Does a piano need to be tuned every time it is moved, and how soon should that be?
Do you have any tips for me to move my own piano without damaging it?
Where do I find the serial number on my piano?
What is the difference between solid spruce soundboards and laminated (plywood) soundboards?
Are aluminum action rails better than wooden ones?
Do you have any tips for me as I shop for a new or used piano?
Should I buy a new piano, or are pre-owned pianos a better investment?
Grand pianos vs. Upright/vertical pianos... What are the actual differences?
Why is a piano called an escapement mechanism?
What is a vertical piano, and how many different sizes of pianos are there?
Mom says, "Never place a piano against an outside wall." Is this true?
What are the differences between ivory and plastic keys?
A- The short answer: A piano tuning is an incremental adjustment to
the tension of the piano's wires by manipulating the tuning pins.
Once the middle 'A' note has been adjusted to a frequency of 440hertz,
then all other 87 notes are incrementally adjusted utilizing the
standard set by the middle 'A' note until the sound (by ear) is
technically 'correct' for the entire piano, not forgetting technical
preferences, considerations given to personal taste occasionally, and
acoustic/sound environment considerations.
A- Completely unsubstantiated is the prevalent belief that playing a
piano is the number one cause of it 'falling' out of tune. The
greatest effect to your piano's tuning stability comes from the
expansion and contraction of the wood and metal components in the
instrument. This normally occurs during the seasonal changes
throughout the year (whether the piano is played or not). Heat,
cold and varying humidity all affect your instrument's tuning stability
causing the strings (or piano wires) to stretch. At various times
throughout the year, the wood in the piano will be in a state of
expansion or contraction, affecting the pitch/tension of the piano's
wires. Also, dependent on your piano's age the tuning pins
will turn or twist incrementally small or increasing amounts, as your
instrument ages and the pinblock's hold on the tuning pins loosen.
Another factor with newer instruments is when the piano is rushed out of
the factory, then rushed out of the showroom and the initial (and
critical) steps to adequately stretch the wires of a newly 'strung'
piano are never completed. I have encountered many pianos
allegedly rebuilt by others that are also in this state. With proper
maintenance and care provided by the fastidious attention of a piano
technician your piano's sound, stability of pitch and the life span of
your piano will all be positively affected.
A- The frequency with which you schedule your piano tunings is
dependent on factors like seasonal changes (note the times of the year
when the environment is changing from winter to spring and summer to
fall), newly manufactured pianos or pianos that have been freshly
rebuilt, and pianos that have been neglected. In regard to newly
manufactured pianos, pianos that have been recently rebuilt, and
neglected pianos you'll want to schedule several frequent piano tunings
to train new wires or re-train older wires that have become accustomed
to tension lower than A440 tension levels. Next in importance is
your commitment to proper maintenance, then last (but certainly not
least) would be your personal preference relating to the tone or sound
of your piano. Piano manufacturers are in consensus that two to
three times per year is optimum. Keep in mind here that while
infrequent piano tunings will shorten your piano's lifetime of
usefulness, frequent piano tunings will dramatically extend your piano's
life. Probably the strongest position to support frequent piano
tunings is that most piano teachers like their students to work toward a
discriminating ear in hearing pitch level combined with increasing
sensitivity to evenness of touch. This is corrupted or compromised
through practicing on a piano which is not properly maintained, and
tuned at A440.
It is much easier to learn something right the first time, than it is to
re-learn after developing a compromised feel, sense of acuity and
awareness. Professional players have their pianos tuned monthly,
weekly or even prior to every performance. What is important to
understand here is that it is impossible to tune a piano too frequently.
The more frequent, the less adjustment is needed and the more lifetime
your piano enjoys. Doesn't this make good sense?
A- The wires in your piano literally have to be retrained. In
the industry we call this 'pitch raising'. Your piano, with the
amount of tension at A440, CANNOT be tuned in one session and have the
piano wires' tension stabilize. Taking into account the tremendous
amount of tension on your piano at A440, a standard pitch raise my have
elevated the tension on your piano by several TONS. The piano has
to acclimate itself to the new tension. Some instruments affected
by age or neglect will need more consecutive tunings than others, and
certainly one must consider the piano's quality and the environment as
well as they also will affect these facts.
A- Present Pitch Piano Tuning is a term used by your technician
to explain that the tuning they are executing on your piano is 'at' what
the overall pitch level of the piano was when they first detected its
present or current pitch. Let's say, for example, that your
piano's overall tension level translates to 1/4 step below A440, then a
present pitch tuning would be a relative adjustment to all the wires in
the piano to achieve an overall melodious sound where all 88 notes are
tuned or adjusted relative to 1/4 step below A440. For my part,
the primary reasons I've recommended present pitch tunings have been low
interest or budget concerns. This is entirely understandable as
long as the customer is informed of their options.
