Hi...
The keeper of the rec.music.makers.piano FAQ asked me to post this here for
comments. His address is: isako@oevlsi.mit.edu if anyone is interested or
I can forward any comments to him.
Piano Maintenance and Purchase FAQ)
[4] Can I Tune or Repair the Piano Myself?
The general consensus is, "If you don't know what you are
doing, leave it to the professionals." Piano is a very
delicate instrument. You do not want to mess with it unless
you know what you are dealing with. If you carelessly fiddle
around too much, you may do more damage and end up with
costly repairs, and the last thing you want in your hands is
your piano irreparably damaged.
But for those who understands the risks involved, but still
choose to continue pursuing the self-repair and tuning of the
piano, there are several books available on the subject.
[4.1] The Arthur Reblitz books
If you want to know all the technical details of how piano
works, there are two books published by Arthur A. Reblitz.
Reblitz, Arthur A. "Piano Servicing, Tuning & Rebuilding",
Second Edition, Vestal Press, Vestal, N.Y. 1994. $29.95.
Reblitz, Arthur A. "Player Piano Servicing and Rebuilding"
Reblitz Restorations Inc.
PO Box 7392
Colorado Springs, CO 80933
(719) 598-2538
(719) 598-9581 (fax)
Reblitz writes that: "there's no reason why anyone willing to
take some time to study its [the piano's] mechanisms can't
learn to repair and tune it well," and states that hobbyists
have even done fine piano rebuilding jobs. You just need
"persistence, common sense, and a bit of mechanical
aptitude", the proper tools, and a book like this one. The
books cover: the history of piano styles and construction;
the internal workings; evaluating an old piano for purchase
or repairing; how to clean a piano and perform minor repairs;
adjusting the action and pedals (regulating); and tuning
theory and procedure; and provide a 70 page discussion of
rebuilding. (Regarding rebuilding, the author does not
minimize the difficulties or skill requirements of this
undertaking.)
[4.2] "The Piano Book"
Another good reference book is "The Piano Book" by Larry
Fine, mentioned in earlier section. (Please read the section
"[2] On Piano Purchasing" regarding how to get hold of this
book.)
This book is for piano owners who want to know enough to make
the right decision in purchasing a piano or to conduct an
informed discussion with one's piano technician. It gives an
overview of how the piano works, describes how to buy a new
or used piano, what maintenance is required, and what to do
in case you move or have your piano stored. There are
reviews of specific piano brands and models, both old and
new.
Fine provides you with a level of information analogous to
what you would need to know about cars to not get stuck with
a lemon when buying a used car, or to tell your auto mechanic
not just that your car makes a loud noise, but that the
exhaust pipe has rusted between the muffler and the exhaust
manifold. Fine does not even raise the question of whether
to make repairs or do a tuning yourself, but rather assumes
that the technician will do it all... and this suits for
most people.
_____________________________________________________________
[5] How Often Do I Have to Tune the Piano?
For a brand new piano, the general recommendation is to tune
it about four times during its first year and twice a year
thereafter. This is also a good rule-of-thumb for older
pianos which were moved into a different climate condition.
Most other pianos generally need to be tuned about twice a
year. However, some pianos may require more frequent tuning,
and some less. Mileage will vary depending on the age, model
and the environment of the piano.
_____________________________________________________________
[6] My Piano Goes Out of Tune Often. Is Something Wrong?
[6.1] New pianos
As the wood and strings settle in a new piano during its
"break-in" period, it requires a bit more maintenance during
its first year. Wood may shrink or swell a bit, changing the
tension on the strings; strings stretching; compacting of
cloth and felt throughout the action, etc. It is common to
have to call for maintenance more frequently than an older
piano. You can expect to have the new piano tuned about 4
times a year during its first year, and need regulating and
perhaps voicing more quickly than later on in the piano's
life. This is also true for older pianos which were moved
into a different climate condition.
Loosening of tuning pins is rarely a symptom of "settling".
It would instead be a symptom of a defective piano that needs
warranty repair. Tuning pins should not loosen appreciably
for many years.
[6.2] All pianos in general
The best way to find out if something is wrong with the piano
mechanically, is to have a piano technician evaluate the
problem. If mechanically nothing seems wrong, you may have
the "environment control" problem.
Pianos go out of tune primarily because of seasonal changes
in humidity that cause the soundboard to swell and shrink,
thus raising and lowering the tension on the strings. A
constant humidity level will reduce the amount of movement
that the sounding board will experience. This will then help
to keep the piano in tune.
If the piano is placed near a window or source of heat, it is
likely that humidity and temperature changes will have the
piano go out of tune. If the piano is placed against a non-
insulated exterior wall, that too could have a negative
effect on the tuning.
_____________________________________________________________
[10] Tuning Methods
Brief answers are given here for a general understanding of
this topic. If you wish to learn more, contact a local Piano
Technicians Guild chapter, or check out their www homepage
(URL and other conventional contact addresses given on
section [1]), or post your questions on the newsgroup and
have our friendly RPT's answer your questions!
