Frequently Asked Questions (F.A.Q.)

 

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1. How often should I have my piano tuned?
2. Why does my piano need tuning?
3. What does it cost to have my piano tuned?
4. PWhat is a pitch raise?
5. I have a key that sticks. Can you fix it?
6. What other repairs do you do?
7. I've heard someone refer to voicing a piano. What is that?
8. How long does voicing take and how much does it cost?
9. How long does it take to tune a piano?

1. How often should I have my piano tuned?

   
   

   Most manufacturers recommend twice a year, but for most people once a year is sufficient.

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2. Why does my piano need tuning?

   
   

   Piano strings have a certain amount of stretch in them. It takes many tunings on a new piano until the stretch is gone. And being that much of the piano (most importantly the soundboard) is made of wood, changes in temperature and humidity will change the moisture content in the wood and make the piano go out of tune. In the winter, the heating system in your house will typically dry the air out and the wood in the piano will lose moisture content. This makes the piano go flat. If all ranges of the piano went flat the same amount, your piano would still be in tune with itself and would be playable. But, when it gets dry, most pianos go flat mostly in one range of the piano, usually the octave below middle C. This makes octaves very out of tune and makes for a piano that is not very nice to play.

   In the spring when you've turned off your heat for the year, the humidity in most homes will go up and the piano will go sharp. So you can see that even if a piano is not being played, the changes of the seasons will make your piano go out of tune.
   

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3. What does it cost to have my piano tuned?

   
   

   My regular fee is $110. If it has been quite a while since it has been tuned, a pitch raise may be required. That fee is $45.
   

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4. What is a pitch raise?

   
   

   If a piano is quite a distance from standard pitch (A440), one tuning may not be sufficient to keep it in tune. If you were to give it one tuning, it might be out of tune soon after it is tuned. A pitch raise is basically a quick tuning of all the strings to bring it up to standard pitch. Then the regular tuning is done. This assures that you have a good tuning that will last a while.
   

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5. I have a key that sticks. Can you fix it?

   
   

   Certainly. Keys sticking on a piano is a very common problem especially when it is more humid in the house. It is also more common on a piano that is not played very much. Sometimes just playing a piano regularly will keep keys from sticking.
   

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6. What other repairs do you do?

   
   

   I can repair most any problem that a piano can have. Sticky keys, squeaky pedals, notes that don't sound right, etc. I only do repairs in the home though. If you need your piano restrung or rebuilt, I would refer you to someone else.
   

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7. I've heard someone refer to voicing a piano. What is that?

   
   

   Voicing is what a technician can do to change the tone of the piano. The most common problem is that your piano has gotten brighter sounding since you got it. Piano hammers to tend to get grooves in them and they get harder the more the piano is played. A technician can remove the grooves and make the hammers softer so that they make a better sound.
   

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8. How long does voicing take and how much does it cost?

   
   

   It normally takes an hour or two to do that work and costs between $100-200 to do the work.
   

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9. How long does it take to tune a piano?

   
   

   Usually an hour or a little more.
   

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10. For More Information

    
    

    For more information or for answers to other questions, just email me at steve@stevehuie.com. Thank you.
    

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