Piano Tuning and Repair Services in Upland, CA

Pianos are very sensitive Instruments. Regardless of whether it’s played often or not, a Piano needs Tuning and possibly other Piano Services.

Pianos (which are mostly made of Wood & Metal) fluctuate with Temperature and Humidity changes, so unless you keep your environment very stable at around 70 degrees Fahrenheit and 50% Relative Humidity at all times (like we do at our Climate Controlled Piano Storage Facility), then your Piano is constantly changing causing it to go out of tune or need servicing.

If you would like to know more about the proper care of your piano, please call us or text us with any questions you may have, and we’ll be happy to help answer any questions for you!  

(909) 938-0238

Or read on to see some of our answers to frequently asked questions…

What is changing?

The Humidity Content of the Wood, and the amount of pressure that is on the Strings, The Plate (Harp), the Bridges, the Soundboard, and everything structurally important to your piano’s survival.

Whether it is a New Piano or a Used Piano, it’s recommended to Tune a Piano every 6 Months or as often as you can! It is also recommended to Tune a Piano that has been Moved recently.

Who’s recommending what? 

The Piano Technicians Guild, which is an organization of Piano Technicians (Piano Nerds) that has been the recognized authority on the subject since 1957 says that “You should have your Piano Tuned at least once a year, preferably twice”

Certain Piano Manufacturers like Yamaha say “You should Tune your Piano every 6 Months“

Steinway & Sonssays “You should Tune your Piano as often as you can.”

I say, “It depends on the Piano and the situation”, but for the most part I agree with all of the above, but there are some instances when I recommend longer intervals between tunings. For example, on a very old piano that has had a long history of regular tunings, and the tuning stability is very good but the condition or age of the Strings is not so good.

There are some instances where I recommend tuning pianos more often than the PTG or Manufacturer suggests, like for example at my Colleges and University’s where these Pianos might be getting used for several hours a day on a daily basis. There is no possible way that the recommendations for the average Piano owner apply in this type of situation, aside from Steinway’s (Tune them as often as you can) 

Also, if you are a Piano Instructor or a Voice Instructor or a Professional Pianist your situation is probably similar to that of my Colleges and Universities, and if you are responsible for the “Ear Training” or Piano Training of Student’s, then you should probably have a pretty decent piano that’s in good shape and in tune most of the time.

What if my Piano is Brand New?

That’s not necessarily a good thing when it comes to Tuning Stability. You see, as it is with all Stringed Instruments, new strings stretch a lot more and need to be tuned more until that stretching is minimal.

In other words, you need to Tune a New Piano more often at first, then you do an older Piano that has received more tunings. I like to say that we are trying to train your piano to stay in tune longer.

Also, if you haven’t tuned your piano in many years, you are basically starting over with this process of training your piano to stay in tune longer. 

Brand new pianos also sometimes need Pitch Raises for the reasons I just stated above with the New Strings Stretching faster. 

“My Piano Salesperson said I just need to have it Tuned once a year”

They didn’t want you to think that you have to spend that much to maintain it, but the truth is Pianos need more than just regular tunings, they also need other services from time to time like cleaning and lubrication as well as Regulation (adjustments to the internal Action), Voicing the Hammers or Parts replaced etc.

What is the difference between a Regular Tuning and a Pitch Raise Tuning? 

A Regular Tuning is just like it sounds, it’s a Tuning of a Piano that is Tuned regularly or has been Tuned on some type of schedule usually within or around a year or less. if you are following along you already know what that a Pitch Raise Tuning is a Double Tuning that is done in one sitting.

Does a Pitch Raise cost more than a Regular Tuning?

Yes, it’s twice as much work as Regular Tuning but not usually twice the price. 

But why? 

Because the piano is so far out of tune when we test it (usually flat = not enough tension on the strings) that the 1st tuning is only meant to get it in the ballpark, or in other words it’s a rough draft tuning, followed up immediately with a Regular Tuning. If you try to stretch the strings too far in 1 tuning, you increase the risk of breaking a String which can be expensive to replace.

When do I need a Pitch Raise Tuning?

The standard in the industry for when your piano needs a Pitch Raise is when your piano measures out to be more than 10 cents (Cents are units of measurement) flat of the Standard Pitch of A440 Hrtz., which is the international standard pitch set in 1939. I’m not going to go into detail about all of that but in a nutshell, most pianos and other instruments are built to be tuned to A440 Hrtz. and if you want to be in tune with the rest of the world, and have your piano have the right amount of pressure on everything that’s what you tune to.

