Common Piano Questions (and Answers!)

Your piano is made mostly out of wood, metal, and felt. Wood in particular expands and contracts with shifts in humidity and temperature. On top of that, the strings are struck thousands of times by the hammers; they will slowly stretch out over time, but not evenly, leading to out-of-tune notes. Our job is to set the strings back to their intended tension.

Yes, but probably not right now. When a piano goes outdoors and then into a new environment, it needs time to settle. It is recommended to wait 6 to 8 weeks after moving before scheduling a tuning.

Depending on whether that means pre-pandemic or pre-war, it should be inspected for structural integrity. If all is well, it will need a pitch raise to stretch the strings and cast-iron frame, and a fine tuning. Send an email or book an assessment for a comprehensive evaluation.

Pianos are happiest in rooms with consistent humidity and temperature year-round. The room would have no window, and the piano would be far from a vent. It should also be on level ground.

Any of these factors can cause pianos to go out of tune over time.

Most manufacturers recommend a piano be tuned every 6 to 12 months. This varies based largely on play time and environmental stability.  New pianos often need 3 to 4 tunings in their first year as they stretch out.

This is the million-dollar question! A piano has over 10,000 moving parts. At any time, something can break, slip, crack, or come unglued. We have likely heard your particular noise and can hopefully provide a quick fix. Don't be ashamed if the culprit turns out to be your missing pencil - it happens all the time!

We all love the fancy mechanisms that make the magic happen. However, dust accumulates over time and attracts moisture. To simplify: dust makes rust. We can all agree rust is bad!

No! Picture frames and other decorations are fine, but plants create humidity from being watered, which then swells the wood in your piano, potentially causing issues with other components. Not to mention, spilling water into your piano is just a bad idea all around.