Atlanta Piano Tuner tunes pianos by ear utilizing an electronic device to complete the "set the temperament" stage, assessing the pitch of a piano. The actual fact is that there are no differences in the final product of piano tunings 'by ear' or 'electronically'. The tunings are identical if performed by piano tuners who know how to tune pianos PROPERLY. While I can appreciate the old school argument attempting to protect the trade's age old method by spreading this rumor/myth, I must respectfully insert here, "Welcome to the 21st century." Here are the facts when it comes to piano tuning from this perspective:
Key: Setting the 'Temperament'
Technically, your piano's tuning has multiple parts if it is to be done correctly. For the main body of your piano's tuning... ALL EXPERIENCED PIANO TUNERS TUNE BY EAR. Now, some use the age old method employing a tuning fork to set the 'temperament' or foundation or 1st step of a tuning. Others utilize the accuracy of modern technology's 'crystal' to set the piano's 'temperament'. Electronic piano tuning devices are nothing more than an electronic tuning fork!! Tests have been run on the human ear with the resultant findings that a human's ear cannot 'hear' any more accurately than a give or take variance from 1-3%. Now an electronic device, utilizing modern technology's crystal can 'hear' with an accuracy that is measured in the hundredths of a cent (a measurement related to sound/frequency). Get my point?
Furthermore, here's a test for your local, "Oh, I only tune by ear (with a tuning fork)..." piano tuner. Ask them how quickly they can assess the exact number of cents above or below pitch a piano is. Then know this. As I work in recording studios and regularly field requests to tune at let's say- A440+2cents. Another good example is when you must tune to perfectly match a church organ (particularly pipe/pneumatic organs). They will vary by as much as a quarter step from A440. An old school "tuning fork" tuner cannot do this to within one cent accuracy without a metronome and utilizing an old school method of timing the number of 'beats' in a second. For me, I set my device, adjust the pitch and I'm off to the races in seconds with a perfectly pitched tuning. The deception involved in trying to berate the accuracy of an electronic device has, in truth, to do with crutches and I'll get into that in a moment. My Dad (a fine master craftsman with over 4 solid decades of experience) trained me to tune old school, but, unless we go back to horse and buggy you won't see me running around with tuning forks... lol!
After the 'setting of the temperament' stage of piano tuning, the only way to achieve Concert ready/ Standard Pitch accuracy is to tune the piano to itself uniquely. This can only be achieved at this point in human history by utilizing the human ear. While an electronic device can perfectly set the frequency of a sound, for one to be able to tune a piano entirely with an electronic device one would have to start with a perfect piano... and perfect pianos DO NOT EXIST! Due to the fact that every piano on the planet earth has dissonance (is not perfect!) it must be tuned by the highly trained human ear of an expert piano tuner/technician. No machine can accurately tune beyond the simple establishment of the frequency for the first note. An untrained, novice tuner grabbing an electronic device and setting all 88 notes to a preset frequency is simply not truly tuning a piano.
This is one of those issues in
life where the value is in an expert doing an excellent job. Piano
tuning must be set with the bar very high, no different than the
professional golfer, the doctor, lawyer or any other highly specialized
trade. The only acceptable average for piano tuning IS EXCELLENCE.
A novice tuning is at best incomplete and many times is a mistuning that
will need to be completely retuned. It is unfortunately easy to
deceive unwitting or unknowledgeable piano players with a simile of a
piano tuning without truly doing excellent work... however, 85% might
fool some but a highly trained ear will always hear within 1-3%
accuracy. By the way, the individuals that I regularly meet that
do truly hear near perfect pitch practice music for several hours a day,
like myself (concert pianists, opera singers, professional singers,
etc.)... and these are the true concerns that the old-schoolers really
have, but are not articulating correctly. To my knowledge the best
(and only) method I know of to train a piano tuner is the apprenticeship
method (old school, but no improvement to the method has come along
yet)... (whew! What a book!)
Piano Rebuilding, Piano Repair and Piano Care
A- Your primary concern here, in my opinion, is financial.
Financially speaking many (not all) vintage/antique pianos are
intrinsically superior to the 'new' (exceptions are hand made, 'high
end' new pianos) particularly in regard to the wood in the piano.
It is also extremely important that the piano has not been exposed to
climatic conditions that might have weakened the basic structure of your
piano. If you can afford the investment, and the piano's basic
structure is sound then Piano Rebuilding will (in the long run) cost
less and deliver more than what is available in the 'new' market.
