Pianos are designed and built to sound their best when tuned to A440. So when your piano’s pitch drops due to lack of tuning, the quality of tone suffers.

Also, if a piano is not tuned for quite some time, its pitch begins to slip far enough away from concert pitch that it may require a pitch raise in order to achieve a stable tuning.

The piano is an amazing instrument. It covers the full spectrum of any instrument in the orchestra from below the lowest note of the double bassoon to above the top note of the piccolo. It can produce melody and accompaniment at the same time (try that on a clarinet) and boasts a broad dynamic range.

The piano is the largest musical instrument excluding the pipe organ. An average medium-sized piano has about 230 strings and each string must be tuned separately. These strings have about 165 pounds of tension, with the combined pull of all strings equaling approximately eighteen tons. The total string tension in a concert grand is close to thirty tons!

More than 10,000 individual parts must be kept in proper regulation if the piano is to function properly and sound its best. Most pianos have 88 keys – 52 white and 36 black – and two or three pedals to soften and sustain sound. The piano’s source of sound is vibrating strings. Depressing a key of the piano causes a hammer to strike one, two or three strings (depending on whether it is a treble, middle or bass note).

To clean the case, begin with a feather-duster to avoid possible scratches followed by a damp soft cloth. Don’t use furniture polish as it can soften the finish if overused, and the silicone & oils present in many household brands can even contaminate the wood, despite what the labels may say. If more thorough cleaning and polishing is desired, special polishing products are that are made specifically for piano finishes

Keep your piano away from heating registers, radiators, fireplaces and air conditioning vents if possible. Subjecting it to extreme fluctuations of temperature and humidity levels can do major damage. Keeping a piano away from an outside wall was probably necessary in poorly insulated older Victorian homes, but should not be a problem these days. However, avoid direct sunlight on your piano as it can damage and fade the finish, and can create tuning problems.

Using a temperature/humidity gauge (hygrometer) can help you maintain consistent temperature and humidity levels in the room where you keep your piano. Swelling and shrinking of wooden parts affect tuning and keyboard touch, while extreme swings can eventually cause wood to crack and glue joints to fail. Pianos are happiest in a relative humidity level of 40 to 45 percent. If you don’t have a central humidifier/dehumidifier, consider getting a room humidifier for the winter, and a room dehumidifier or air conditioner during the summer months. You can also install a special piano humidifier/dehumidifier inside your piano.

Keep plants, vases, drinks, or anything to do with liquid off the piano. Condensation can ruin the finish, and spillage of liquids into the inner mechanism can result in irreversible damage.

With every seasonal change there are also changes in both temperatures and levels of humidity. Your piano has been meticulously crafted out of wood, and wood is a material that is particularly susceptible to changes in humidity and moisture. The changes in the level of moisture cause the wooden sound board to expand and shrink. This expansion and shrinkage results in significant changes in the tension of the strings, causing the piano to go out of tune.

WHEN DO I NEED TO HAVE MY PIANO TUNED?

The single most important part of any piano’s maintenance is its tuning. Unfortunately, many piano owners think that they can go years between tunings and everything will be fine. Not so. To truly get the most out of your piano, rely on the regularly-scheduled care of a professional.

Frequent tuning:
 Keeps the piano close to its intended pitch so it sounds as intended
 Stabilizes the piano so it does not need to be tuned as far each time
 Causes the piano to undergo less stress during tuning
 Gives greater potential for making beautiful sounding music.

Most tuning technicians and piano manufacturers suggest tuning an established piano one to two times a year. Depending on what type of climate you live in, however, tunings may be needed more often.

New pianos need to be tuned more frequently than older ones. Most manufacturers recommend tuning 3-4 times in the first year because strings are still stretching and wood components are still adjusting to the relative humidity in your home.

HOW WILL YOU TUNE MY PIANO?

To tune your piano, I must adjust the tension of each string so that it vibrates at the correct pitch and sounds in harmony when musical intervals are played. There are over 200 strings in a piano with the combined pull of all strings equaling between eighteen and thirty tons. This high tension means that the tuning pins the strings wrap around have to be set very tightly in a strong wooden block, requiring a special wrench to turn them up or down.
I start with one string in the middle of the piano and get its correct pitch from a tuning fork. Then I set about 12 notes right in the same area (a chromatic scale). For keys that have two or three strings, I must block off the outside strings with a strip of felt so only one string will sound at a time for each note.

