To keep a piano in good shape, you need to tune it often. However, after 20 years, you may be wondering if it can still be done.
Let’s talk about this.
What Is Tuning?
When playing your favorite songs, you press the keys, the strings in your piano vibrate. When tuning a piano, you are adjusting the tension in the strings. This affects their pitch, letting them accurately produce the note you’re looking for. You do this by turning the pins they are attached to.
Depending on how often you play the instrument, the number of occasions you need to tune it will vary.
If the piano is in your home and you practice it now and then, its string should be adjusted 2-3 times a year. However, if you’re recording music with it, it needs to be tuned every day.
This is because its pitch needs to be perfect. It’s not uncommon for recording studios to tune their pianos multiple times a day.
In concert halls, you’ll find them being tuned often too. This would be done between rehearsals and performances.
Unfortunately, the moment a piano has been tuned, and you play it for a while, it starts going out of tune. You can imagine how poor its tone would be if it hadn’t been touched in a year or two, let alone 20.
How Do You Tune A Piano?
Although you may be a seasoned pianist, you may not have the ear to tune a piano. You’ll have to pay a technician to do it. Tuning the piano in your home 2-3 times a year is fine, but the more often it’s done, the better. If you need to hire a technician, this might be costly.
The process is a complex art, which is why we’ll summarize it. Before the strings are adjusted, a reference pitch is needed.
The tuner most likely would use an app on their phone for this. A lot of the time, the reference pitch would be A = 440 Hz. However, it varies per region. They would use a lever to turn the pins on the strings, tightening or loosening them until the note is exact.
With the reference pitch tuned, each note is tuned in the octave. Then, copies of the tone relationships in that octave are done throughout the keyboard. To ensure that everything is in the right pitch, the tuner performs several listening tests.
4 Things That Don’t Let Pianos Hold Their Tune
Although you may have gotten your piano tuned, its notes may be far from accurate. Unfortunately, some parts of the instrument may be affecting how well its strings can be adjusted.
Pinblock
A pinblock that is of poor quality can seriously affect the accuracy of the tuning.
They are laminated panels of wood that contain holes where the tuning pins are placed. Over time, the holes can expand, causing the pins to not be that tight. Swelling of the wood, due to humidity, can cause the holes to tighten around the nails as well. Pianos having a hard time carrying a note are most commonly due to the damaged block. If you live in a dry area, it can crack too.
Strings
The strings in your piano are made of metal. Over time, they can rust and corrode. This would affect their tension, making your notes sound off-pitch. You can’t do anything to prevent the strings from rusting, as it’s a natural process. But keeping the instrument away from humid environments would slow things down and there would be less moisture affecting the metal’s surface. If your piano is over 20 years old, the chances of its strings being rusty to tune accurately are high. Thankfully, you can replace them. Most concert halls do so every 10 years.
Plate
Damage to the plate of a piano is rare. That being said, if this takes place, the damage is unfixable.
The plate is the iron frame which is the main support of tension for the springs. Unfortunately, the plate may crack. If it does, this could be the manufacturer’s fault – the piano may not have been built well.
You may be responsible for this too. Perhaps you severely mishandled the device while transporting it. As the frame provides major support for the tension, a damaged one would lead to the strings being damaged.
Soundboard
The soundboard is the panel of wood placed just below the cast iron plate. Its job is to sound the notes each spring produces. Moisture can cause the wood to expand, affecting how well it resonates the chords. If your piano is 20 years old, the probability of the wood being affected by humidity is high. Thankfully, the swelling doesn’t affect the notes too much.
Can A Piano Be Tuned After 20 Years?
To answer this question, it depends on the state of your piano. However, it most likely won’t be in the best condition if it’s that old, especially if it hasn’t been tuned in decades. Its strings would need to be replaced and the wood may be too swollen or cracked to have the needed tension. Thankfully, they are all issues you can remedy.
Final Thoughts
Pianos produce a sound that no other instrument can match. Unfortunately, owning one requires a lot of maintenance and care, especially when it comes to tuning. This would allow its strings to produce the exact note that’s needed. Unfortunately, the piano can’t be perfectly tuned. It’s scientifically not possible. The technician would try to get notes as accurately as possible, though.
As the chords regularly need to be cared for, playing one that is 20 years old would result in notes that sound extremely off tune. You can tune an old piano if it’s in pristine condition, but humidity and heat have probably affected the wood and metal inside it, making the tuning process less effective.
When you’re looking for someone to tune the instrument, do some research, and find a tuner within your budget.