If finances are a concern to the point that a several thousand dollar
investment simply is not possible, then financing a new piano may be
your only option. I would, however, strongly recommend that you
peruse whatever options are available to you before you pass over your
piano choosing to dispense with a piano that is superior to anything you
can buy new. When we restore a vintage piano, we rebuild/restore
the life of that piano. Brittle wires, cracked soundboards,
hazy/oblique finishes, chips/scratches/dings/dents to the finish,
impacted/hardened/dirty mechanical components and worn/weakened overall
condition can usually be completely reversed in the piano rebuilding
process. I'll tell you this because I've seen it hundreds of
times. Our piano restorations typically introduce
shock/amazement/joy to a customer that has entrusted their piano to our
fastidious care... and once they have recovered from disbelief that what
we've returned is the same piano that rolled out of their house, they
settle in to play a vintage piano that looks, feels and plays like the
initial craftsmen that built it, saw it.
A- It is a fairly simple task for a piano technician to split up some
piano repairs, and there are others that will need to be repaired
together for a couple key reasons. First, some parts of the
piano's mechanisms are too interdependent to segment repairs.
Secondly, some piano components, while not interrelated can not be
repaired without removing or disabling other components. Now to
segmenting piano repairs, some elements can be easily segmented because
the repair of one segment will enhance the piano's performance without
receiving degradation from operating adjacent to an unrepaired
component. An example of non-segmented piano repairs would be the
piano's wires, tuning pins, bridges, soundboard, pinblock, plate and accompanying felts. This is a
facet of piano rebuilding that, with only a few exceptions, must be
repaired in one session of piano service. The soundboard and
bridges are literally under the piano's wires, which have to be
detensioned and removed to effect repairs to the soundboard and
bridges. The pinblock is typically completely hidden under the
piano's plate. An exception would be the tuning pins, as there are
several repairs that can improve a piano's performance by employing
'tricks' to the pins that dramatically improve tuning stability. I
will insert here that as a master piano rebuilder, I am very much
against the liquid repairs available for tuning pins, as they can ruin
an otherwise rebuildable pinblock once a piano is in the shop for
rebuilding. This particular 'band-aid' I would recommend a piano
customer steer clear of if recommended by a piano tech. Please
consult with a piano technician for particular answers to segmenting
repairs if your primary concern proves financial.
A- In addition to having your piano tuned regularly, you will also
want to keep your piano's action and pedal trapwork functioning
nominally. The action in your piano contains most of it's moving
parts (hundreds of them) and could be compared to your car's engine.
While your piano's action and other mechanisms do not need attention as
frequently as its tuning, you will want to keep in mind that
approximately every seven to fifteen years the screws in the mechanisms
will need tightening, the mechanisms will need to be cleaned and
lubricated, the hammers will need to be dressed, and regulations will
need to be checked to maintain proper alignment.
A- Anyone can clean or dust their piano if they remember a few common
sense guidelines. Most of your piano is easily accessible to
clean. If the area is not easily accessible consult a piano
technician before proceeding. With easily accessible areas, an
important rule of thumb that prevails is that moisture and pianos do
not mix well. Use blue or green 3M emory cloth for the keys (blue
for plastic and green for ivory). For the case (the exterior of
the piano), a dry cloth with a non wax product only applied to the rag
then the piano. For the plate and piano wires in a grand piano
utilize a brush attachment on a vacuum. Never touch the piano
wires with your fingers as the transferring of oil we all have on our
hands (no matter how clean) will rust piano wires (treble will rust,
copper wound bass wires will corrode).
A- If the piano is only moved room to room probably not. If you
are moving to another house, it will likely need at least a brush up
piano tuning. Be informed that when your piano is at proper
tension there is an incredible amount of tension on the structure of the
piano. Lift it, move it, pick it up in the air and twirl it if
your that strong, but DO NOT JAR IT. What knocks a piano out of
tune with moving is receiving sudden impact. Things like bumping
walls/doorjambs, dropping it even an inch to the floor when it is being
set down, running rough shod over rail road tracks/speed bumps or
slogging over cracks or holes in the road are all the kinds of things
that will affect the piano's tuning adversely. It is actually
possible, though rare, to move a piano and have it's tuning remain
stable. Remember this. The tuning pins that support the
piano wires' tension are being held in a block of wood (hard rock maple
typically) with about 45-75lbs of torque. One piano wire's tension
can be around 200lbs. Jarring or sudden impact will cause the pin
to move or twist releasing some of the wire tension, and the associated
pitch will fall. I usually recommend no less than a few weeks to
as much as three months to wait before tuning after a move. Most
piano dealers will recommend the same after new piano purchases and I'd
advise you to request the extended end of this period for your warranty
tuning. These new pianos should be somewhat well tuned when they
are delivered, and it they aren't, I'd express concern to my
salesperson.
