# Tuning a Piano



## Tikoo Tuba

You can do this . Minimally one needs a tuning wrench and fork . And once I had a go at it I found the perspective of a piano tuner's text book helpful . It all started with an old but beautiful piano that became mine and needed tuning once a week . Eventually though , I just let it alone to be what it was and had some fun with the curious sound it settled into .

I do carry my tuning wrench about when I'm on adventures . And some string and glue for repairing broken hammers . Sometimes I'll meet a piano who has no money . There is tenderness to be shared .


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## Jeanette Townsend

I'd love to get into tuning. I have a friend who'd love to play and has a piano, but it goes out of tune every week and she doesn't tune herself. The cost of having someone come in every week is extremely expensive.
My own piano only requires tuning every ten years or so. We have it tuned once a year just to keep up on it, but it doesn't need to be. We had it for five years before having it tuned, and the previous owner had it for another five years without tuning it. It was in nearly perfect pitch until our fifth year, when I started to notice a change, and then it went completely out of tune within the month.
I have another friend who probably can't always afford to keep his in tune, and I'd love to help out. But I don't know if he tunes himself or not. I've never asked.
I can easily tune my violin, but there's a huge difference between a violin and a piano. Reading about tuning them gets confusing for me. I'd like to have our tuner show me how to do it.


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## Tikoo Tuba

Well , that first piano you describe is one to learn on , eh ? Get A440 established then carry on as you wishes , perhaps in a circle of fifths . Yet be prepared to discover there is no perfection in the 12 tone scale . It's tempered .


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## Jeanette Townsend

Okay.
The piano was disassembled by her ingorant uncle, who reassembled it incorrectly. She says that's why it goes out of tune so much, because it was fine before. Shame. It sounds good and plays easy, other than being several notes out of tune.


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## Tikoo Tuba

Some pianists I've met have a piano wrench just for tweaking the few troublesome strings which have loose pegs . And it seems fine to try giving those pegs a modest whack to re-seat them firmly - driving them in with a hardwood dowel struck with hammer .

On one visit to a piano-repair shop , I witnessed the professional cure for a piano gone un-tunable . This was on old upright and its wooden soundboard had become too dry , thus all the pegs were loose . The technician had a device for rotating the piano front-side up . With all the strings and pegs having been removed , the peg-holes were treated with a resin to expand the wood .
It's considerable work .


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## Krummhorn

A piano in daily use, like in a church, should be tuned twice a year. Our sanctuary piano sees everyday use and is tuned in November and May of each year. My home piano receives an annual tuning.


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## Tikoo Tuba

The southwestern U.S. climate can be a kind and naturally moderated climate ; re: humidity extremes .


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## JasonHolloway

The techniques of tuning the piano looks simple but it is very difficult to execute. It is not possible to learn the things with the help of YouTube videos and it is better to take the help of the professional piano player for learning the tuning of piano.


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