How often should I have my piano serviced?
Most pianos owners should plan to have their piano serviced once a year. Pianos are very stable instruments, but they are still made up of wood, metal, and felt parts that interact with changes in temperature and humidity at different rates that cause it to slip out of tune. Additionally, having your piano serviced once a year ensures that any necessary repairs can be caught before they become major problems. This keeps the costs of those repairs down, and keeps the piano in top order. If the piano is getting played all the time (for example an institutional piano at a school, or the instrument of a piano performance major) it would be advised to get on a 6 month schedule. The more the mechanical parts are moving, even in the precisely designed way, the quicker things start to shift. Pianos are at their happiest when they are on a tuning cycle of being serviced in the fall or spring (or both) as opposed to the summer/winter.
It’s been years! Is it too late to get my piano serviced?
No, it’s not too late! The only caveat is that with pianos that have been played but not serviced or laid dormant for a long time almost guarantees there will be more issues that need repair than on a piano that has been serviced annually.
I found a great looking piano for a great price at a flea market/yard sale/online/etc, should I buy it?
This is a resounding Maybe! There are a lot of great instruments that people are getting rid of for a myriad of different reasons, and with some minor repairs and an adjustment to the pitch to get it to concert standard A440, it can be back to making beautiful music. If you are looking at an instrument, please get in touch and check out the page on piano pairing.
I just moved my piano into my home, is there anything else I need to do now?
Whenever pianos are moved to a new home, they take a little time to acclimate to the new environment. Over the first couple of weeks the piano settles into its new surroundings, which can cause things to start to go out of tune. If the piano was in tune when you moved it in, and everything is still sounding fine, it is perfectly safe to wait until spring or fall (whichever is sooner) to get on an annual tuning schedule. If the piano was not in tune when you moved it in, or the tuning goes completely wonky soon after the move, it is advisable to schedule a tuning date no earlier than 2 week from the move.
Where is the best place for my piano in my home?
Pianos are happiest where they experience the least amount of temperature and humidity changes. Some best practices are:
- Place the piano against an internal wall. External walls experience daily heating and cooling cycles that can affect the piano.
- Avoid direct sunlight. Direct sunlight can bleach the finish, and applies a localized hot spot on the piano.
- Avoid direct ventilation from heating or cooling ducts and open windows.