Question: When should I have my piano tuned?
Is it going to be an expensive hassle?
Answer: It’s ideal to have your piano tuned four times per year, or once each season. Having two tunings per year has become the acceptable standard, but this may not be enough.
4 Times per Year vs. 2 Times per Year
Four times may seem like a lot, but the piano is essentially a stringed instrument, and stringed instruments will always stray off-pitch. A tuning every 3 months will allow the piano to return to its original state after being altered by both seasonal weather changes and play. Tune at equal intervals each season to keep pitch consistent.
Twice-yearly tunings require good timing and luck. This is especially true in areas that experience all four seasons. For example, if you tune in September after the hot weather has cooled, you might be out of tune by the time your indoor heat goes on in October or November. Tuning every six months is only ideal if you are an occasional player living in a stable climate. At Cooper Piano we have found in the southern United States twice a year works in a home environment with family use.
Learn What’s Right for You
There are a couple things to consider when finding your tuning schedule:
- Local Weather
The piano’s soundboard is especially sensitive to weather changes; it expands and contracts according to moisture and temperature, causing the dependent strings to go out of tune.Changes in temperature and humidity levels are bad for pianos. If you can keep them at a constant ideal, you may be able to get away with two tunings per year.
- Consider the Piano’s Level of Use
Frequently played pianos require frequent tunings. Pianos used at least three times per week need a tuning once every three months. Pianos used for public performances should be tuned at least once a week.For moderately used pianos, six months is enough time for a problem to develop, but generally not long enough for irreparable damage to result from it. Two tunings per year in the Atlanta area is acceptable if you play once or twice a week.
The Bottom Line:
No piano, used or unused, should go over one year without being tuned. Waiting this long sacrifices the piano’s overall health, and causes your next tuning bill to double. Read about how this happens in a future What’s New article, so you can learn how to prevent it or visit the Piano Manufacturers Association International for more information.