1. How much does it cost to tune a piano?
Typically, a tuning can cost between $100 and $300 in the United States depending on factors such as where you live and the experience of the piano tuner. Tuning and repairing pianos is a highly skilled craft that takes years to perfect, and an experienced technician can really make a difference! At Resonant Piano, I offer several service packages at different price points: Basic (60-90 minutes), Standard (2 hours), and Premium (4 hours). Basic is “just a tuning” and should only be chosen if the piano has been regularly serviced at least yearly for some time, or if your budget simply doesn't allow for more complete servicing. My Standard Service is the most recommended and requested package, as it allows me to spend extra time improving the way it feels, the responsiveness of the action, the tone, etc. I’ll choose whatever improvements I feel can make the biggest improvement for your piano. The Premium package allows me to really bring your piano to life in one longer appointment. Please check my website for my current pricing.
2. How often should my piano be tuned?
Most piano manufacturers suggest tuning a brand new piano 4 times the first year and every 6 months thereafter. In any case, a piano should be tuned yearly at a minimum. A new piano’s strings will stretch and stabilize over time, so they tend to go out of tune quicker during that break in period. Otherwise, the biggest culprit causing pianos to go out of tune is changes in humidity throughout the year. The summer months are usually more humid, and when you turn on your heat in the winter, the air becomes very dry. These changes cause the wood parts in the piano to swell and shrink, causing the piano to go out of tune.
3. Will my piano need tuned if it hasn’t been played much?
Temperature and especially humidity changes are the biggest culprits in causing pianos to go out of tune. If your piano tuner is experienced, how much you play the piano should not affect the tuning much at all. Inexperienced tuners will have a much bigger problem with tuning stability as they are still learning the intricacies of how to “set the tuning pin” so that tuning stability is maximized. So yes, even if you are not playing the piano and even if an experienced technician tuned it last, the piano will still go out of tune over time because of fluctuations in humidity.
4. I’ve heard that a piano might need a pitch raise in addition to tuning. What does that mean?
When a piano is more than a little out of tune, tuning causes a significant change in the pressure on the piano. If the tuner simply begins tuning each string one at a time, by the time he gets to the last string the total tension on the piano will have changed so much that the first strings are out of tune again. To avoid the problem, the technician has to tighten each of the strings individually (raise their pitch) close to their eventual tension. Once the total pressure on the piano is close to its proper level, he can go back and tune each string more precisely. At Resonant Piano, I do not charge extra for pitch raises, like most other piano tuners do. Because of my experience, I can do a first pass tuning to get it close to in tune fairly quickly and then do a fine tuning so that it is perfectly in tune.
5. My piano doesn’t seem to hold a tuning for very long. What could be the problem?
Two main factors: The inexperience of your piano technician and humidity fluctuations.
6. What’s the difference between a piano tuner and a piano technician?
A tuner just tunes pianos. A technician is trained and experienced in all areas of piano work including repairs, action regulating, hammer voicing, and much more. I have had extensive training and experience in most aspects of piano work and can proudly say I am a Piano Technician.
7. A piano tuner told me my piano cannot be tuned. Why not?
Some pianos are simply so old or damaged that they can no longer stay in tune. This is usually because the tuning pins are too loose and won’t stay where they need to be, or there is structural damage or cracks in the bridges or other parts of the piano. Any of this could be repaired, rebuilt, or refurbished, but may not be worth the cost if the piano is not of high quality. It may just be more cost effective to get a different piano.
8. My piano has a sticking or sluggish key? What could be the cause?
There are dozens of reasons why a key could be sticking! It could be as simple as something like a grain of sand stuck between two keys, but it could be an issue with the various moving parts of the piano action. There are many bushings that could become sluggish over time, or there could be broken or missing parts. A good piano technician can quickly diagnose and fix the problem for you.
9. What does it mean to regulate a piano?
The piano “action” is the entire mechanism allows you to push down on a key and cause the piano hammer to strike the string. Believe it or not, a modern piano action has over 8000 parts in it, all which need to work together to allow a responsive piano that can play very soft and very loud. There are many felt, leather, and buckskin parts that compress over time and cause the action geometry to suffer. Periodically, perhaps every 5 to 10 years for a piano that is played regularly, the action should be regulated to get it playing its best. I can do full action regulations that can take a few days to complete that can really bring a piano back to life. But I also try to do small improvements at every appointment with my Standard Service package so that your piano can sound and feel better and better with each appointment.
