How often does my piano need tuning?

The number one question I get from my piano clients is regarding how often they should have their piano tuned. The answer is usually dependent on the goals and needs of the pianist, the condition and stability of the piano, and the variability of the climate (humidity and temperature) where the piano is located. If you want the short answer, at least every 12 months and sometimes more. If you'd like to know more than that, keep reading. If you live in the Logan, UT area and are ready to schedule, head here.

I appreciate this quote from Steinway and Sons which illustrates the impermanence of a perfect tuning.

“Unfortunately, no matter how expertly a piano is tuned, atmospheric variations and the nature of the piano's construction constantly conspire to bring it off pitch.”

It’s good to have an understanding that pianos gradually begin creeping out of tune the moment their tuning is complete. The goal is for this to be imperceptible for as long as possible. If the piano technician has had extensive training and experience, the tuning pins will be set in a state that ensures maximum tuning stability. This skill is one of the hardest things to master in piano service and is in large part what you are paying for when you hire a qualified piano technician. If this is done incorrectly by an amateur, your piano will go rapidly out of tune. For more information on how to choose a qualified piano technician, please see this article.

Tuning Frequency Recommendations:

• To keep things simple, it is recommended to tune your residential piano at least every 12 months. There are several variables that affect this, but in our climate the average piano can drift out of tune 3-10% in this amount of time. Even if the piano doesn’t sound out of tune at this point, it is almost certainly flat or sharp and needs to be returned to concert pitch. The annual visit is also needed for other critical piano adjustments and lubrication to ensure everything is functioning properly.

• For accomplished pianists and those with refined hearing or ear training, tuning every 6 months will keep the piano much closer to perfect all year long. Customers in this category often schedule whenever their ear detects the need for tuning. A discount is available to my customers who tune more than once per year.

• A piano should always be tuned after a move. If the piano has moved locations it is advisable to let the wood of the piano acclimate to it's new environment for 2-3 weeks before tuning.

• Schools, venues, studios, music teachers’ pianos, and other institutions should be tuned at least every 6 months and immediately before performances or recordings.

• Piano manufacturers recommend tuning new pianos 3-5 times in the first year. This helps the new piano and the elasticity of its strings become stable faster. Besides tuning, other adjustments also need to be made to new pianos during these visits to ensure the piano is set-up properly for enjoyable long-term use.

• Neglected pianos that have gone years without tuning will often need to be tuned multiple times before their ability to hold pitch for any length of time returns. During a tuning, if the pitch requires a large correction it will often only stay in tune for a short period of time as the strings and wooden parts of the piano are under a new higher amount of tension and will relax after the tuning. If the goal is to get the piano back to concert pitch and for it to stay there, tuning the piano multiple times during in the first few months can be required. It’s easiest to keep a piano maintained with annual tunings, rather than skipping years and needing to play catch-up. Consequently, those who only tune their piano every several years only enjoy having a piano perfectly in tune for a short period of time.

Why tuning matters

Many of us have had the shocking experience of going to the eye doctor for the first time, getting glasses, and wondering how we ever became accustomed and complacent to living in a blurry world. Piano tuning is a lot like this. As an instrument slowly drifts out of pitch and misses years of tunings, our brains can adapt to think the piano still sounds acceptable. Often, customers don’t realize what they are missing out on when their piano has been neglected and then after a much needed tuning they are as shocked as I was at the eye doctor many years ago.

It is particularly important for a piano to be in tune and well maintained for learning children. When children practice on an out of tune piano, it impacts their long-term ability to have a good ear for proper pitch and intervals. For children that may someday move on to other types of instruments or voice lessons, being able to discriminate proper pitch is crucial.

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