| It is rare for a person to buy a piano simply for | | | | If you buy your piano from an established and |
| decoration sake. Even though the furniture aspect may | | | | respectable dealer, they will usually tell you how many |
| play a large role in your final decision, most people | | | | times your piano needs servicing the first year. They |
| purchase a piano because they want to play, not just | | | | will also provide you with written information about the |
| look at it. As pianos are an old world technology, they | | | | whole gamut and types of routine maintenance that it |
| require aspects of care that are not readily apparent | | | | will need and set you up with (in some cases) a piano |
| or understood by the layperson. Consequently, it | | | | technician who will tune your piano one or more times |
| behooves you to take the time to learn what you | | | | with "free" tunings. Unfortunately, the same is not the |
| need to know up front, in order to take care of it | | | | case if you buy your piano through a private owner or |
| properly. | | | | even worse, on Craigs List. |
| Why would there be any confusion about tuning your | | | | Other types of routine maintenance include "action |
| piano? After all, if you try to play an out of tune guitar, | | | | regulation" which is the adjustment of the playing |
| violin, or oboe, it will not sound any good, so why do so | | | | mechanism (action), so that the keys will respond |
| many owners think that it acceptable to play their | | | | smoothly, evenly and responsively. There is also "tone |
| piano in an out of tuned state? | | | | regulation and voicing", "humidity control" as other |
| There is no simple answer. Here is a short list of | | | | aspects of piano maintenance that your piano tuner - |
| reasons, to name a few. | | | | technician will recommend to you when needed. |
| 1. Many owners never get it right from the beginning. | | | | If you don't have a professional piano tuner in your |
| Whether your piano is new or used, it is important to | | | | service, what do you do? You must find one. You |
| know the entire reason and purpose for piano tuning | | | | might have to try a number of people to find you who |
| outside of making "the piano sound better." | | | | you are most comfortable but that beats the |
| 2. Folks will often fix their leaky roof or their car before | | | | alternative. You need someone who can give you |
| they will spend "optional" $$ on maintaining their | | | | answers to basic questions and solve problems as |
| instrument. In a cash starved economy, it is hard to | | | | they occur. And believe me, even the most expensive |
| argue with that way of thinking | | | | "best" piano will have its share of issues and problems. |
| 3. "Piano tuning" in and of itself is a catchall term, used | | | | One big area of confusion is the answer to the |
| and misunderstood by many lay people. It | | | | question; how often and when does your piano need |
| oversimplifies piano maintenance and the need for | | | | to be tuned? Some think of tuning their piano only |
| regular follow-up in general. | | | | when it sounds "bad" or when the seasons change. |
| 4. Many pianos that have fallen into disuse have a | | | | Others think that if they don't play their piano on a |
| way of sitting around and after some time appear to | | | | regular basis, it should be tuned less often or not at all. |
| be motionless, non-dynamic objects that blend into the | | | | Neither of these assumptions is correct. Regular tuning |
| furniture of your house. | | | | is essential for those who want to get the most out of |
| 5. When a piano is tuned less, many lay people, | | | | their purchase. It helps to extend the life of your |
| intermediate and even some advanced musicians get | | | | instrument, and provide for your children or yourself a |
| used to hearing and playing them in an out of tune and | | | | means for fulfillment and a better life through music. |
| under maintained state. | | | | |