10. What does piano voicing mean?
The most extensive part of piano voicing is voicing the hammers. Sometime you may hear it referred to as “needling the hammers”. The piano hammers are made of a wool felt and over time can become more and more compressed to the point that the tone becomes very bright or strident. Or some hammers will sound brighter or mellower than others so the tone is uneven throughout the piano. By pressing needles into the felt of the hammers, we can change the tone to be more pleasing and more even. If hammers are too soft, there are chemical agents we can use to make those hammers brighter. Piano hammer voicing is an art that takes practice! As needed and if time permits, I can do voicing during a standard service, but would always do extensive voicing during my premium service package. The best pianos have a range of tone from mellower when played soft to bright and powerful when played loud.
11. What are some addition repairs or services that could be done to improve my piano?
12. How much does it cost to move a piano?
There are many factors that affect the cost of moving a piano, such as if it is an upright or a grand, how big it is, the total mileage for the move, if there are stairs or other difficulties, and much more. If you are needing a piano moved, I can ask you all the questions needed to be able to give you a quote. Other things that add to the expense is needing to have 1 or 2 helpers besides myself and the cost of liability insurance, fuel, equipment, and such.
13. Can I move my piano myself?
It is not recommended that you try to move a piano yourself as they are expensive and delicate instruments. However, some people do move upright pianos on their own, at the risk of damage to the piano or injury to themselves or one of their friends. A grand piano requires removing the legs and pedal system and usually needs to be placed on its side on a grand board. There is a lot of special equipment used by professional piano movers to ensure the piano and your home is not damaged and people are not injured.
Typically, a tuning can cost between $100 and $300 in the United States depending on factors such as where you live and the experience of the piano tuner. Tuning and repairing pianos is a highly skilled craft that takes years to perfect, and an experienced technician can really make a difference! At Resonant Piano, I offer several service packages at different price points: Basic (60-90 minutes), Standard (2 hours), and Premium (4 hours). Basic is “just a tuning” and should only be chosen if the piano has been regularly serviced at least yearly for some time, or if your budget simply doesn't allow for more complete servicing. My Standard Service is the most recommended and requested package, as it allows me to spend extra time improving the way it feels, the responsiveness of the action, the tone, etc. I’ll choose whatever improvements I feel can make the biggest improvement for your piano. The Premium package allows me to really bring your piano to life in one longer appointment. Please check my website for my current pricing.
2. How often should my piano be tuned?
Most piano manufacturers suggest tuning a brand new piano 4 times the first year and every 6 months thereafter. In any case, a piano should be tuned yearly at a minimum. A new piano’s strings will stretch and stabilize over time, so they tend to go out of tune quicker during that break in period. Otherwise, the biggest culprit causing pianos to go out of tune is changes in humidity throughout the year. The summer months are usually more humid, and when you turn on your heat in the winter, the air becomes very dry. These changes cause the wood parts in the piano to swell and shrink, causing the piano to go out of tune.
3. Will my piano need tuned if it hasn’t been played much?
Temperature and especially humidity changes are the biggest culprits in causing pianos to go out of tune. If your piano tuner is experienced, how much you play the piano should not affect the tuning much at all. Inexperienced tuners will have a much bigger problem with tuning stability as they are still learning the intricacies of how to “set the tuning pin” so that tuning stability is maximized. So yes, even if you are not playing the piano and even if an experienced technician tuned it last, the piano will still go out of tune over time because of fluctuations in humidity.
4. I’ve heard that a piano might need a pitch raise in addition to tuning. What does that mean?
When a piano is more than a little out of tune, tuning causes a significant change in the pressure on the piano. If the tuner simply begins tuning each string one at a time, by the time he gets to the last string the total tension on the piano will have changed so much that the first strings are out of tune again. To avoid the problem, the technician has to tighten each of the strings individually (raise their pitch) close to their eventual tension. Once the total pressure on the piano is close to its proper level, he can go back and tune each string more precisely. At Resonant Piano, I do not charge extra for pitch raises, like most other piano tuners do. Because of my experience, I can do a first pass tuning to get it close to in tune fairly quickly and then do a fine tuning so that it is perfectly in tune.
5. My piano doesn’t seem to hold a tuning for very long. What could be the problem?
Two main factors: The inexperience of your piano technician and humidity fluctuations.
- You know the saying that it takes 10,000 hours to become an expert at something? It is like that with piano tuning as well. There are many factors that help piano tuning stability that eventually become second nature to an experienced technician. I have performed about 20,000 piano tunings in my many years of experience and have a reputation for great tuning stability. Please see the testimonial on my website from the head of the piano department at the University of Montana.