After I get enough notes tuned in the middle, I work in both directions by listening to octaves that go with the notes already set. The final step is to pull out the strip of felt and tune the outside strings of each note to the middle one.
After discussing service needs it may be wise to consider having further work beyond basic tuning such as action regulation and reconditioning. Of course I can take care of repairs and maintenance work that arise during the life of a piano. I work on all modern (since the early 1900’s) makes and models of piano. I love to tune, and concentrate my studies on those areas affecting touch and tone, including action regulation and voicing. For pianos requiring substantial rework, I may refer you to local rebuilders whose focus on restoration would be appropriate for the situation.

Frequent tuning:
 Keeps the piano close to its intended pitch so it sounds as intended
 Stabilizes the piano so it does not need to be tuned as far each time
 Causes the piano to undergo less stress during tuning
 Gives greater potential for making beautiful sounding music.

Most tuning technicians and piano manufacturers suggest tuning an established piano one to two times a year. Depending on what type of climate you live in, however, tunings may be needed more often.

New pianos need to be tuned more frequently than older ones. Most manufacturers recommend tuning 3-4 times in the first year because strings are still stretching and wood components are still adjusting to the relative humidity in your home.

HOW WILL YOU TUNE MY PIANO?

To tune your piano, I must adjust the tension of each string so that it vibrates at the correct pitch and sounds in harmony when musical intervals are played. There are over 200 strings in a piano with the combined pull of all strings equaling between eighteen and thirty tons. This high tension means that the tuning pins the strings wrap around have to be set very tightly in a strong wooden block, requiring a special wrench to turn them up or down.
I start with one string in the middle of the piano and get its correct pitch from a tuning fork. Then I set about 12 notes right in the same area (a chromatic scale). For keys that have two or three strings, I must block off the outside strings with a strip of felt so only one string will sound at a time for each note.

After I get enough notes tuned in the middle, I work in both directions by listening to octaves that go with the notes already set. The final step is to pull out the strip of felt and tune the outside strings of each note to the middle one.
After discussing service needs it may be wise to consider having further work beyond basic tuning such as action regulation and reconditioning. Of course I can take care of repairs and maintenance work that arise during the life of a piano. I work on all modern (since the early 1900’s) makes and models of piano. I love to tune, and concentrate my studies on those areas affecting touch and tone, including action regulation and voicing. For pianos requiring substantial rework, I may refer you to local rebuilders whose focus on restoration would be appropriate for the situation.

Conversely, dry weather—especially hot dry weather—will cause contraction of the soundboard and lowering of the piano’s overall pitch.  If there are cracks in the board, they will probably widen and become more visible.*  Any tendency to have buzzing, rattling, or other related sounds will be exacerbated.
Overly dry conditions can make tuning pins loose in their holes.  If proper steps aren’t taken, and the climate within the piano—or room where it sits—is not controlled, a piano can eventually be rendered untunable.
Key bushings contract, creating excess side-to-side key movement.  Actions become loose as flange bushings shrink.  A noisy action and keyboard that feels uncontrollable is a by-product. is
The San Francisco Bay Area is, for the most part, hospitable to our favorite instrument. The ideal relative humidity level (RH) for pianos is 42%.  The range here is from 40-60 percent most of the year.  In-piano climate control is recommended in some of the damper coastal areas, or in the hills where redwoods keep the temperature low and humidity levels fairly high.
*While it might seem a very severe problem, pianos with cracks in their soundboards can be repaired, if necessary.  Many pianos have less-than-perfect boards, yet produce beautiful tone with few or no  noticeable negative effects.

Today, many high-quality older pianos exist in various stages of wear. Because it happens so gradually, this wear often goes unnoticed, leaving many pianos operating far below their potential. In extreme cases, some older pianos are simply left unplayed because of their poor condition.

Reconditioning, according to the Piano Technicians Guild, is the process of putting a piano back in good condition by cleaning, repairing, and adjusting for best performance with parts replacement only where necessary. This is most appropriate for a piano with only moderate wear or those of medium value with average performance requirements.

Reconditioning does not involve replacing major components such as the soundboard, bridges, pinblock, and most action parts. This means the performance and life-span of an older piano will not be restored to new. Instead, reconditioning is designed to improve a piano’s performance, keeping in mind both costs and benefits.

