4 Factors That Affect How Often You Need Piano Tuning
Piano tuning is a big job that requires an expert, so you have to schedule tuning sessions specially. How often you need to schedule these sessions, though, can depend on a few things. The faster your piano goes out of tune, the more often you'll want to have its tuning redone, for example.
Here are some of the factors that could affect how often you need piano tuning.
1. Environment and weather
The piano's surroundings can have a big impact on how long it stays in tune. When the environment changes, the piano's tuning may change. For example, humidity can have a big impact, partly because the piano's wood components may shrink or swell slightly in wetter or drier air.
When you move a piano, that can also throw it out of tune, both because of the jolts and vibrations of the moving process and also because of the changes in environmental conditions.
2. Aggressiveness of playing
A piano that's played very aggressively may go out of tune more quickly. So the more often someone who has a loud, forceful style plays on your piano, the more likely it is to need more frequent tuning.
If you're a professional piano player, you probably spend quite a bit of time playing loud, forceful pieces on the piano. In this case, you should realize that more frequent piano tuning is just one of the costs of doing business.
3. Type and age of piano
Some piano makers are much better than others. An inferior-quality piano by a lesser piano maker may not hold its tuning as well as a top-of-the-line instrument does. And a brand-new piano from any maker may need frequent tuning since the strings tend to stretch out for a while before stabilizing.
4. Piano's purpose
If your piano is only used for beginner-level piano lessons with no audience, it may not need to be constantly fine-tuned. And of course, a piano that's only for decoration won't need to be tuned often either.
On the other hand, a concert piano that's played for the discerning ears of thousands of music lovers needs to be tuned quite often. Frequent tuning will ensure that no slightly flat note spoils a performance for a picky listener.
These are some of the factors you'll need to keep in mind when deciding on a tuning schedule. Contact a local music store if you need a recommendation for someone who performs piano tuning in your area. The music store or the piano tuning technician can also give you more customized advice about how often your piano will likely need tuning.