How often do you tune your piano?

[Dave Nereson]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <Piannaman@aol.com>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Wednesday, December 01, 2004 11:36 PM
Subject: How often do you tune your piano?


     Mine's an old upright that just happens to hold its pitch very well 
from year to year.  I once let it go for three years, then went to tune it 
and it was maybe one beat flat at A 49.  Also, I have a high tolerance for 
out-of-tuneness on my own pianos, I guess because I played so many badly 
out-of-tune pianos in high school and college, and got used to it.  My mind 
or "inner ear" compensates for it unless it's really atrocious.
    But recently I've tuned it about every year, installed a Dampp-Chaser 
system, and last week I restrung the tenor and treble (it was breaking too 
many strings).  The bass is so rich and full, I'm afraid any new strings 
might actually sound worse, so I just kept the old ones!  Also epoxied a 
small bridge crack.
    When I first got it, I rebushed the keys, installed new hammers & 
dampers, regulated, etc.
    Now it needs major balance pin hole work.  I can't afford $2 K or 
whatever to have new keys made, so I'm going to try the wood inserts 
described by Bill Spurlock in the May 1990 Journal.
    --David Nereson, RPT