Anything you can do to control the environment around the piano will help. This approach isn't as good as modern technology but it's better than nothing. If you can't afford a climate control system, often you can buffer the changes by simply having potted plants in the room that are watered regularly (but never put potted plants or vases with water on the piano itself). But these systems need to be maintained and the room temperature still needs to be as consistently even as possible. A system of humidifiers and de-humidifiers buffer the changes in humidity, which is very helpful. Often people install climate control systems specifically designed for the piano. If this can be achieved by controlling the room environment year round, all the better. As a metaphor, imagine the art of modeling clay the farther along from the lump stage you are, the more detail and refinement you are able to put into the work.Īs mentioned above, controlling the atmosphere around the piano is probably the most important part of maintaining the tuning once it is done. The result will be a much more refined tuning. Once a few months have passed, the piano can be tuned again starting from a much better place. If such is the case with your piano, this stage of the tuning is so crude that it is difficult to hope for more than simply getting the tuning "into the ballpark." The strings will resist this change but eventually they will settle into the new tension. This necessary adjustment is actually an extra step that needs to be done before a proper tuning can be accomplished. The reason why a pitch raise is in order is because all the strings have been stretched and relaxed so many times that most of them are far removed from what their actual tensions are supposed to be. With such cases, very often the piano needs what we call a pitch raise or pitch adjustment. If it has been in a sheltered environment and given regular tunings it will be closer to the goal of being in tune than a piano that, for example, has been stored in a garage for years and then brought into the house for use. When the tuner begins the work it will be determined how out of tune the piano is. The Tuner Approaches The Piano Each According To Its Needs Exactly where your piano lies will affect how often it needs to be tuned. Every piano's home fits into the spectrum just described. Truly, the ideal environment for a piano is one within which the relative humidity and temperature are kept constant and at a proper level. The result is an environment that contributes to the piano's ability to stay in tune. Therefore, tension modulations are minimized. Because drastic changes in humidity and temperature are avoided, the soundboard, cast iron plate, and strings change very little. In contrast, imagine a piano residing inside a newly constructed home made with the best insulation where the climate is meticulously controlled. But again, on Sunday, the temperature is cooled and dried for those few hours when the congregation gathers.Īlthough perhaps more drastic in degree than what a home piano endures, the situation illustrates the extent to which erratic fluctuations in relative humidity and temperature will work against the piano's ability to stay in tune. Similarly, in the hot, muggy months of summer, since the sanctuary is unoccupied during the week, the air conditioning is turned off. But on Sunday, for the comfort of those attending service, the heat is turned up to a warm, comfortable seventy-two degrees. The result is cold interior temperatures that begin to approach the winter outside. During the frigid months of winter, since there are no water pipes to freeze and burst, the heat is regularly turned off during the week when the parishioners are away. One piano is subjected to a wide range of temperatures, such as in a church with no plumbing in the sanctuary. To illustrate this, imagine two identical pianos, but two completely different environments within which the pianos reside. While this might not hurt the piano's integrity, it ruins the sound quality. Variations in humidity and temperature are common causes for these changes. Home | Knowledge Base | Piano Tuning Working Toward A Controlled EnvironmentĪlthough the piano is very strong structurally, the slightest variation in string tension will cause the pitches of the strings to change.
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