How Often Do We Tune?

Brand new pianos should be tuned 4 times in the first year of its existence. Some dealerships (if they care enough of if the piano has sat in the room long enough) will already do this before the piano is sold to the first buyer. After the 1st year, pianos should be tuned once:

• every 3 months for serious players or high-end instruments

• every 6 months for the majority of users who care about their student & piano

• or once-per year if the room humidity is near-perfect year-round

How Often Do We Clean?

The “Platinum Service” I offer is recommended once per year, or when you see dust accumulating. The importance of routine cleaning is far too often overlooked by many tuners. But when pianos accumulate dust, both internally & externally, it expedites damage in multiple areas.

Dust settling on strings turns to grime and settles within the troughs of the copper bass coils. By doing so, it changes the vibrations of the strings & expedites the corrosion/oxidation process, thus aiding in a rapid loss of tone quality and speeds up corrosion once humidity enters the dust. This will destroy the strings.

Dust inside the action parts will cause slow/sticking keys because it adds excessive friction in pivotal areas which require free movement.

Can I Keep My Piano Tuned Longer?

Pianos go out of tune from the expansion and contraction of the soundboard, caused by room humidity changes. Period. The best way to control the humidity is to get a nice digital hygrometer (I use Govee) to record the levels. Consistency is key, but most technicians agree that 42%RH is best for pianos daily. The American company Dampp Chaser Corporation makes Piano Life Saver Systems specifically for all sizes of pianos. As a certified system installer, I highly recommend these to keep the relative humidity in your piano’s soundboard area at 42RH% daily. It only needs water every-other-week, on average, never needs emptying, and uses minimal energy to run. It’s completely silent and is the best internal system for pianos, hands down.

You should also keep your piano away from:

• open windows & outside doors

• heating or cooling vents

• a working fireplace

When Is The Best Time Of Year To Tune?

The real answer here is there is NO real best time of year to tune. Controlling the room humidity (some is better than none) means you don’t have to worry about tuning. You might have heard “tune when the heat kicks on in the fall, then again when the heat shuts off in the spring.” Can this work? Yes, but controlling humidity in or around the piano means a longer-living piano, too.

How Do I Measure the Relative Humidity?

A quality digital hygrometer, like  this one with a +/- variance of accuracy between 1% & 2%, will measure relative humidity. They’re cheap and tell you a lot. Leave one on your piano to see where your humidity is. And never let the humidity drop below 35% in dry seasons or rise above 55% in humid times.

Piano Tuner vs. Piano Technician.

A Piano Tuner  can make changes to a piano's pitch.  A Piano Technician is a highly skilled piano tuner who also knows how to make proper repairs and adjustments to the tone and action performance.

Should I Have My Piano Inspected Before A Move?

Always inspect a piano before moving, selling, or buying (this cannot be stressed enough).  Problems can lurk internally that may have otherwise saved you money had they been identified beforehand.

Where Can I Buy A Piano?

Quality pre-owned pianos can be bought through piano technicians or piano dealerships.  NEVER buy or acquire a piano from a private party unless they show you recent service records or you’ve had it inspected by us. I see way too many pianos online for cheap or free listed as ‘just needs tuning’ or ‘needs a good home’ . I can nearly guarantee you, these pianos have not been well serviced and maintained.

What Can I Use to Clean My Piano?

I carry, use, and sell Cory Piano Care products, plus I provide cleaning services so you don’t have to worry about doing it yourself. Do not use furniture polish unless directed by your technician.