Tuning

About tuning

There has never been a piano made by any company, at any price, that does not require a schedule of regular tunings. It is also a fact that a piano will go out of tune whether it is played or not, due mainly to the constant variations in heat and humidity in the home.
Have your piano tuned as often as you feel necessary, but a minimum of twice yearly. Your piano should be tuned to Concert Pitch (A 440) to sound its best. Concert pitch A 440 (A above middle C vibrating at 440 times per second) has been universally accepted as the pitch to which all instruments should be tuned. This standard ensures that all musical instruments throughout the world will play notes of similar pitch. Apart from the fact that pianos are designed and built to sound their best when tuned to A440, it is also very important to proper musical ear-training.

Loss of string tension caused by tuning neglect will ultimately result in a drop in pitch. The amount of extra tuning involved in pitch raising will increase proportion-ately with the amount of lost string tension. Extra pressures created during the pitch-raising process causes readjustment of the iron frame, soundingboard, ribs etc. resulting in the piano quickly losing some of its initial tuning. A second and sometimes a third tuning may be required to establish A 440 and at the same time provide a stabilized tuning.