Piano Tuning $75*
*Travel to more remote areas (time and fuel cost) may affect pricing to some degree.
Grand Pianos, Uprights, Studio Pianos, Spinets, Fender Rhodes:
Tuning, Maintenance, and Repair
Denver Metro/Front Range Colorado
Someone once said to a piano tuner, "How can you stand listening to that all day?" The piano tuner replied, "I guess I just tune it out."
Your piano will be singing with a fresh tuning! A tuned-up and well functioning piano sounds better (in my opinion) than an out-of-tune piano and is more fun to play and more inspiring to practice on for everyone from beginners to professionals. As a performer, music educator, piano tuner and owner, I have discriminating ears. I don't leave a piano until it sounds great to me.
Your piano is a timeless and expressive musical instrument with a fascinating and ancient history of development and is worthy of maintaining and playing!
A piano tuning appointment is scheduled at a convenient time for both parties. Mid-morning and early afternoon hours are most desirable for me. A piano tuning takes me approximately 3 hours, sometimes a little more. You will appreciate the extra care that I put into your piano. A piano that is tuned regularly will stabilize and stay in tune longer than a piano that is rarely tuned. Dependent upon quality and condition of each piano, I tune the piano as close as possible to the international standard of A440 and refresh the temperement. Some older pianos will have to be tuned to a slightly lower pitch as the older strings risk being broken when the attempt to tune them too high is made. Ultimately I attempt to tune every instrument to itself.
The piano has been designed and refined over centuries of stringed keyboard instrument development to hold a stable tuning. However, just like any other stringed musical instrument subject to the effects of environment the piano tends to fall out of tune after a while. Not everything at once, but a little here and a little there. I use tuning techniques that ensure the piano doesn't go out of tune the instant you begin playing on it and stays in a stable tuning for as long as possible after the tuning.
Factors that contribute to the piano's tuning stability can vary:
While manufacturers’ recommendations on the number of annual tunings vary slightly, they generally agree that a piano should be tuned twice per year, with additional tunings as needed. For all general purposes I recommend having your piano tuned at least once a year.
If your piano is subject to heavy use (or even very consistent use) going with at least two piano tunings per year coinciding with the seasonal changes, that is once in the late spring, then again in the late fall/early winter. This ensures that you have a fresh piano tune all year! I offer a discount for repeat tunings.
Mechanical issues, if there are any, with the piano can be assessed during the tuning. Many times a minor adjustment just needs to be made. Sometimes a sticky key just needs a little attention! If more complex and time-intensive repairs need to be made outside the scope of a standard tuning visit we can discuss this before any repairs are made.
A piano tuning appointment is scheduled at a convenient time for both parties. Mid-morning and early afternoon hours are most desirable for me. A piano tuning takes me approximately 3 hours, sometimes a little more. You will appreciate the extra care that I put into your piano. A piano that is tuned regularly will stabilize and stay in tune longer than a piano that is rarely tuned. Dependent upon quality and condition of each piano, I tune the piano as close as possible to the international standard of A440 and refresh the temperement. Some older pianos will have to be tuned to a slightly lower pitch as the older strings risk being broken when the attempt to tune them too high is made. Ultimately I attempt to tune every instrument to itself.
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| Crossroads Theater (Denver, CO) |
Factors that contribute to the piano's tuning stability can vary:
- Manufacturer, Age, and Condition of Piano
- Typically, newer pianos in general and higher quality pianos (new and old) will hold a stable tuning for longer.
- Condition of the Pinblock where the tuning pins for the strings are situated.
- Most of the time on decent quality pianos in reasonable condition the pins are tight and will hold the string in place. Occassionally though, they can become loose and slip under tension making that particular string more difficult to tune.
- Normal Usage
- The frequently used middle notes of the piano where it is played the most tends to stretch and go flat sooner as the strings are literally struck more often.
- Ex. Playing heavy left hand tends to knock the bass strings out, etc.
- I set the pins while tuning so that the notes don't go out of tune when you start playing.
- Environmental Conditions
- The degree that the temperature and humidity fluctuation in the piano's home play an important part in keeping the piano in tune and in good shape. Wide fluctuations in temperature expand and contract the piano parts which are made of a variety of materials including wood, iron, steel, felt, leather, etc. and can make the piano go out of tune.
- It's better to keep a piano on an inside wall of the house out of direct sunlight if possible.
- Swelling of wood parts with seasonal humidity changes forces pianos out of tune. Bridges, soundboards, and frame absorb water from the air or lose water to the air.
- Frequency of Tuning
- Simply put, the more often that a piano is tuned (and played) the more it will settle into a tuning.
- An old piano that has just been tuned after years of neglect will need time to adjust. The loose strings are being tightened up and will tend to shift and stretch.
- Alternately, new piano strings stretch, requiring more frequent tunings early in a piano's life. New pianos go out of tune quickly. Anyone who has put new strings on a guitar or any instrument can attest to this.
If your piano is subject to heavy use (or even very consistent use) going with at least two piano tunings per year coinciding with the seasonal changes, that is once in the late spring, then again in the late fall/early winter. This ensures that you have a fresh piano tune all year! I offer a discount for repeat tunings.
Mechanical issues, if there are any, with the piano can be assessed during the tuning. Many times a minor adjustment just needs to be made. Sometimes a sticky key just needs a little attention! If more complex and time-intensive repairs need to be made outside the scope of a standard tuning visit we can discuss this before any repairs are made.
Contact me about piano tuning using the form below!
