| There is a lot more to owning a piano than just dusting | | | | unplayable. |
| it once in a while. Pianos take a lot of maintenance and | | | | Good pianos are made with good action, but even the |
| care. A good dealer will offer services to their | | | | best brands still need these adjustments. You should |
| interested customers. | | | | have the action and tone regulated every 2 to 3 |
| Tuning | | | | years. However, any time you feel that problems with |
| Tuning a piano is not like tuning a guitar. There are 88 | | | | the response or sound, you can always call a reliable |
| keys instead of 6, and each key has several strings | | | | dealer and have them check it out. |
| that vibrate in unison to produce the note. That means | | | | Moving |
| that for each of the 88, you've got to worry about | | | | This is one thing we don't always think about when |
| keeping 2 or 3 strings in tune, as well as keeping them | | | | buying a piano - moving it! If you've ever tried moving |
| in tune with each other. | | | | one yourself, you know what a pain it is. More |
| If you've ever had a piano tuned, you know that it is an | | | | importantly, moving it can be hazardous to its health. |
| art-form. The tuner arrives at your home with a bag | | | | Bumping a wall or corner along the way can damage |
| full of tools of all shapes and sizes, and the entire | | | | the finish or, even worse, knock any number of the |
| operation can take hours. This is because as he or | | | | thousands of tiny pieces out of whack. |
| she tunes the various keys, the other strings loosen or | | | | If you care about the shape of your instrument, it is |
| tighten as the pressure on the soundboard changes, | | | | recommended that you always hire an experienced |
| and then these strings must be re-tuned. | | | | and specialized mover to do the job for you. Many |
| A good dealer will offer tuning services as well. This is | | | | dealers offer this service as well. It is best to find a |
| a service that takes the touch of a real expert. | | | | company that does this internally, as opposed to |
| Routine Maintenance | | | | someone who contracts this work out. If they use a |
| Pianos are delicate and if not cared for properly, they | | | | sub-contractor, it defeats the whole purpose; you |
| will deteriorate quickly. Since owning this kind of | | | | chose them because you trust them to handle your |
| instrument necessitates getting it serviced from time to | | | | investment. If they hire someone else to do it, who do |
| time, a good dealer will also offer these check-ups. | | | | they hire? A good dealer will offer specialized moving |
| One of the most important aspects of piano | | | | service whether it is across the room or across the |
| maintenance is action regulation. Just like a car, the | | | | country. |
| instrument has "action," which means how well it | | | | It is always good to trust your piano needs to |
| responds to the touch of a player. If the hammers | | | | reputable dealers who understand and care about |
| don't respond precisely to your touch, it will have a | | | | these fine and delicate instruments. There are many |
| noticeable effect on playing, and this is one of the | | | | more services available for general maintenance and |
| factors that renders some old instruments totally | | | | other needs. Ask your dealer before you buy. |