Piano Care and Maintenance

Pianos have several thousand parts (8,000-12,000) and many of those parts are moving parts. To keep all the parts in good working order, pianos need regular care.

During the first year of a piano’s life it’s suggested to have it serviced two to four times. Then talk to your piano technician to decide what frequency to continue service at. Usually twice a year after the first year is recommended, but sometimes once a year is enough. Servicing includes having the piano tuned, regulated as needed, voiced as needed, and eventually having worn parts repaired or replaced as needed.

A piano has over 200 strings and when the technician starts tuning a piano, it’s the strings he’s going to work on. The technician wants all the strings to have the correct pitch.

How does a piano go out of tune in the first place? The most common cause is humidity changes. It’s recommended that you don’t get your piano tuned right after the humidity has changed or the tune will only hold a couple months.

Regulation is the adjustment of the mechanical aspects of the pianos because the cloth parts compact and settle, and the piano changes dimension somewhat due to changes in humidity. Uneven keys and keys that stick are signs that a piano needs to be regulated. The frequency of regulation needed for a piano varies according to how much the piano is used along with the climate it’s kept in.

When it comes to voicing the piano, we’re talking about adjusting the pianos quality of sound or tone. The frequency that voicing needs to be done depends largely on how much you use your piano - 1 to 5 years tends to be the typical range.

You’ll also want to make sure you take good care of the exterior of the piano too. Neglecting the exterior of your piano can, believe it or not, affect the sound quality of your piano. Keeping it clean is a pretty simple job, but one thing to remember is that you don’t want to use furniture polish.

A piano will also need periodic reconditioning by the piano technician which is cleaning, making any needed repairs, and replacing specific parts if needed. When your piano technician comes over to work on your piano, it’s a good time for you to dust the hard to reach areas of the piano such as the behind the lower panel where the pedals are.

If your piano has deteriorated severely then reconditioning it won’t be enough. You’ll have to get the piano completely rebuilt which involves completely disassembling the piano. As you might imagine it’s very labor intensive and quite expensive, but in some cases it’s the only way to restore the original performance level of your piano.

Your piano is a major investment which deserves to be protected through regular servicing by a qualified technician and regular care by you. Properly maintained, your piano will sound its best and give you and your family a lifetime of enjoyment.

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