conditions

The optimal conditions for a piano are crucial to maintaining its tuning stability, sound quality, and longevity. Here are the ideal environmental and care conditions:

Humidity: 42–50% Relative Humidity (in Brisbane the average RH is 60-80%, way above ideal). Higher than that and piano slowly falls apart. Big swings in humidity significantly shorten the pianos lifespan!
Placement on insulated floors and next to internal walls without drafts from AC and away from sunlight
Tuning at least twice a year
Professional service every few years
Avoid rapid humidity changes - turning on/off AC or dehumidifier, putting lamps, fire or water around the piano or inside. Plants and flowers on top of the piano are big no!

Nowadays it is very simple to install a dehumidifier into a piano!

Tuning

How does the tuning look like?

Tuning a piano is a process of adjusting of tension on each strings, therefore the pitch, by turning the tuning pin with tuning lever/hammer. Yes, We tune every single of over 200 strings. It usually takes around 1,5-2 hours. In case your piano hasn't been tuned for a while, we'll need to do this a couple times at one session and for better tuning stability (means it stays in tune) it might need to be done again within few weeks.

You can think of tuning as changing an oil in a car - no matter whether you driver by yourself or with 4 other people, you should still do it! It usually takes 1-3 hours, depending on the piano and its condition.

Once a year if you don't play

TWICE A YEAR if you do! And more often if you play a lot.

If you do it less often, then the sudden change of tension of strings and pressure against the soundboard will catch up in few weeks and piano goes out of tune quickly. And it needs to be done again in few weeks/months. Then you may think what is the point of doing it if it doesn't last over few weeks?

Piano action

Piano action is a complex mechanism transmitting the movement of the keys into the hammers hitting the strings and making the sound.

In the car analogy this would be the engine. For sure you wouldn't drive a car that's been running without any maintenance for 10+ years, would you? Yet people still play old pianos without maintenance with expectation of them being built to last. This is of course very wrong expectation and just because it makes some sound it doesn't mean it sounds good!

You may experience a loss of power or other troubles when playing. Then it is a time to get a technician to fix it!

Very old pianos

Cca 1890-1930 era is often referred to as Golden age of piano manufacturers. These pianos offer potential of specific sound that later built pianos often lack. If properly looked after or restored, they're lovely to play and to listen to.

Remember - these piano manufacturers competed in quality, not quantity of sale as they too often do nowadays!

Sadly I often come across family heirloom pianos that were left sitting for decades while being played occasionally. If you like the sound, they're worth saving!

Hammers

sustain a wear as much as tires on a car. Over the time the felts also gets\ compressed causing the piano sounding bright/tiny/sharp or contrary to that also very dull.

Hammers should be reshaped/voiced every now and then to maintain pianos best sound.

Altough after a while they DO need to be replaced.

Untunable?

Have you been told that your piano is untunable or 'not worth it'? With a progression in technologies we are now able to save some instruments that were deemed untunable based on old school knowledge in several ways.

Be aware that your piano might need way more than 'just a good tune up' . And if it is really run down, it will probably take days to fix even to main issues.

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse