Maintenance Schedule

[John Baird]

Here is what Peter Serkin says about tuning frequency in his 1990 video, "The
Anatomy of a Piano--How Your Grand Piano Works":

A freshly tuned piano has a sparkle and clarity of sound that begins to
deteriorate even after a few hours…that is why a performance piano should be
tuned immediately before each performance or recording session.

For most of us our pianos should be tuned at least twice a year…. Six months
is a long time to expect a piano to stay in tune, so those of you with more
sensitive ears will want to have it tuned more often [such as] four times a
year, with each change of season….  Professional players or pianos with heavy
use will require more frequent tunings, perhaps every 6 or 8 weeks.

John Baird
Millikin University
Decatur, Illinois

"John D. Chapman" wrote:

> Avery,
> I went through this a couple of years ago.  Here is what I suggested:
>
> Concert instruments need thorough regulation and key rebushing every year,
> new hammers every four years, restringing and new dampers every six years.
> When restringing time arrives, consider if rebuilding is a better idea
> based on pinblock and soundboard condition (maybe very twelve to eighteen
> years).
>
> Each grand piano should be considered for, depending on usage, a touchup
> regulation every year, key rebushing every three years, a thorough
> regulation every six years, new hammers and dampers every twelve years,
> and restringing every eighteen years.  When restringing time arrives,
> consider if rebuilding is a better idea based on pinblock and soundboard
> condition, if the instrument is worth rebuilding.
>
> Each upright piano should have the same as above but based on five year
> intervals instead of three years intervals.  Replace the instrument
> instead of rebuilding.
>
> All pianos should be tuned at least four times per year.
> Piano faculty studio pianos should be tuned every month.
> Concert instruments should be tuned the day of performance.
>
> Computer data base should be kept on piano inventory, condition, history,
> repairs, scheduling for future work, etc.
>
> John Chapman RPT
> Wake Forest University
> Winston-Salem NC
>
> On Mon, 5 Feb 2001, Avery Todd wrote:
>
> > List,
> >
> > Our business manager for the music dept. just called and told me
> > that the Provost's office wants some kind of maintenance schedule
> > for our pianos. Things like:
> >
> > 1. How often should they be tuned
> > 2. How often rebuilt
> > 3. How often replaced
> > 4. etc., etc.
> >
> > She said they are in the process of evaluating the fees charged
> > to students and wanted some kind of information pertaining to this.
> > Even generic info would be helpful.
> >
> > I have a few ideas but would appreciate some feedback from you are more
> > experienced in dealing with this type of beaurecratic @#$%$^&. :-)
> >
> > Any ideas? Thanks.
> >
> > Avery
> >
> > ______________________________________
> >
> > mailto:atodd@uh.edu - Work           "I haven't failed. I've
> >                                       found 10,000 ways that
> > mailto:avery@ev1.net - Home           won't work."
> >
> > Avery Todd                           -Benjamin Franklin-
> > Moores School of Music
> > University of Houston
> > Houston, TX 77204-4201
> > 713-743-3226
> >