A- Refer to the, "Does my piano have to be tuned after a move
question..." click here for the answer to being careful never to jar your piano.
Because of the weight involved always plan every minute aspect of the
piano's motion and anticipate any and all eventualities. Once the
instrument is in the air or halfway up a flight of stairs is (trust me)
no time to hear the word, "OOPS!". There is also no way I'd
attempt a piano move without procuring a piano dolly. Most vehicle
rental places will rent them for a nominal fee. Simply lift one
side of the piano 2 1/2 feet to 3 feet off of the floor, correspond the
angle of the dolly to the bottom of the piano, slide it under the middle
of the piano (flush with the backside of the piano), have someone hold
the dolly in place, then slowwly lower the piano back to earth.
The increasing weight (on the dolly) of the piano will prevent the dolly
from sliding, although it may slide a little right at first.
Remember to position the dolly flush with the backside of the piano.
To dismount from the dolly simply reverse these steps. Proceed at
your own risk. Pianos weight as much as 400lbs and up. Large
Grand pianos weigh over half a ton and should only be moved by a
professional. The man in front lifts if necessary (single stairs,
door thresholds, etc.) while the man in back provides the impetus.
Keep in mind that that 400lb. plus monstrosity will tend to tip over on
hills or slants. A strong man will need to be positioned downhill
from the piano to keep it from tipping as the two on the ends control
lateral movement. Please be extremely careful!! Take your
time, pre-think each process before proceeding, make certain all
involved are on the same 'frequency', and do it right the first time!!
Hitting the replay button is nearly impossible once many aspects of
piano moving are in motion. A few more tips include placing the
piano directly behind the driver in pick up trucks/box trucks and
trailers, keep the main body of the piano's weight over the rear axle,
tie off securely to prevent tipping or sliding and pad well to prevent
dents and dings to the case of the piano.
Warning: In
regard to attempting to move or repair your own piano know that many
aspects of these two items (particularly piano moving) are best left to
a professional with the equipment to accommodate every foreseeable
eventuality, and the expertise to accommodate every unforeseen
eventuality. While the ingenuity and desire of the
do-it-yourselfer is appreciated, please be extremely careful! Any
advice offered here is acted upon at the individual's own risk and we
assume no responsibility for mishaps, damage to property, or injury
ensuing from techniques we've offered that are performed incorrectly due
to a novice's inability anticipate the unforeseen.
A- Soundboards typically are made from spruce wood whether vertically
laminated or horizontally laminated (click
here definition) and it boils down to six of one and a half
dozen of the other as to which is the better soundboard. Don't
permit a salesperson to tell you one is better or worse than the other.
Cracks in soundboards in used pianos are not necessarily a problem sign.
The problem arises, when you play, and you hear wood on wood vibration.
This is usually related to the soundboard and its 'ribs' that are
laterally glued to the back of the soundboard and perpendicular to the
soundboard's grain. If those two components separate, then you'll
have vibration noise that will indicate a costly repair is needed.
If not, then in all likelihood the piano is fine now and will be fine
for years to come. With new or used pianos, a fresh tuning is key
because an out of tune piano (particularly in used) may indicate that
there are problems with the piano's tuning stability. I'd insist,
prior to a purchase, that the piano be freshly tuned so that a piano
technician can ascertain if there are repair issues you need to know
(like loose tuning pins). In regard to ABS Styrene parts vs.
wooden parts, I have found the comparison of the materials to be evenly
matched and the performance to be comparable. No need for you
permit a salesperson to attempt to bias you one way or the other.
A- First, I'll touch on the obvious differences. However, there are several differences between grand pianos and vertical pianos that are not so obvious. In general, grand pianos have the piano's structure, piano wires and all accompanying components horizontal in relation to the floor, and vertical pianos are just that , vertical to the floor. 'Vertical' pianos (which includes upright pianos, studio pianos, console pianos and spinet pianos) all have the main frame or structure and all accompanying components vertical/perpendicular to the floor. Other seemingly obvious similarities like piano keys, hammers, happens, jacks and so forth are where some of the not-so-obvious differences lie. Keep in mind for the sake of this dialog, sound and touch.
