Piano Services & Maintenance

The most important maintenance you can do is tuning. Depending upon your usage and the area of the country you live in, tuning should be done every 6 to 12 months. I have professional musicians who like to have their pianos tuned monthly. This is because pianos go out of tune a very small amount each day. These small changes go unnoticed by most folks, whose tuning needs may be met by tuning once or twice a year.

Other maintenance needs, while less frequently performed, are also important. Regulation is essentially tightening and adjusting of the moving parts. It can be as simple as leveling the keys in a little spinet piano, or as complex as a full concert regulation for a grand piano. A concert regulation involves dozens of steps for each key, and after it is done the first time, usually has to be done a second or third time to get it exactly right. Every piano will perform better when properly regulated.

Another common maintenance need is internal cleaning (dust is a very destructive abrasive, and is not only unsightly but will cause premature wear).

A grand piano waiting for its strings.
Square grand circa 1860
 

Author Ann West’s Chickering Quarter grand