If you’re confused about the difference between piano tuning and piano repair, read this article to find out how these two processes differ. Piano tuning is a process that changes the pitch of individual notes, making them resonant. Piano repair aims to restore the sound of the piano.
Differences Between a Piano Tuner and a Piano Technician
A piano is a complicated instrument with thousands of moving parts. To properly tune a piano, you need someone who understands these intricate parts and has the appropriate skills. Often, piano owners request a piano technician or tuner to tune their instrument. This is because pianos require regular maintenance and tuning to stay in tune. A piano technician has the necessary skills to restore a piano and fix a damaged neck. If you are considering tuning your piano, you’re wondering how the process differs from a repair job. Piano tuning involves fine-tuning a piano’s pitch. Piano repair requires a technician with specific training. If you’re considering hiring a professional piano repair technician, ensure you understand what you’re getting into.
A piano technician may be a better choice for tuning your piano. Tuning requires a sensitive ear to detect high frequencies and overtones. During tuning, piano technicians should avoid noise-producing devices and use ample lighting to ensure a good sound. However, an inexperienced technician may be more interested in collecting your money than tuning your piano. You can tell a technician’s level of expertise by asking for examples of previous work and looking at his portfolio.
While piano repair Tulsa, OK, may require a technician to remove the entire keyboard and replace all worn parts, piano rebuilding involves a comprehensive disassembly. Then, the piano is rebuilt and tested to ensure it plays correctly. Regular piano maintenance will help your instrument last a long time.
Common Repairs
If your piano has stopped working correctly, you may need to perform one of the following common piano repairs. These procedures can often be performed on-site and are relatively inexpensive. Broken piano keys can cause most of these problems, which can be repaired within a reasonable time frame. Hammers that break are another common issue. To prevent these problems, piano maintenance is highly recommended. While a piano might seem delicate, it requires regular maintenance. While most pianos are strong and durable, a problem with any of its parts could have disastrous consequences. Even if you don’t think it’s an immediate concern, a problem with the keyboard or the soundboard can require repairs.
Raffling the piano often results from a more severe problem, such as a crack in the soundboard. This crack may be difficult or expensive to fix, but it can make the piano sound unpleasant—a near vibration source. Don’t put the piano against anything that shakes at night. A piano technician inspects your piano regularly for these common problems.
Taking care of your piano is essential, but there are certain things you should avoid if you want your instrument to last a long time. While it may be tempting to fix minor issues yourself, pianos are delicate instruments. Even the most minor issues can quickly turn into more significant problems. Using a professional to perform these tasks is highly recommended since pianos require specialized knowledge and equipment. You may want to learn a little bit more about these issues so you can describe them to the technician in your local piano repair store.
Common Adjustments
There are several standard adjustments that a piano tuner makes during the tuning process. These adjustments include key height, fundamental level, dip and hammer let off, touch and aftertouch, and regulating the action. These adjustments affect the sound of the piano as well as the performance of the instrument. For example, the tuner tries to minimize inharmonicity and maximize the amount of string stretch. In addition, the octaves are often fully widened in concert grand pianos to make the triple octave beatless. These changes contribute to the piano’s response, brilliance, and “sing” quality.
Free play is crucial for proper tuning. Typically, a piano tuner needs about a sixteenth inch of free play between the strings and the keys. However, removing all Freeplay could cause the pedals to remain in the incorrect position or jam the action parts. Additionally, it can cause the dampers to stick or stay off the strings. If you’re unfamiliar with these adjustments, it’s best to seek a professional tuner.
Maintenance Procedures
Regular piano tuning and regulation are essential maintenance procedures. As the wood used in pianos expands and contracts according to temperature, regular tuning and regulation are necessary to keep them in optimum condition. To avoid these issues, a piano should be kept in an environment with a humidity level of 45-70%. Hygrometers and specialized piano humidifiers are available for this purpose. Proper care of the piano can also help to extend its lifespan.
A tuning and regulation service involves bringing a piano’s pitch to a normal pitch. This process will keep the piano’s strings in tune and prevent other strings from going out of tune. The strings should also be adjusted if they are rusty or loose, as sudden tightening can cause them to break. Both of these procedures usually take 30 minutes to an hour. While tuning and regulation are essential, they are less frequent than voicing and regulating.
