Piano Tuning

In most cases a piano should be kept at ‘concert pitch’; that is, where A=440hz. This maintains the correct tension on the frame, and provides the optimum tone quality.

It is not the playing of a piano which has the most effect on its tuning, ( indeed, a well tuned piano should hardly be affected by even the heaviest playing. Achieving that stability is possibly the hardest part of the tuner’s art) – rather, it is changes in temperature and humidity which cause the wood of the soundboard to expand and contract, which throw a piano out of tune.

For this reason, a domestic piano should be tuned at least twice a year to counteract these changes. I normally recommend 3 times a year for most of my customers because a more consistently high quality of tuning can be achieved.

A normal tuning will take about an hour; if the piano has gone significantly flat of concert pitch it may need to be gone through twice – a quick raise of the whole instrument to pitch, followed by a fine tuning. This takes about 1.5 hours.

Instruments used by professional players and teachers should often be tuned more than three times per year to maintain them at the very highest standard, and those used for concerts and recordings are tuned before every concert or session.