Before your child begins taking piano lessons in Denver, you probably had one of the following realizations while sitting down to test out your piano: it’s completely out of tune, or after trying a few notes of “Chopsticks,” weren’t sure if it was. Whether you’re the new proud owner of an upright piano or you’ve been an owner for quite a while, you’ve probably had your questions about tuning it. Lucky for you, we’ve got all the information you need to know about piano tuning.
Common questions asked about piano tuning
How often do I need to tune my piano?
It’s common for piano manufacturers to tell their consumers, including piano teachers in Denver, that new pianos should be tuned four times in their first year. During the second year, the piano should be tuned twice. Beyond that, you should tune your piano at least once a year. If your piano is tuned and ready to go, check out our blog about what your child can do before starting piano lessons.
We haven’t played our piano much. Does it still need to be tuned?
How often you play your piano doesn’t affect if it’s in or out of tune. Consider the general guidelines for pianos. If your piano isn’t brand new, you’ll want to get it tuned at least once a year. Pianos go out of tune because of the changes in temperature and humidity. The more a piano settles, much like a house, will also affect how often it needs to be tuned.
Is it bad for pianos to be out of tune?
Not tuning a piano for a long time won’t cause them to be utterly damaged. But it isn’t good for them to sit out of tune for a long time either. A piano will naturally settle as it sits in a home. This settling depends on the tension in the piano strings. So if you let your piano sit for too long without keeping it tuned, the strings will begin to go slack, and the piano dips to a lower pitch when played. When a piano is tuned, the strings are tightened and pulled back to their correct pitch. The longer you let a piano go out of tune, the more tunings it will require to have the piano sound “normal” again. If you’re reading this and feeling a bit guilty, don’t worry. You can still contact your local piano tuner to come to your home to assess your piano.
What’s wrong with my piano if it doesn’t hold a tune long?
If your piano is not holding a tune like it used to, there could be a few things wrong with it. Most piano tuners will look at the tuning pin block to see if it’s holding the tuning pins tightly. If one or several of the tuning pins is loose in the tuning block pin, the tuning pin will slip, which causes pressure on the string. Sometimes in these cases, the piano tuner can fix this, but most of the time, the tuning block is worn out.
If the problem isn’t with the tuning block, your problem could be outside the piano. If you live in a climate where the humidity often changes or your piano is placed near a window or door, this could also affect your piano’s tune. Temperature and humidity will put pressure on the piano strings, which will give you the tune-holding problem. If you’re not sure if this is the problem, give your local piano tuner a call.
What is a pitch raise?
If your piano has been out of tune for quite some time, your next tuning can create pressure on your piano. To keep your piano from putting too much tension on your piano, they will need to raise the pitch or give it a pitch raise by tightening each of the piano’s strings one at a time. By doing this, the piano tuner helps the piano adjust to its ideal pressure. After the piano tuner has given your piano a pitch raise, he or she can finish tuning the piano.
Ready for the next step?
If you’ve found one of your questions hasn’t been answered, contact your local piano tuner. If you’re not sure who to contact, your next best guess is to contact your child’s piano tuner to ask for their input.
If your child is ready to start piano lessons, you need to find a fun and passionate teacher for them. Don’t hesitate to ask us to help find an instructor and lesson time that works best for you. At Lessons In Your Home, our instructors are thoroughly vetted, professional, and passionate about music. Our teachers will come right to your home for every lesson, plus we offer virtual music lessons, too. Our online music lessons are taught by local music teachers who plan their lessons to suit your child. Contact us today to learn more.
