aMenu
x
Keep Your Piano in Playing Shape

Keep Your Piano in Playing Shape

We'll handle your piano maintenance and piano tuning needs in Racine & Rochester, MN

Does your piano sound off? It could be overdue for some piano maintenance. That's where GW Pianos in Racine & Rochester, MN comes in.

We can perform a variety of different piano maintenance tasks. Our pros can check and tighten the action screws, regulate the action, clean the bed and lubricate the moving parts. We'll also give you advice on at-home piano maintenance so you can avoid potential issues.

Call us at 507-261-7922 to make an appointment for your piano.

Common things to remember for piano maintence

Environment

  • Keep indoor temperature and humidity as nearly constant as you can (ideally 68F and 42%).
  • Keep piano away from radiators, baseboards heaters, heat or air conditioning vents, fireplace, and doors or windows which are open to the outdoors.
  • Do not keep piano in a damp basement or unheated garage, cabin or storage unit.
  • Keep direct sun off piano - use curtains/shades if necessary. Never allow direct sun to strike a grand piano's soundboard - it can affect tuning within minutes - the lid should be kept closed when piano is not in use.

    • Tuning

  • All manufacturers recommend at least 2 tunings per year; some recommend 3 or 4.
  • Tune a new or restrung piano 3 or 4 times in the first year - new strings stretch rapidly for the first 12-18 months, causing pitch to drop below correct level.
  • Even if a piano is not being used, still tune it every year or two, to correct the drop in pitch which gradually occurs. If a piano is allowed to go far out of tune, tuning will cost more and be less stable than if the piano had been tuned regularly.
  • Indoor humidity change is the main thing causing pianos to go out of tune. Cental air, furnaces humidifiers, and room humidifiers/dehumidifiers help some, but a humidity control system installed in the piano is by far the best solution. Major piano makers recommend this, and it greatly improves tuning stability and prolongs a piano's life.

    • Tightening Action Screws

  • There are approximately 200 screws which hold together the various parts (hammers, dampers, wippens, rails, pedals, etc.) of a piano's action mechanism.
  • The tightness of these screws should be checked once a year, when indoor humidity is lowest, and tightened if needed, to prevent parts from loosening, shifting position, interfering with each other, and making clicking noises.

    • Regulating (Adjusting) The Action

  • Due to wear and compacting of cloth and leather parts, periodic regulating is needed. This involves adjusting alignments, distances, timing, and springs for each note.
  • Most new pianos need regulating in the first year or so. After that, frequency of regulating depends upon the amount of use a piano gets.
  • If regulating is not done, action performance (consistency, repetition speed, ability to control volume) gradually deteriorates. Also, some action parts will wear prematurely.

    • Cleaning, Lubricating

  • Every few years it is a good idea to have the keybed (under the keys) cleaned, the soundboard of a grand piano cleaned, and moving parts lubricated.

    • Voicing

  • Hammer felt hardens with use, causing increasingly harsh tone. Grooves form where hammers strike the strings, making the tone "twangy." Hammers can be resurfaced and softened to restore good tone, and hardened to "brighten" tone where needed.

    • Repairs

  • Eventually parts may need replacement or repair - bushings and other cloth parts, damper felt, hammer heads, loose tuning pins, dead bass strings, rusted strings, or occasional broken strings or action components.

    • Time for a tune-up?

    Contact Us