Technically, the key of the piano translates to the 'touch sensitivity' of the instrument. Imagine a see-saw, if you will, for that is precisely what a piano key is. You depress your end of the see-saw and the other end reverses your touch or pushes up, literally duplicating the firmness, speed and so forth once the impetus is completed. In piano teaching parlance you'll learn about a term, 'dynamic range', or how loudly/firmly and how softly/lightly you depress the key. The longer the see-saw, the more control you have over 'dynamic range'. In grand pianos, the key is typically 4" to as much 10" or much longer than the vertical piano's keys. More control over the touch= more potential regarding dynamic range= superior mechanism. I will insert here that better quality vertical piano keys utilize lead weights to address this difference with some limited success. Nonetheless, it is because the grand pianos mechanism is superior that they typically cost more.
In the action the difference is a matter of gravity... and repetition. In a vertical piano, there are several primary places where a metal spring is utilized to push or press a component in the process of repetition. In a grand piano, the primary function of the action is controlled by gravity. Now, what do I mean by repetition? You press a key, setting off a chain reaction that completes once the hammer in the action strikes the piano wires. The springs in a vertical piano force the components back to their beginning point, so that key can be depressed again. The principle of gravity causes the grand piano's action to return to the starting point. The difference in the types of pianos is the difference between man's metal spring and God's principle of gravity. Translation, gravity is infinitely more consistent than a metal spring, and never wears out or weakens. Once again I'll insert that quality vertical pianos are just fine as instruments for most applications and experience levels, but you'll never see one in front of an orchestra if they can afford a grand piano. (Thank you for your patience to read all this I am attempting to wrap this up).
A- I love answering this question, because this is what makes the
invention of the piano inspired. Technically, 'escapement' means
that with adjustable precision the mechanism of a piano 'escapes', after
translating your touch in motion toward the piano wires, and this
process occurs all in the last fraction of an inch from the piano's
wires. Then the precision of the instrument permits you to repeat,
in a fraction of a second, another touch. Bartolommeo Cristofori
should be ranked highly in history for this invention, because there is
no other instrument on earth like a piano... and in my opinion no other trade that is
more satisfying than piano repair.
A- A vertical piano is a piano that has its basic structure
vertical/perpendicular to the floor. A grand piano has its basic
structure horizontal to the floor. Vertical piano sizes range from
the spinet piano- measures vertically 33-39", the console piano-
measures vertically 39-47", the studio piano- measures vertically
48-51", the upright piano- measures vertically 51" and up. The
grand piano starts out with the baby grand piano- measures horizontally
(from in front of the keys to the furthest rear point on the piano) up
to 5'8", the parlor/ living room/ professional classes of grand piano-
measure horizontally from 5'8" to 7'4", and the concert grand piano
measures horizontally from 7'4" and up. Note- although you may be
told that some vertical pianos are vertical grand pianos don't be
misled. The grand piano has mechanisms that can not be duplicated
in a vertical piano.
A- With due respect to our mothers, that answer is, "False."
The old saying originated from a time period when insulation was for the
most part, unheard of. However this brings up a very good point,
and something I wish most piano owners knew about their pianos and how
those pianos relate to ambient temperature and humidity. Ambient
humidity and temperature have a lot to do with an instrument's
stability or lack thereof. A little over a century ago, when a
piano was mistakenly placed against an outside wall, it would experience
extreme variations in the ambient temps and humidity in the room it was
placed. Imagine this: if the wood heated house (fireplaces or
stoves in most cases) had the ambient temp in front of the piano at
75-85 degrees and the temp behind the piano and next to an uninsulated wall was
20-30 degrees colder, you can imagine how these conflicting exposures
could adversely affect the wood (expansion and contraction) in the
piano? In these modern times, homes have insulated walls, so this
is (beyond a couple exceptions) not a factor at all. Have no
reservations to put it on that outside wall if you wish, only be mindful
of two key cautions. One, no closer than three feet or so from air
conditioning vents, or the hot and cold air will destabilize the piano's
tuning stability. Two, non-insulated windows apply for the same
reason.
A- There are several differences. The first which is fairly
well known is that it is illegal to use ivory (elephant tusk) keys in
new piano construction any longer. Otherwise ivory would most
likely still be utilized today. Experienced players find that
ivory, with its inherent tacky feeling, provides a more controlled
touch than plastic. Many times ivory has a grain that is judged
to be more visually appealing than plastic as well. Another
characteristic of ivory is that it is porous. What this means to a
player is more control... a non-skid/non-slip surface. If you've
never felt an ivory keyboard before, then if the opportunity presents
itself you'll know what I mean. I'll add here that not all players
like the feel of ivory. All pianos had ivory keys certainly before
the 30's and most still had them through some of the 40's. It
became illegal to use them any longer in the 50's. Another
difference is the ivory key's color. Dependent on its exposure to
light, amount of usage and natural characteristics ivory will have a
color somewhere between barely off-white to a medium neutral tone.
