---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment Hi All, =20 A while back, I put out a post about a sheet with piano service information=20= =20 on it, written for the layman. Here's what I came up with. It's short,=20 easy, and it fits on one page. The brevity of it really appeals to custome= rs. =20 People who have just purchased instruments are happy to have something to c= hew=20 on, albeit piantech-Lite. =20 Any criticisms, witticisms, and suggestions will be appreciated and =20 considered for the next iteration. Feel free to use this in whole or in pa= rt as a=20 public resource (insert your name instead of mine, of course!) =20 Thanks for reading, =20 Dave Stahl =20 Piano Service Recommendations =20 All pianos need periodic maintenance. Depending on the type of piano you=20 own, the climatic/environmental conditions the piano is exposed to, and the= =20 frequency and intensity of play, service intervals will vary greatly. The=20= three=20 main areas of in-home piano maintenance are Tuning, Regulation, and Voicing= . Tuning is the area that will need to be addressed by your technician most=20 frequently. Tuning consists of adjusting tension of the piano strings so t= hat=20 they are at the proper pitch. Maintaining standard concert pitch--A 4, the= A=20 above middle C, set to 440 Hz., or cycles per second--is important for the=20 developing ear.=20 New pianos usually need to be tuned more frequently than older ones. =20 Strings are still stretching, the various wood components are still adjusti= ng to=20 the relative humidity in your home. The piano is not a static object. Tun= ing=20 can change dramatically in a short period of time due to climatic changes.=20= =20 Most manufacturers recommend that their pianos get tuned 3-4 times in the=20 first year. Though our climate in the San Francisco Bay Area is a bit more= =20 hospitable to pianos than most, Your piano should be tuned twice a year f= or the=20 first 2-3 years in order to maintain and stabilize at concert pitch . Tuning older pianos is necessary as well, but they are more likely able to=20 hold tune for longer periods of time. Let your ear be your guide, but if t= he=20 piano gets played or is in an environment with changing climate, once a yea= r=20 is the normal recommendation. Even if the piano never gets played, letting= =20 it go for more than 3 years without attention is probably not a good idea.=20= =20 Once an old piano drops well below concert pitch, there can be problems=20 associated with pitch adjustment*. Pianos develop squeaks, clicks, clunks, buzzes, and other annoying noises=20 that can be a detriment to your playing enjoyment. Many technicians will d= eal=20 with these at your regular tuning call, as they come up, if you have your=20 piano serviced regularly. Regulation becomes necessary when various felt and leather parts in your=20 piano=E2=80=99s action** have become compressed or changed shape from wear.= There are=20 several points of regulation that should be addressed within your first few= =20 years of ownership to insure that the action performs as it should.=20 A complete regulation is seldom necessary on newer instruments, but there=20 are several functions that should be addressed within 1-3 years of delivery= ,=20 particularly on grand pianos. If you are interested, I will be happy to=20 demonstrate how your piano action operates. =20 Voicing deals with the tone of your piano. What is =E2=80=9Cgood=E2=80=9D to= ne quality? =20 That is up to the owner-player of the instrument. Some like a bright, live= ly=20 sound, while others prefer a mellow, and darker sound. Whatever type of to= ne=20 you prefer, a piano should be able to play soft passages with delicacy, and= =20 loud passages with brilliance and power=E2=80=94within the limits of the in= strument,=20 of course.=20 In order to be properly voiced, a piano needs to be well regulated and tune= d=20 to ensure that the inconsistencies in tone are not because the piano is out= =20 of tune or because the action plays unevenly. Sometimes voicing is a matter=20= =20 of going through all of the hammers to soften or brighten the tone, and =20 sometimes it=E2=80=99s just evening out the tone by voicing a few hammers or= sections of =20 hammers that are overly bright. =20 =20 *Pitch Adjustment: this is necessary when a piano gets too far below (or=20 above) pitch. In short, it is a rough tuning to get the piano close enough= to=20 pitch so that fine-tuning is possible. =20 **Action: all of the moving parts between the key and the string) =20 This is just a brief outline of maintenance that your piano will need durin= g=20 its time in your home if you want an instrument that sounds good and plays=20 as intended by the manufacturer. If you would like more detailed informatio= n=20 about specific functions, feel free to=20 contact me at: 650-224-3560 _Velopresto@AOL.com_ (mailto:Velopresto@AOL.com)=20 =20 Thanks for reading!=20 Dave Stahl / Dave Stahl Piano Service ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: https://www.moypiano.com/ptg/pianotech.php/attachments/cd/15/cb/91/attachment.htm ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment--
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