| Is it ok to place my favorite things on the Piano?
A Heavy object may cause poor tone or noisy vibrations. A vase or flowers
could spill and serious damage can result.
How do I clean my keyboard?
Wipe the keyboard periodically with a soft dry cloth. Never use cleaners
containing Alcohol which will cause cracked keys. If very dirty use
a cloth dipped in solution of soap and water wrung out well.
Should my piano be subject to sudden temperature changes?
When a cold room is warmed suddenly moisture will condense on the piano
stings and other metal parts causing them to rust. Felts will absorb
moisture dulling their action and resulting in unclean sound.
What are the best humidity conditions from my piano?
Generally speaking, a relative humidity up to 60% is ideal for pianos.
The use of materials such as wood, felt and cloth can expand and contract
and be damaged easily.
What is Tuning?
Tuning is the adjustment made to the tuning pins by the piano tuner
to bring each string into its proper tension. There is approximately
230 separate strings on the Piano, each with a total of between 160
to 200 points of tension.
How Does a Piano Go out of Tune?
Constant changes in the atmosphere will affect your piano. The wood
in the soundboard, pinblock and bridges continually change, swelling
when it is humid, shrinking when it is dry. The phenomenon, combined
with the tension pulling the piano together, causes the strings to stretch
and contract. Some strings stretch at different rates than others. This
is how your piano goes out of tune.
How Often Should you Tune Your Piano?
All pianos go out of tune whether played or not, because of the expansion
and contraction due to atmospheric changes. New pianos should be tuned
at least two times the first year. Thereafter, a minimum of once a year,
whether played or not.
If Not Used For Months, Should I Have The Piano Tuned Anyway?
Absolutely! If you want your piano to have a long and useful life, it
must be kept in tune - even when not in use. The 20 plus tons of tension
on the strings is held under proper control when the piano is in tune.
Does Tuning affect the Tone?
Tuning sets the correct pitch of each note. It is impossible for tuning
to ever affect the tonal quality of the piano. The tonal quality of
a piano can most often be changed by voicing the hammers, however some
pianos may require addition repairs.
What is Voicing?
After considerable use, the hammer felts become hard and the strings
cut grooves in the front surface of the hammers. With average home use,
the hammers bay need revoicing every five to seven years. Voicing should
only be done by a highly skilled technician.
What is Touch?
Touch is the energy required to depress a piano key until it causes
the hammer to strike the string. A pianist usually refers to touch as
the ease and responsiveness with which a piano can be played.
What is Regulation?
There are about 11,000 parts in the piano case and action. Over 4,000
of these are moving parts, each working in conjunction with other parts
to produce the sound of the piano. At your regular tuning, your technician
can check to see if the action regulation is in perfect order.
How often should the action be regulated?
About every 7 to 10 years, depending on how much the piano is played
your should have the action completely regulated. If you permit your
technician to make any minor adjustments necessary at each tuning, you
will avoid any possible expensive adjustments which may become necessary
at some time in the future. Regular service insures the playing ability
of your piano, protects your investment and guarantees higher resale
value.
Will regular maintenance save me money?
Absolutely! Your piano will always be in perfect condition. You will
prolong its life. It will have a higher resale value should you ever
wish to sell or trade it in on another piano.
How to move a piano?
When moving a vertical piano within your home, always be sure to lift
the piano off the front castes and roll the piano on rear casters. When
moving a grand piano within your home, the piano should be lifted and
carried, rather than rolling the piano. By rolling, a leg could snap
off and the piano would probably fall to the floor.
Where to place your piano?
Your piano may be placed against any wall in a well insulated home,
except in direct line with sunlight, a heating and/or air conditioning
vent. The best location is usually an inside wall. If possible for best
performance, try to keep the room temperature between 72' to 79', with
relative humidity factor of 40-50%. Excessive dryness and extreme humidity
are both harmful to the piano. Excessive dryness reduces the moister
content of the soundboard and cabinet components.
