Services
Fine Tuning
Most manufacturers recommend tuning 2-4 times per year and when the piano is moved to a new location. For average in-home use in New England, a good practice is to tune every 6 months to anticipate and adjust for the seasonal shift in humidity. Pianos in concert venues and studios are often tuned before each performance.
A tuning appointment also serves as a check-up, as well. It provides a technician the chance to thoroughly assess the regulation and tone and to record pitch and room humidity level to track the instrument's overall stability. Maintaining a consistent tuning schedule is the foundation of piano service.
Pitch Adjustment Tuning
A piano that hasn't been tuned within a year or has been recently relocated may need an initial pitch adjustment tuning to equalize the overall tension. Pianos have a range of 15-20 tons of tension across the string scale, so it is impossible to achieve a stable tuning without first bringing all the strings close to pitch. A piano that hasn’t been serviced for a decade or more could need two or possibly three rounds of pitch adjustment.
Repair
If there’s one note that isn’t working it will always be the one you need! Broken strings, broken action parts, or notes that are clicking, squeaking, etc. are distracting at best and can often be addressed in 30 minutes or less.
Many cosmetic repairs can also be addressed as a part of in-home service, including cleaning, replacing missing or broken hardware, and replacing chipped keys.
Regulation
Regulation is the least understood aspect of piano maintenance and often the most transformative. The parts of the piano action have been calibrated by the manufacturer to be even and responsive. The hammer felt has been shaped and adjusted to produce a wide range of tone with varying degrees of key velocity. With use, change in humidity, and age, these parts -primarily wood, wool, and wire- will need adjustment or reconditioning to bring a piano back into its optimal playing condition. If a piano feels uneven or sluggish, if notes sound dull or shrill, it is likely out of regulation. It is not uncommon to hear a client remark after regulating that it “sounds and feels like a whole new piano!”
Other Services
Please email to ask about assessment for purchase or sale, climate control systems and installation, Fender Rhodes rebuilding, and anything else piano-related.