[10.1] Why use an electronic pitch device instead of the
traditional A-440 tuning fork?
Electronic tuning forks are quite accurate and some piano
tuners use them to replace the old-style metal forks, which
are highly subject to temperature changes which make them
"drift" from the standard.
[10.2] What is aural tuning?
"Aural" tuning is how piano tuners have traditionally tuned
instruments -- tuning strictly "by ear." Usually after a
reference note is established, the tuner adjusts the pitches
of all the other notes based on the reference note without
relying on anything else other than their ears.
Sometimes, instead of setting pitch "A" to a reference,
tuners will simply set that "A" to whatever pitch it's at
(which may be too high or too low because of seasonal or
other factors) and then tune the rest of the piano relative
to that pitch. This avoids having to drag all the notes very
far up or down in pitch with each change of season, with
consequent tuning instability or, in the extreme (where the
pitch is very low), possible string breakage.
[10.3] What is electronically assisted, "electronic" tuning?
There are a few electronic tuning aid (ETA) devices on the
market which will assist a piano tuner in doing his or her
job. Typically, an ETA device will produce a series of
pitches to establish the "ideal" tuning of a given piano. A
piano tuner will then match the piano to the device. It is
inevitable to use some aural techniques as well to refine the
tuning. It does not replace the ear, but is an aid to it.
The level of the "idealness" produced by an ETA device is
highly dependent on what kind of device is used. The best
one, the Sanderson Accu-Tuner II (costs you a few thousand
dollars), allows a tuner to measure several parts of the
instrument and it will calculate a reasonable tuning for that
particular instrument. This machine also stores tunings so
they can be used at any time, which is particularly good for
recording studios and concerts as the tunings are consistent
and can be completed quickly.
[10.4] What are the pros and cons of aural tuning?
One of the supposed disadvantages of aural tuning is really
one of the advantages -- that no tuners do the job alike, and
that the tuning may vary from time to time. One could as
easily insist that an advantage to player piano is that they
mechanically reproduce a given performance over and over.
Further, the ear remains the best judge of intonation.
A tuner who tunes without the aid of an electronic tuning
device occasionally will be decidedly disadvantaged due to
sinus congestion resultant of allergies and/or viruses.
Pianists generally like a good tuner's "touch of personality"
in a tuning. Aural tunings, because they require individual
judgments, vary from one tuner to the next. Any given tuner
may, at one time or another, be preferred over another
because of their particular "flavor" of tuning. Because
pianists have different tastes, it is sometimes necessary to
shop around before settling on a tuner whose tuning pleases
the pianist. The level of skill among technicians varies, as
well, and this, too, contributes to whether their particular
method or "flavor" of tuning is desirable.
[10.5] What are the pros and cons of electronic tuning?
For technicians who spend the majority of their time tuning
every day, ETA devices can give the tuner's ears a brief
respite from the negative effects of sharp, often loud sounds
emitted by the piano during the tuning process. An
electronic tuning device can be extremely beneficial in
institutional settings where multiple tunings must be
performed in rapid succession. Since the pitches can be
stored in some ETAs, it is possible to have a given piano
tuned identically over and over. In other words,
electronically assisted tunings are at its best if it
succeeds in reproducing some previous aural tuning.
The greatest pitfalls in electronically assisted tuning are
inexperience and in-attentiveness. Historically, "semi-
professional" tuners (a.k.a. "weekend warriors") are
notorious for purchasing electronic tuning devices and
attacking friends', neighbors', and relatives' pianos to
practice their hobby. Because these individuals do not have
a complete grasp of exactly what it is they are doing, they
are completely reliant on an electronic device that cannot
distinguish between pianos and therefore cannot make the
judgments of a skilled technician. Although the risk of a
non-professional ruining a piano is only slight, the
potential of the damage which may result can be costly to
repair (e.g.. twisted tuning pins that eventually shear off
at the plate, broken strings, mutilated dampers, etc.).
[10.6] Which is better, aural or electronic tuning?
There is a great misconception among the public that anyone
who uses a "machine" isn't a real tuner. On the same token,
people who just buy a machine and a few tools don't
necessarily qualify as a "piano tuner." They are both valid
methods. Electronic Tuning Aid devices are just that... to
"aid" tuning. It doesn't replace an aural tuning, but is an
assistant -- a tool used by piano technicians to provide the
best service to customers.
Many technicians today use both methods to produce the best
possible tunings. To be a good tuner, aside from being able
to pitch a note, one must understand the overall effect of
the tunings. Technicians who perform electronically assisted
tunings usually do an aural check of the tuning to make
certain that the tuning is the best it can possibly be on
each instrument.
_____________________________________________________________
John Musselwhite, RPT Calgary, Alberta Canada
musselj@cadvision.com sysop@67.cambo.cuug.ab.ca
This PTG archive page provided courtesy of Moy Piano Service, LLC