The cost of an acoustic piano does not stop with the initial purchase. Pianos are complex instruments that need regular maintenance. The most important thing you can do for the health and longevity of your piano is keep it in tune. You can achieve this with a combination of climate control and professional tuning services.
A single tuning on a regularly maintained piano should cost $100-$150 dollars. The cost to tune a piano will vary depending on the cost of living in your area.
How much should I budget for piano tuning each year?
Most pianos need to be tuned twice a year. To be safe, you should budget $300/year for tuning.
One exception to this rule is new pianos. Piano strings take time to stretch and stabilize, so you should tune your brand new piano 4 times in the first year, and then you can drop down to 2 tunings. If you are buying from a dealer, one or two of these tunings may be covered in the purchase price.
Why is it important to get your piano tuned regularly?
Regular piano tuning helps to keep your instrument in good working order and retain it’s value. Over time, the string tension changes which changes the pitch it produces. This happens in response to environmental factors, not the amount a piano is played, so it needs to be done regularly whether the piano is played frequently or not.
The health of your instrument
The strings on a piano create thousands of pounds of pressure on the frame of the instrument. That’s why they have steel frames! It’s better for your piano if that pressure is evenly distributed, and tuning is how we keep them at the correct tensions.
A bonus is that every time your piano is tuned the technician has an opportunity to notice if there are any minor repairs that are needed. It’s a bit like the safety check when you take your car in for an oil change.
To develop a sensitive ear
Listening carefully is the best way to develop a musical ear. You want to hear the intervals correctly when you play, so that you have a better and better sense of them. If you have to ignore out of tune notes, you won’t be engaging your ear as well as you should.
Why does piano tuning cost so much?
Piano tuning is a specialized skill and a time-consuming task.
It takes 1-1.5 hours to tune a piano. Once you factor in traveling, you are paying for up to 2 hours of the technician’s time. A full-time piano technician can only tune up to 4 pianos a day.
How much education does it take to become a piano technician?
Piano technicians receive two years of professional training. The first year typically focuses on learning to tune pianos and the second on learning to do piano repairs from minor regulation to full-scale rebuilding.
What are the professional hazards of tuning pianos?
Pianos are quite loud. When a tuner is working on a string, they typically strike the note quite hard to make sure the pitch is firm and does not shift. There is a real risk of hearing loss.
When will a piano tuning cost extra?
If you are using a piano technician for the very first time they might charge a little bit more to cover the extra time it takes to get to know your particular piano. Not all technicians will charge extra though, and for those that do it’s not a huge difference from a standard tuning.
If your piano has not been maintained for a long time, it may need a pitch raise. Over time, the strings lose tension. Without regular tuning, the entire instrument can fall in pitch. This is fairly common among older pianos that haven’t been tuned for years or even decades.
How much does a pitch raising cost?
Pianos are traditionally tuned to A440, but if they have fallen far below this there is extra work to bring them up. You might need to have the technician come out multiple times, because tightening a string too quickly can cause it to break. Replacing strings is a whole extra cost, so it’s better to be cautious and not try to do too much in one tuning session.
The exact cost will depend on the technician, so you should get a quote from them, but if you plan for twice the cost of a normal piano tuning, or ~$300 you should be safe.
How can I save on piano tuning?
The less often you need to have your piano tuned, the less it will cost. If your piano is going out of tune, it is unwise to skip tunings, but by carefully positioning your piano in the home and adding some climate control, you may be able to get it to stay in tune longer.
Location of the piano
Your piano should be placed on an interior wall, away from direct sunlight or heaters and air conditioning vents. The less dry air blowing over your piano, the better.
Climate Control
Humidity changes cause the wood in your piano to swell and shrink. As the wood changes size/shape, the tension on the strings changes and causes them to shift frequencies. The more this happens, the more your piano goes out of tune.
Most homes experience significant seasonal changes in humidity. This can be combated with humidifiers and dehumidifiers. Modern pianos are commonly outfitted with specialized humidity control systems that regulate the humidity directly next to the sound board to stabilize the instrument.
Time your tunings with the weather
If you live in a place with seasons, your relative humidity level shifts throughout the year. I have my piano tuned a few weeks after I turn the heat on in the fall and a few weeks after I turn it off in the spring.
You should wait a few weeks after major seasonal weather shifts for your piano to settle, before you get it tuned.
If you have your piano tuned once a year, you should do so when the relative humidity is close to 50%. Expect that it will spend part of the year a bit sharp and part of the year a bit flat. As long as it’s not too far off, you should be happy.
Can I tune my own piano?
Guitar players and violinists all tune their instruments themselves, so why do pianists hire technicians?
Pianos have an exceptional amount of strings compared to other instruments – 230 in total. They also hold those strings under an incredible amount of pressure. Piano technicians have to use special tools to turn the tuning pins. If they don’t do a good job, the tuning won’t “hold” and you will quickly find yourself needing another tuning.
Strings players also typically aren’t very good at tuning their instruments when they start out. Daily practice is important for growing this skill. If you have 100+ pianos to work on, then you’ll get the practice you need to master the art of tuning. Otherwise, it’s best to leave this task to the professional piano tuners.
It is also a good thing to have regular visits from the piano technician to keep an eye out for any other routine regulation work that should be done.
Does it cost more to get a grand piano tuned than an upright piano?
There should not be an appreciable difference in tuning cost between different types of pianos.
Is it worth tuning old pianos?
This depends on the condition of the piano. If your tuning block is in bad shape and your tuning pins won’t hold, then it isn’t worth tuning the piano. It will just go out of tune so quickly, anyway. In this case, the instrument needs significant additional repairs. Replacing the tuning block will require restringing the piano, as well. Ask your technician about how much these additional services will cost. It might make more sense to buy a new piano.
Picking a piano technician
You want to get a good piano tuner, who will keep your piano in good condition and perform regular tunings that hold.
To make sure that you are hiring a qualified piano technician, look for a registered piano technician (RPT) through the Piano Technicians Guild. If you have a Steinway, you might want someone who is also a Steinway Technician Affiliate.
What if I don’t want to get my piano tuned regularly?
If this all seems like a bit too much to you, whether it’s the expense of having to remember to set up appointments, or the frustration of having to occasionally deal with an out-of-tune piano, you might prefer a digital piano.
Digital pianos maintain the correct pitch at all times and will save you a lot of money in the long run. I wouldn’t recommend it for someone with hopes to become a concert pianist, because the actions aren’t as good as acoustic instruments.
BUT for students, playing on an in-tune instrument is very important for the development of the musical ear, and sometimes a digital piano is the best way to make that happen within a family’s budget.
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