Do all pianos require yearly tuning?

 

 Yes – pianos which routinely go more than a 1-2 years without tuning will eventually develop structural issues with the sound board and intricate string bridges - This is because ALL pianos are designed to remain at full tension or as close to possible at all times

 

Why do pianos need to stay at full tension?

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Let's start with the basics.

 

One of the biggest misconceptions about pianos is that they simply "hold tune." In reality, pianos are constantly drifting out of tune and require regular maintenance to remain at full string tension.

 

Unlike guitars, violins, and most other stringed instruments, a piano is designed to live under nearly constant tension. A guitar can be detuned, restrung, or left without string tension for long periods without harming the instrument. The neck and structure are built for that.

 

A piano is completely different.

 

When a new piano leaves the factory, it typically takes one to two years of regular tuning before the strings fully stretch, settle, and develop stable tuning. This break-in period is essential. As the strings seat themselves around the tuning pins, bridge pins, and hitch pins, they gradually become much better at maintaining full pitch.

 

Once this process is complete, a well-maintained piano can generally stay acceptably close to pitch for about six months under normal conditions.

 

However, this stability only exists as long as the piano remains near full tension.

 

If a piano is allowed to stay significantly flat for long periods, the strings gradually lose the stable equilibrium they developed during the break-in process. The farther the piano falls from proper pitch, and the longer it remains there, the more difficult it becomes to restore and maintain tuning stability. Eventually, the instrument may require multiple pitch raises and tunings to regain its ability to hold pitch consistently.

 

In other words, a piano's tuning stability isn't something it permanently possesses—it's something that must be continually maintained by keeping the instrument as close to full string tension as possible.

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What happens if we stop tuning the piano after 2 years?

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All pianos are slipping out of tune little by little every single day - every single hour, but it is very, very slow and not noticeable to most people.  But your tuning is always changing slightly all the time.  

 

After 6-12 months all of the precise bends that took 2 years to form and become strong are slowly slipping out of their place little by little.  After 6-12 months they have all slipped a little, but they are still close enough to where no damage has occurred to the precise bends.  This means a decent sounding tuning can be accomplished without a lot of extra work.  But after 1.5 to 2 years the string bends are now starting to straighten out as the string wants to relax (not good), but not only are the old bends being ironed out - new bends are being started in the wrong parts of the string as the string loosens more and more and continues to slide down the anchor points (super duper not good).

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This is why tuning an old free piano is too expensive or impossible to tune at all. 

 

Unfortunately no one is giving away their piano that they are tuning and playing every year. These really good pianos are all staying in the family until someone stops using and tuning them for 10+ years until someone finally kicks it to the curb because it's too expensive to tune back up.  Unfortunately it is usually best to leave them on the curb or make a desk out of them :)

 

Too many people are donating their old piano to churches only for these churches to end up with the burden of busted old pianos that won't hold tune. Yikes!

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Better to call A.M.O. and we can rebuild your old piano back to amazing sound and performance.

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What about the hammers?

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Other than the strings; the Hammer mechanism is the most important parts of the piano and are largely responsible for the "voice" of the piano. The condition of your hammers will directly determine whether your piano will sound extremely beautiful - or just okay.

 

The hammers or "mallets" are controlled by your fingers

using a special mechanism called "the action" inside the

piano which connects to the keys—but only when the keys are fully calibrated

by a professional technician will they be able to keep the player entertained and inspired.

 

Pianists who play very hard and heavy often times develop this heavy playing habit simply because their piano is much over due for calibration, and the delicate touch is no longer there.  A.M.O. Pianos specializes in piano calibration and regulation services, which is here to let you relax and enjoy your instrument the way you were intended to.

 

Did you know that most pianos are capable of responding to that supreme delicate touch that you get with a brand new piano?  Yes, it is true - They are usually just too gunked up inside and require routine calibration or rebuilding from an experienced piano doctor to get that delicate touch back again!  :)
 

Give us a call any time no matter what part of the U.S. you live in. We restore and rebuild pianos from all over the country and would love to hear about YOUR piano!

Call or text any time!
615-496-9702