Piano Tuning Service and Care

Tuning & Pitch

Tuning & Pitch

Your piano is designed to sound its best when tuned to A-440 (A above middle C vibrates at 440 cycles per second), the international pitch standard.

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Care and Maintenance

Care and Maintenance

If properly cared for, a piano will last a lifetime. These instruments see your family through the joys of sharing music,

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Tuning Booking

Tuning Booking

Pianos need regular tuning at least once a year to keep them up to pitch and playing the correct notes.

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Yamaha Pianos Premium Care

Yamaha Pianos Premium Care

All our new Yamaha Acoustic Pianos are set-up and tuned prior to delivery to your home.

Piano Moving

Piano Moving

 Prestige Pianos has its own specially designed vehicle and equipment and many years experience in the delivery and moving pianos and organs. 

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Some of our Piano Care Products

Cleaning

The keys of your piano can be cleaned as regularly as required. To clean them, dampen a cloth in a mix of warm water and mild detergent then gently wipe each key.

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Tuning & Pitch

Piano Tuning

Tuning & Pitch

Your piano is designed to sound its best when tuned to A-440 (A above middle C vibrates at 440 cycles per second), the international pitch standard. At this pitch, power and tonal range are optimum and your piano will match the pitch of other instruments. When your piano varies from A-440, pitch adjustments are required to bring it back to standard. By always maintaining your piano at standard pitch, you create long-term tuning stability because the strings and structure stay in equilibrium. You also ensure proper ear training because you always hear your music in the correct key.

Why does a piano's pitch change?

Piano strings change pitch for two primary reasons: the initial stretching and settling of strings when the piano is new and soundboard movement due to humidity variation. In the case of new pianos, the pitch drops quickly for the first couple of years as the new strings stretch and wood parts settle. It's very important to maintain any new piano at the proper pitch during this period, so the string tension and piano structure can reach a stable equilibrium. (Most piano manufacturers recommend three to four tunings the first year, and at least two per year after that.)

Aside from this initial settling, climate change is the main cause of pitch change. That's because the piano's main acoustical structure -- the soundboard -- is made of wood. While wooden soundboards produce a wonderful sound, they also react constantly to climate changes. As the relative humidity goes up, the soundboard swells, increasing its crowned shape and stretching the piano's strings to a higher pitch. Then during dry times the soundboard flattens out, lowering tension on the strings and causing the pitch to drop. The drop in the dry season tends to exceed the rise during humid times, so the net result is a drop in pitch each year that the piano isn't serviced.

 

Care and Maintenance of Your Piano

If properly cared for, a piano will last a lifetime. These instruments see your family through the joys of sharing music, the frustrations and accomplishments of learning music, and become a staple piece of furniture within the home. With the proper maintenance, a piano can even become a family heirloom being passed down the generations. All it takes to keep your piano in optimum working condition is regular servicing and adherence to a few simple maintenance rules.

Managing Environmental Factors

Because pianos are largely made of wood they can have severe reactions to heat, cold, wet, dry and humid conditions. The wood swells and contracts in response to its environment, which can affect the sound the piano produces. You can minimise the effects of swelling and contracting wood by positioning your piano in a dry area away from windows, doors, air conditioning units or vents and fireplaces.

Servicing

Piano servicing is a highly specialised skill, so we always recommend enlisting the help of professional piano tuners. Trying to tune or service a piano at home is unlikely to achieve the desired result, and can even harm your piano.

Different manufacturers suggest different servicing frequency, and because each piano has a unique design, it's best to follow the manufacturer's recommendation. Tuning is particularly important in the first year of the piano's life as the strings stretch, settle and react to their climatic conditions. Kawai Australia goes as far as to recommend four tunings in the first year for a new Kawai Australia piano, followed by a minimum of two tunings per year after the first year. Yamaha pianos also suggest a minimum of four tunings in the first year of the piano's life, followed by bi-annual servicing.

All types of pianos should be tuned after they are moved to ensure the strings maintain the correct tension and environmental factors are accounted for.

Cleaning

The keys of your piano can be cleaned as regularly as required. To clean them, dampen a cloth in a mix of warm water and mild detergent then gently wipe each key. Be careful to only lightly dampen the cloth so that excess water doesn't fall between the keys and affect wooden components of the instrument. It's best to use a soft cloth to avoid scratching the keys.

If the outside of the piano is lightly dusted on a regular basis, it should need very little cleaning. However, if it does need a clean it's best to refer to the manufacturer's recommendation for cleaning that particular type of piano. If you can't find the manufacturer's cleaning instructions, contact us for advice. In most cases it's advisable to clean the surfaces gently with a damp soft cloth. Some pianos might require an occasional polish as well.

Cleaning Piano

Some of our Piano Care Products

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  • Standard Piano Tuning $240
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