Tuning frequency

[Clyde Hollinger]

Richard,

The only thing I have to go on regarding manufacturer recommendations is a brochure
PTG used to print, and probably still does, that showed most recommended two tunings
per year.  Am I correct in assuming that when you say many recommend 4 times yearly,
you mean at least 50% of them?  How many factories are we talking about?  Maybe PTG
should update its information if it has not already done so.

Two things you mention certainly deserve repeating.  First, new pianos should
definitely get more than annual tunings.  I encourage 3-month tunings until I can see
some stability happening, then gradually increase the time between tunings if the
piano remains happy.

Interesting case (to me, at least):  A local family bought a new studio piano of
eastern origin.  First tuning by me in March 1999 it was up to 48c sharp, at a time
when pianos are normally flat.  I pitch-lowered to 10c sharp and tuned it there.
August 1999, seasonal humidity had taken the piano to 25c sharp; I again tuned it 10c
sharp.  February this year it was 12c flat.  I'm glad now I didn't tune it to A-440
the first time I saw it.  As we all know, it REALLY needs humidity control.

Second was your comment about the general lookover.  Quite frequently we will come
across some little adjustment that we didn't anticipate the piano needs, but there it
is nonetheless.  Good thought.

I have some clients whose piano hardly gets used at all, and some of these are the
type who are thinking of tuning "once-every-15-years."  I encourage them to buy at
least 2-year tunings.  This is the lowest frequency I will call back with reminders
about service due.  Some of them follow through with this recommendation, and some
don't.  I have never had another technician agree with me that 2-year tunings are
acceptable in cases like these, but I'm sticking to it, since I often find these
pianos with very little change, tuning or otherwise.

Regards,
Clyde

Richard Brekne wrote:

> Its interesting to check out what the different factories have to say on
> the issue of tuning frequency. Last time I checked (a couple years ago
> anyways) I found no factory that recommended less then twice a year. A few
> recommended 3 times yearly (I found that figure odd...grin) and many
> recommended 4 times yearly.
>
> These recommendations were for seasonal pitch changes, not for heavy use.
> When I am asked, as I often am, how often a piano should be tuned I relate
> this to the customer, and I attempt to explain why it is so. Doesnt help
> much in getting folks to tune more then at best once a year but at least
> they "know" what they should be doing.
>
> I generally tell them there are three basic factors involved. Time,
> climate, and use. If a piano is heavily used then it will need very
> frequent tunings as the strings will just plain get banged out of tune.
> Otherwise, climate becomes the most dominate factor and they may experience
> different degrees of variance in the tuning depending on the variance of
> the climate and the basic tuning stability of the piano. Finnally time is a
> factor. After a year or so many pianos will tend to drop pitch, especially
> new pianos. So once a year should be the absolute minimum, rock bottom
> minimum. Just having a tech giving the piano a cleaning and general
> lookover once a year is important in itself.