- You can improve tuning stability by improving the environment that your piano is in. If your piano is sitting right over a heating duct, the wood of the piano is subjected to hot, dry air off and on. You could move the piano away from a duct or try to redirect the air away from the piano. If your piano is by a window where the sun beats in on the wood of the piano, that will cause issues as well. You could keep a shade closed on that window as much as possible.
6. What’s the difference between a piano tuner and a piano technician?
A tuner just tunes pianos. A technician is trained and experienced in all areas of piano work including repairs, action regulating, hammer voicing, and much more. I have had extensive training and experience in most aspects of piano work and can proudly say I am a Piano Technician.
7. A piano tuner told me my piano cannot be tuned. Why not?
Some pianos are simply so old or damaged that they can no longer stay in tune. This is usually because the tuning pins are too loose and won’t stay where they need to be, or there is structural damage or cracks in the bridges or other parts of the piano. Any of this could be repaired, rebuilt, or refurbished, but may not be worth the cost if the piano is not of high quality. It may just be more cost effective to get a different piano.
8. My piano has a sticking or sluggish key? What could be the cause?
There are dozens of reasons why a key could be sticking! It could be as simple as something like a grain of sand stuck between two keys, but it could be an issue with the various moving parts of the piano action. There are many bushings that could become sluggish over time, or there could be broken or missing parts. A good piano technician can quickly diagnose and fix the problem for you.
9. What does it mean to regulate a piano?
The piano “action” is the entire mechanism allows you to push down on a key and cause the piano hammer to strike the string. Believe it or not, a modern piano action has over 8000 parts in it, all which need to work together to allow a responsive piano that can play very soft and very loud. There are many felt, leather, and buckskin parts that compress over time and cause the action geometry to suffer. Periodically, perhaps every 5 to 10 years for a piano that is played regularly, the action should be regulated to get it playing its best. I can do full action regulations that can take a few days to complete that can really bring a piano back to life. But I also try to do small improvements at every appointment with my Standard Service package so that your piano can sound and feel better and better with each appointment.
10. What does piano voicing mean?
The most extensive part of piano voicing is voicing the hammers. Sometime you may hear it referred to as “needling the hammers”. The piano hammers are made of a wool felt and over time can become more and more compressed to the point that the tone becomes very bright or strident. Or some hammers will sound brighter or mellower than others so the tone is uneven throughout the piano. By pressing needles into the felt of the hammers, we can change the tone to be more pleasing and more even. If hammers are too soft, there are chemical agents we can use to make those hammers brighter. Piano hammer voicing is an art that takes practice! As needed and if time permits, I can do voicing during a standard service, but would always do extensive voicing during my premium service package. The best pianos have a range of tone from mellower when played soft to bright and powerful when played loud.
11. What are some addition repairs or services that could be done to improve my piano?
- Installation of a humidity control system that constantly adds moisture or dries the air to try to keep the humidity at about 42%
- Installation of player piano systems. Almost any upright or grand can be converted to a player piano and the modern systems can be controlled from an iPad!
- Replacing key tops: If you have an old piano with chipped or missing ivory keycaps, we can put new modern plastic key tops on your existing key sticks and make them like now again. Or if you have plastic key tops that are discolored or chipped, we can replace with new.
- Action Regulation: Adjusting the position of all the moving parts in the piano so that the piano feels better and is more responsive. Lubricating all of the friction points.
- Hammer Voicing: Needling the hammers to make the felt softer and more responsive, or hardening the hammer felt so that the tone is not too overly bright or mellow or uneven. The best pianos have a range of tone from mellower when played soft to bright and powerful when played loud.
12. How much does it cost to move a piano?
There are many factors that affect the cost of moving a piano, such as if it is an upright or a grand, how big it is, the total mileage for the move, if there are stairs or other difficulties, and much more. If you are needing a piano moved, I can ask you all the questions needed to be able to give you a quote. Other things that add to the expense is needing to have 1 or 2 helpers besides myself and the cost of liability insurance, fuel, equipment, and such.
13. Can I move my piano myself?
It is not recommended that you try to move a piano yourself as they are expensive and delicate instruments. However, some people do move upright pianos on their own, at the risk of damage to the piano or injury to themselves or one of their friends. A grand piano requires removing the legs and pedal system and usually needs to be placed on its side on a grand board. There is a lot of special equipment used by professional piano movers to ensure the piano and your home is not damaged and people are not injured.