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Caring For Your Piano
Recently, I interviewed piano technician David Rountree of Savannah, GA about basic pianomaintenance. Mr. Rountree spent many years as the chief technician for Hendricks Pianos inChicago and has had 32 years of experience as a technician, tuning for concerts, piano stores,and private clients. Here follows some great information on caring for your piano!Thanks for allowing me to interview you today.You’re welcome. It’s my pleasure.So, I’ll ask the most obvious question first. How often should a piano be tuned?Most piano manufacturers say twice a year, but if you have an older piano (at least 8-10 yearsold) in a stable environment that holds tune well, maybe once a year.Why would an older piano hold tune better?A new piano’s strings will continue to stretch for several years until they stabilize, and thisstretching of the strings will affect the tuning. So, an older piano that has had regular tunings will be more stable.I think that many piano owners delay calling the tuner because they are waiting to hear that the piano sounds out of tune to them. But, in many cases, their ears aren’t sensitive enough to hear that it really is out of tune, and they delay longer than they should. Can you talk about why the piano should be tuned on a regular schedule even if it doesn’t sound bad to the owner’s ears?Sure. A piano needs regular maintenance just like your car! A piano is also a bit like humans inthat it likes to stay in its “comfort zone.” When the piano has been sitting for a long time in anout-of-tune state, it may not hold tune as well after a tuning. Regular, frequent tunings will helpto establish that the piano’s “comfort zone” is in tune rather than out of tune.So, it really is important to tune the piano on that 6-12 month schedule regardless of whether youthink the piano needs it?Absolutely. You don’t wait until your car has a problem before you have the oil changed. Regular tunings and adjustments should be thought of as preventative maintenance. A piano is anexpensive investment, and if you maintain it regularly, it will stay in good condition for manymore years than your car!When considering where to place the piano in the house, are there some spots that are better or worse than others?Preferably, you should keep your piano out of direct sunlight. As the sun shines in through thewindows and passes over the piano, the heat can affect the tuning. Also, if the piano has a woodfinish, the sunlight can fade it, sometimes very quickly.
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