Before learning to play the piano, one needs a quality piano. In addition, a piano needs to be tuned before playing it. I am sure you have heard an out-of-tune piano. It is hard to listen to. The melodies and harmonies don’t sound clear, and your enjoyment is diminished.
Regular piano tunings will guarantee that your piano preserves its beautiful sound for a lifetime. To get your piano tunings right, one has to know the principles involved in how a piano is tuned.
In short, a piano tuning is a professional who makes adjustments to the string tensions through the adjustable pins so that each string vibrates at the proper frequency. Why is this important? So that what you play sounds clear, and when you play a chord, it sounds good. To understand more, you need to understand a bit of the mechanics of a piano.
The piano has a combination of both steel and copper strings. The upper and middle register strings are made of single stretchable steel strings, whereas lower bass notes are made of steel wrapped in single or double copper alloy wire. Since frequency (pitch) is dependent on the number of vibrations/second, higher notes have shorter strings that, when struck, have more vibrations/second (creating a higher pitch). On the other hand, lower notes have longer strings producing fewer vibrations/second when played. These strings are stretched and wrapped over a steel frame with hundreds of adjustable tuning pins with a combined tension of ~ 20 tons! The sound of an acoustic piano is the result of felt hammers striking stretched strings producing vibrating sound molecules creating sound.
The wear and tear of regular playing can take its toll on vibrating strings, and as a result, their tensions may lessen, and their pitches may change. Cue the piano technician.
When a piano isn’t tuned regularly, its strings become harder to adjust, where even two tunings won’t do much for your piano.
Your frequency of piano tuning will depend on several factors:
There’s a lot of work put into maintaining your piano’s tuning. Should you call an expert? Keep reading to learn who we recommend for your piano tunings.
Can you do your piano tuning yourself? With so many online tutorials on anything, people may be tempted to search Youtube. The short answer is: No. We do not support DIY piano tuning.
Having taught and played for a long time, I have learned that learning to tune a piano takes years of school and practice. There are professional piano tuners and piano technicians who study and perfect their skills for piano tuning. Some are certified, have passed rigorous tests, and have apprenticed with a professional tuner. A piano technician should be able to tune pianos and make repairs and adjustments to hammers, sticky keys, and pedals when they may break. In summary, hire a professional piano technician.
Now that you know the basics of piano tuning, you can take good care of your piano for your piano lessons. Let us know if you need more advice on piano and singing. Happy practicing!