Very few things are “buy it and forget it.” Instead, if you expect longevity and years of enjoyment, you’ll have to perform maintenance to keep it running well.

Pianos are no different. 

Piano maintenance is an important aspect of owning a piano. Grand and upright pianos both need regular maintenance to keep your instrument in good condition and ensure that it produces the best sound. 

What does that involve?

Tuning

Regular tuning is necessary to keep your piano in good pitch. How often depends on the piano’s age, usage, and environmental conditions. This is a process you’ll often find talked about online. There are lots of DIY manuals and videos, but keep in mind that a good piano tuner has years of practical experience. It’s something you feel as much as it is a learning process. 

Cleaning

Piano keys can get dirty and sticky over time, affecting the feel and response of the instrument. Regular cleaning with a soft, damp cloth is necessary to keep the keys clean. Additionally, the soundboard, strings, and other parts of the piano should be cleaned periodically. This is a careful process – you don’t want moisture to come in contact with any of the delicate parts. Harmful chemicals can also ruin the finish as well as hinder playability. Ask one of our sales associates for more details on the perfect cleaning methods. 

Humidity control

Pianos are sensitive to changes in humidity, which can affect their sound and stability. Maintaining a consistent humidity level is essential to prevent damage. Pay attention to room conditions, and consider using a humidifier in dry weather and a dehumidifier in humid weather to control the environment, if necessary.

Regulation

Regulation refers to adjusting the piano’s action, hammers, pedals, and other mechanical components. This should be done by a professional piano technician at least once every five years, or more frequently if necessary. Regulation ensures that the piano plays smoothly and produces the best sound. You can talk with the professional who tunes your piano for more information. 

Repairs

Like any functional asset you own, it will occasionally need repair due to normal wear and tear, or accidental damage. Repairs can include fixing broken strings, repairing action components, or fixing cracks in the soundboard. It’s critical to address repairs promptly to prevent further damage.

Polishing

Piano finishes can become dull over time. Polishing the piano’s finish helps to maintain its beauty and shine. Yet beware of chemical cleaners. Many of them can dull the finish. You can chat with one of our associates about the best way to keep your piano shining year after year. 

Ready to make your dreams come true by owning a piano this year? Proper piano maintenance is crucial to ensure that your piano stays in good condition and produces the best sound possible. 

Taking care of your instrument ensures that it lasts and provides you with many years of enjoyment.

The piano requires various forms of maintenance throughout its life for it to produce the best sound possible. 

Tuning

Tuning isn’t something where there is a standard for every piano. A new piano may need several tunings a year to keep it properly balanced. A piano that has been well cared for and in a stationary position in the home may need tuning once or twice per year. A concert piano that is played by professionals on a daily basis made need a regular tuning every few weeks. Some professionals prefer to have their piano tuned before every major event. 

When a piano is only slightly out of tune, it loses the tonal quality characteristics of a recently tuned piano, especially in the middle and upper ranges of sound. Even a slight out of tune sound can be unpleasant to the listener. It can even deter a budding pianist from continuing with lessons because it doesn’t sound quite right. 

Voicing

The felt on the hammers of the piano tend to harden over time. The felt becomes depressed by repeated impact as keys are struck. They also form grooves and wear marks as they connect with the strings. While hammers are used to produce a bright tonal quality, these wear marks can change the sound being produced to something harsh and undesirable. 

Piano technicians use special tools to soften the hammers. They can also use hardening agents if the hammers soften up. Since the hammers are not used with equal frequency, they tend to wear in uneven increments. How much change is required to each hammer is dependent on both the piano’s settings and on the preferences of the player. 

Regulation

Over time, the performance of the piano action declines. The wood may warp. The tension may falter. The sound declines. The goal of regulation is to make the piano’s sound consistent across all notes. It makes the keys movements more subtle to the motions of the player. 

There are dozens of adjustments a piano will go through when being regulated. The most important include:

•  Key weight – to regulate the action mechanism of the key springs
• Repetition springs – which allows the hammer to repeatedly strike with minimal lifting of a key
• Drop – how far the hammers fall back when let off
• Let off – the point when the hammer disengages from the jack

 Restoration

After a lifetime of use, usually measured by decades, pianos may need complete restoration to keep its sound healthy and functioning. If well taken care of, the frame and some parts of the action may remain in good condition. Piano restoration experts try to maintain originality whenever possible, rebuilding or maintaining as much as they can as possible. Restoration is labor intensive, and therefore can be time intensive and quite expensive as well.