There are many theories about what pitch is best for what thing floating around, some are pretty wild or interesting, but that’s a rabbit hole in itself which I’m not going to get into, but most of the time we as Piano Tuners Tune to A440 Hrtz, and sometimes A442 Hrtz.

Is it really necessary to do a Pitch Raise Tuning if it’s more than 10 Cents Flat?

Only if you want your Piano to sound right.

What is a Pitch Correction?

A Pitch Correction Tuning is similar to a Pitch Raise but it’s for the opposite reason. Rarely we run into pianos that are extremely sharp or at a much higher pitch than they are designed for, usually due to Humidity or Temperature reasons. This can cause catastrophic damage to a piano if not corrected. a piano that tests out over 10 Cents sharp needs a Pitch Correction (a Double Tuning) because we have to move the Strings so much that a single tuning would be unstable.

Are Repairs or Adjustments or Cleaning included in the Price of Tuning?

No, we can do any of those things for you, but they are separate things and as such they are billed separately. 

Do I need to Tune my Piano if I just had it Moved? 

Generally speaking, yes but not always. If you are not changing the environmental condition of the piano much, like you gently moved it across the same room to an area of the room that is usually the same temperature and humidity level, then you probably don’t need to tune it based on that. But if you bounced it across tiles in the process than probably yes.

When we say you need to Tune a Piano after it’s been moved it’s usually about moving it across town, or from the Beach to the Desert. It’s about a change in its situation or environment. If it had to be lifted up onto a Dollie and moved a large distance, or it was up on its side with the legs taken off, then yes you should have it Tuned.

Is it true that you should wait for a bit after Moving it for it to Acclimate, before having it Tuned?

 In a perfect world I would let it acclimate for a couple of weeks before Tuning it, but a lot of times that’s not an option, or People just don’t want to wait that long for their Piano to sound good.

What happens if you don’t wait?

 Not much, The Tuning Stability won’t be as good as if you did. If I had to put a percentage on it, I would say that it might be 5% to 10% worse than if you waited. But let me be clear, moving a Piano is not the only reason you should have it Tuned. I have Tuned many Pianos where the only time the Piano gets Tuned is because it got moved. It’s like everybody got that memo, but nothing else of importance.

How much does it cost to have my Piano Tuned?

Different Piano Tuners charge different amounts for Piano Tuning, but generally speaking you get what you pay for. If you want a more experienced Piano Tuner, you are going to pay a higher price for that experience and you are probably going to have better results. We have a price range for Piano Tuning because of all of the above. Please call or text us for a quote.

How long does a Piano Stay in Tune?

That depends on a whole list of things, like the Environment, the age, condition, the amount of use, the kind of use, the Service History. But in reality, the moment you are done Tuning a Piano it’s starting to go out of Tune. It’s like painting a pretty picture with disappearing ink. But if you tune them often in the beginning and then whenever your tuner recommends, you will start to notice it staying in tune for longer periods.

What is the difference between a Piano Tuner and a Piano Technician?

A Piano Tuner is someone who claims they can Tune a Piano. A Piano Technician is someone who not only claims they can tune your piano, but they also claim they can fix it. There are different labels applied to different levels of experience or areas of expertise in this field. For example, Piano Tuner, Concert Tuner, Piano Technician, Associate Member Piano Technician, Registered Piano Technician or in my case Steinway Factory Trained Piano Technician. Some of these titles or distinctions are earned & some are just declared.

Can I just Move the Piano myself, or get some friends to help me move it?

You might be able to, but you probably shouldn’t. Professional Piano Movers have special equipment and tricks to the trade that you or your friends probably don’t. I have seen many Pianos either damaged or destroyed from the wrong people moving it. I’ve even seen instances where people were just trying to save a couple hundred dollars by shopping around for the cheapest movers, just to end up having their $13,000.00 Grand Piano they just bought flop over on it’s lid and slide down a set of steps into their living room. The piano lid was ripped off, the legs were damaged because they were attached (when they shouldn’t be) and now the piano buzzes when you play it. Plus the movers didn’t have insurance.

Also, adding more people to the situation doesn’t help. Getting a group of people or friends is not the answer. There are only handles for 2 People to grab on an Upright Piano, and none on a Grand, so having extra inexperienced people around with no place to grab or stand safely doesn’t help, in fact it usually makes it more complicated and dangerous. So I have a question for you…

Do you want to risk damaging or ruining your piano, damaging your house, or damaging your friend?

We have the professional experience, equipment, and right amount of people to do the Job right and as safely as possible, and we also have the proper insurance if something where to go wrong. 

You may also contact us by using the email form provided below.

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