PIANO TUNING AND REPAIR THROUGHOUT MILWAUKEE AND SE WISCONSIN
Piano Tuning
Precision Is Key
ALLERGY SUFFERERS
PIANO TUNING SPECIAL
$185 (Plus Tax)
TO NEW CUSTOMERS:
I do NOT tune or
repair player pianos
or big/old upright pianos
(63+ in.) tall or 85 yrs. old.
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Precision Piano Tuning
Perfectly tuning a piano involves the precise adjustment of approximately 230 tuning pins – actually it is the wires (strings) that are adjusted. It is not a simple process. For me, it involves skill, technique, electronics, good ears and considerable concentration. I'd like to bring my services to a piano near you. In my case, I have been working to perfect my piano tuning skills and techniques for 45+ years – I haven’t found any shortcuts. I have evolved from tuning a piano completely by ear to a more precise method of tuning the first octave using an electronic tuner, and the remainder of the octaves by ear. I want to be the piano tuner you find when you search for "piano tuning near me."
Why does my piano go out of tune?
The short answer is humidity changes. The piano is basically a wooden instrument and wood absorbs moisture from the air causing essential components of the piano to change shape – especially the sound board. The sound board actually rises and falls causing the attached bridges to rise and fall. This, in turn, causes the strings to expand and contract causing a piano to lose a precision tuning. If the humidity can be held between 40% and 50% -- that is ideal for your piano, wooden household furniture and your health. But we live in Wisconsin and that is almost impossible.
Did you know?
Pianos are, and were, engineered at the factory to be tuned to the precise pitch of A-440 (vibrations/cycles per second). Each of the treble strings in a piano appear to be the same diameter, but they are not. They are different diameters so that each string can be tightened (tuned) equally with about 165 pounds of tension. The bass strings are wound with copper for the same reason. That equates to approximately 2 tons of pressure that the plate and piano need to withstand. With that much downward pressure you wouldn’t think humidity could be absorbed and drastically change the soundboard – and consequently raise the bridges – but it does, and the piano goes out of tune.
Pitch Raising
Unfortunately, not all pianos are capable of a Precision Piano Tuning because of the harmful effects of extensive humidity changes or neglect. Some pianos will need two (or more) tunings before the piano will usually hold usually a precision tuning – this is called “Pitch Raising”. A Pitch Raising consists of a rapid, imprecise tuning where I usually raise the pitch above A-440 and I then follow up with a Precision Piano Tuning approximately one month later after the tension has equalized.
How often should I have my piano tuned?
This is the question I am asked most often. I don’t have a consistent answer because there are many variables. However, I don’t stand a chance of providing you with a Precision Piano Tuning unless you have your piano tuned annually. In Wisconsin I think the ideal tuning schedule is twice a year – once when the heat is on and again when the heat is off.