Some piano technicians additionally use a handheld electronic tuning device, which picks up frequencies and displays them on a screen. Piano technicians learn, through rigorous training and years of experience, to recognize the minute differences in pitch and the sounds called "beats" that an out-of-tune piano produces. If you're still not sure how often your piano should be tuned, give me a call or e‑mail and I will be happy to help you figure it out.If the piano strings are new, or the piano has been moved recently, it will probably go out of tune because of the piano settling in.In that case, you may need a yearly tuning. If you use your piano rarely, and it is in a climate-controlled room that doesn't fluctuate much in temperature and humidity, then it may stay in tune for nine months or more.If you play a lot and want it in tip-top shape all the time, you should get it tuned every three months. The more frequently the piano is used, the more often it will need tuning.(See the Piano Care Tips for advice on dealing with weather changes.) In this case, your piano may need to be tuned every three to six months, regardless of how often it was played. If there have been extreme changes in weather conditions, especially humidity, the piano will go out of tune faster.How frequently should I have my piano tuned? Then the piano is tuned again this time each note will be at the standard pitch. Then the strings will stretch out and flatten a little, closer to the desired pitch. To compensate for the flattening of the pitches after tuning an out-of-tune piano, each note is brought up above the standard pitch quickly. Strings tend to settle back to where they were after its last tuning. At this point, the piano will sound "in tune." What is pitch raising?Ī piano technician can also perform a "pitch raise." This is an important technique that is used when a piano is very flat. When the tuning is complete, each note will have in-tune unisons, and the musical pitch of each note will be relative to the pitches of the other notes in a prescribed manner such as Equal Temperamant.
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Then, when A is established, the tuner has a vast amount of choices of how to tune the rest of the piano in relation to that A. The tuner uses a given frequency, usually A440, to start tuning the note A. When tuning a piano, the technician uses a tuning hammer to adjust the tension of individual strings. The piano tuner's art is simple to learn, but takes a lifetime to master.A standard piano has 88 keys, but did you know that it actually takes over 200 strings to produce those 88 pitches? That's because some keys have two or three strings, which must be kept in perfect unison. A straightforward tuning job takes about an hour to complete, but a more complex one can involve assessing components such as the keyboard, pedals, and action, and correcting problems such as loose pins or worn felt on hammers. Their most important tools, however, are their ears and deep knowledge of pianos: their anatomy, mechanical operation, and sound. Piano tuners use a handful of simple tools to test and adjust the pitch of a piano's strings, including a tuning lever, a variety of mutes to silence strings that aren't being tuned, and a tuning fork or electronic tuning device to determine accurate tones. Piano tuning and repair is delicate, painstaking work, best suited to calm and focused individuals who don't mind working alone.
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Piano tuners, who are often professional pianists or instrument repair technicians, take full advantage of this demand as a steady side gig. A single home piano might need to be tuned once or twice per year, while studio pianos might be tuned monthly and concert pianos before every single performance. Some estimates put the number of pianos in the United States at nearly 20 million, and thanks to factors such as temperature, humidity, age, and frequent or hard playing, every one of them needs regular tuning and upkeep.