Generally speaking when it comes to pianos, bigger is better. There is no substitute for size when it comes to sound. Everything smaller than a nine foot concert grand is a compromise. However most of us don’t live in homes the size of concert halls and the price of a concert grand is out of reach for all but a few. That being said the principal remains, bigger is better.
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The reason behind this is the physics of sound production. Longer strings produce more depth of sound. People frequently refer to smaller pianos as sounding tinny. That’s because shorter, stiffer strings tend to produce more high harmonics and less of the fundamental or bottom or the note. The sound from longer strings also tends to last longer before it starts to fade because they are not as stiff as the short strings in a smaller piano. This becomes an issue when playing pieces like Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata” or hymns that require a longer sustain on each note. A smart sales person might be more likely to play something that uses a lot of fast short notes like a ragtime piece when showing off a small piano.
The soundboard in a large piano is also responsible for the sound it produces and a larger soundboard will produce a better quality sound. The soundboard in a smaller piano is less flexible and produces a thinner sound.
Pianos tend to show their age in the bass section first. The bass strings are made of a solid steel string with copper or steel wrapped around them to produce the low notes in the scale. Typically as the piano ages the bass strings will start to corrode and cause the bass to sound thumpy. By the time a piano is about 30 years old this starts to become apparent and they may need replacement. Some higher quality pianos however have bass sections that remain lively sounding for many decades longer.
The next area that should be looked at is the condition of the hammers. If you lift the lid of an upright piano and look down at the hammers (these are the parts that strike the strings) you can see if the hammers are worn. If a piano has been played a lot over the years it will have developed deep cuts in the hammers from contact with the strings. Some hammers have actually flattened out to the point that the piano is starting to sound like a honky-tonk piano. This is caused by the flattened hammers slapping the strings, instead of bouncing off of them as the original rounded hammers would have. If the hammers are too flat they will have to be replaced but if they are just slightly flattened, a piano technician will be able to file away some of the surface felt to restore the original shape.
It is beyond the ability of most consumers to assess whether a piano has loose tuning pins but if you are looking at a piano that is desperately out of tune don’t assume that it will be just fine once it is tuned. Some pianos have loose tuning pins and can’t be tuned properly without replacing all of the pins. This can be an expensive procedure. Some pianos even have cracked pinblocks. The pinblock is what holds the tuning pins in place. If it is cracked, repining is inadvisable. It is possible to replace this pinblock but it is too expensive to be practical for the average upright piano. If a piano sounds like it is really out of tune, it would be advisable to have a piano technician assess it before buying it. (This is a good idea most of the time).
Generally the pianos that I would recommend are;
Canadian Uprights
Heintzman, Bell, Mason & Risch (before 1950 only! see article), Nordheimer, Gourlay
* note all of these manufacturers made better pianos in the earlier part of the 20th century
Canadian Grand Pianos
Heintzman, Nordheimer, Mason & Risch (before 1950 only! see article)
American Pianos
Steinway, Mason & Hamlin, Chickering, Knabe, Sohmer, Baldwin (not DH Baldwin)
Japanese
Yamaha, Kawai

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• Assess the condition of your piano
• Ask about any concerns with the instrument’s condition or operation
• Recommend any adjustments or repairs that may be required before tuning
• Tune each of the strings to the proper pitch standard
• Recommend possible future work based on the condition of your piano

The actual tuning may take around two hours, but might be longer depending on how out of tune the piano is, its general condition, and the environment where it is located.

I also track when your piano was last tuned, and remind you, based on the piano’s situation and use, of when your next tuning is needed. By having me see a piano on a regular basis, I can help you avoid situations that may result in unnecessary expense.

Services and pricing for private clients:

Tuning:  $100 in Broomfield/Westminster  and surrounding area (20 mi. radius), $120 for other communities.  This service usually requires 1-2 hours to complete.

Pitch raise:  Included with tuning up to 50 cents.  $20 for pitch raise of 50-100 cents.  $40 if over 100 cents.

Service Call:  $45 min and $45/hr.

Basic regulating:  $400 (does not include reconditioning).

Damper regulating:  $250.

Reconditioning:  varies by piano (minimum $150).

Estimate:  $50.  This fee will be applied toward payment of services other than tuning.

Inspection of used piano:  $75.

Written appraisal:  $125.

Dampp-Chaser (humidity control) installation:  $600 for grand pianos, $400 for vertical pianos.

Prices for other services, such as restringing, hammer replacement, action rebuilding, and key recovering, will vary by piano.

I accept payment at the time of the appointment, or invoice as is convenient for you or your organization. Personal checks are fine.