Why do keys sometimes stick?
Excess moisture often causes keys and felt bushings to expand and react
sluggishly or even stick. Your piano service person can compress the
felt bushing area, which will help your keys move without sticking.
It is very important that excess moisture and moisture fluctuations
be minimized as much as possible.
How often should I have my piano tuned?
Many manufactures recommend 4 times a year. While this may be the optimal
number of annual tunings, the average piano can usually get by with
one tuning per year. However, the ultimate dictate of tuning frequency
is climate fluctuation. The more climate fluctuations your piano experiences,
the more you must tune it.
Can I put my piano over a hot-air vent?
No. Climate fluctuation is one of the worst enemies of your piano. Excessive
moisture and excessive dryness break down the working components f your
piano. Avoid extreme climate changes as much as possible.
What happens if a string breaks on my piano?
You must replace it. If it is a copper wound string then it must be
special ordered. This takes a few weeks. The higher pitched, single
strings are often stocked by piano repair services and can be installed
right away. Whether wound or unwound, the broken strung must be replaced.
Is a piano ruined if the soundboard is cracked?
The General answer is "NO." The wooden soundboard often develops
cracks over time, as there is a significant amount of stress applied
by the string tensions. Additionally, expansion and contraction of the
wood causes wood cells to crush, separate, and crack. Usually this is
just a natural part of the life span of a piano. Most people will choose
to live with this even though the "singing" ability of the
piano might be slightly compromised. Some cracks are much more significant
than others, which might need to be secured to eliminate excess vibrations.
In some extreme cases the amount of cracking can be bad enough to ruin
the piano since it is generally not cost effective to fully replace
a cracked soundboard
Why are there three pedals on some pianos and two on others?
The middle pedal was originally used as a Sostenuto Pedal, which sustains
certain tones after the keys are released. This requires a fairly technical
mechanism, which can be expensive. Over the years other uses for this
pedal have developed, including special effects like honky-tonk, practice
mute, ext… Ultimately, some manufacturers have chosen to eliminate
the middle pedal on some of their models, as it is not essential for
playing and the cost savings make piano ownership more practical for
some consumers.
Can kids bang on my piano with causing damage?
Pianos are made to be played with force. However, each individual piano
is precisely crafted and calibrated. Children should learn discipline,
care, and proper musical touch when playing a piano. There is such as
thing as too much banging force which can result in abuse and damage.
What is the piano's action and why does it need maintenance?
This is the length of the stroke and amount of pressure required to
sound a key on your piano. This must be reset periodically as parts
age, expand, and contract with climate changes.
What is regulation and how does it affect my piano's performance?
This is the timing of the working mechanics and the calibration of their
tolerances and recommended specifications. As the piano ages it must
be recalibrated periodically to compensate for wearing of working parts.
What is voicing?
This deals with the hammer felt shape and resilience factor. In other
words, this is the hardness/softness of the felt on the end of the hammer.
Additionally, this refers to the engagement or contact of the hammer
to the strings. The proper contact must be balanced throughout all registers
of the piano keyboard, in order to bring out dynamic, lyrical, and fundament
sound of your piano.
Why should I keep my piano tuned if it is not being used?
A Piano needs to be used to remain healthy, In other words, an unused
piano is not getting exercise. The mechanical workings of the piano
need to be used periodically in order to keep string tension balanced
and reduce uneven moister absorption, expansion, and contraction, which
can restrict movement.
What is meant by rebuilding, restoring, and reconditioning?
These terms refer to various degrees of repair and/or replacement of
interior and exterior parts and finish work.
I would like to purchase a piano, but where do I begin?
It is important to match the piano to the musician. The very talented
musician will require a better piano. The lesser talented musician will
not require the same quality of instrument as a more advanced student.
A piano can be very expensive to purchase. It is important to not "under"
purchase for the talented musician.
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