I have an upright piano about 80 years old i had it professionaly tuned six months ago but it is now losing it's pitch. I have an electric keyboard which i can adjust the pitch and tune with. However i do not have a tuning key and they seem a triffle expensive. Can i adjust each string with a small spanner or clock key to tune it against the keyboard or am i just being tight and should i call the fellow back to retune it once more. It cost's about £150 a year to keep in tune at the moment.
2007-05-30 10:29:04 · 5 answers · asked by kjk26 1 in Entertainment & Music ➔ Music ➔ Classical
You are not being scammed after six months!
The answer is no. The tuning pins require a kind of setting that only an experienced tuner knows how to do. It will not stay if you try to tune it yourself.
Six months is an excellent record for a tuning to hold up! If you know what you are doing, you can straighten out some unisons that have slipped, but only with the proper tools (a hammer and some mutes are essential!)
This is one of the problems with owning an acoustic instrument, but the rewards on the other side (sound) are well worth it.
2007-05-30 11:15:14 · answer #1 · answered by piano guy 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Ideally, pianos should be tuned four times a year, with every seasonal change. It's worse if you have indoor heating during the winter months. So if your piano held its tuning for 6 months, after having been neglected for a long time, consider yourself very fortunate!
All instruments go out of tune with time. There is no such thing as a tuning guarantee!
If you have it tuned regularly from now on, it will hold its tuning better and better. 80 is not necessarily old for a piano, if it is well maintained. You should still expect to have it tuned twice a year, even if it sounds OK to you. Major adjustements in tuning, the kind required if you let it sit for a year or two without tuning, can be hard on the piano, because it causes a sudden change in the string tension. It is much better for the instrument to make small adjustments regularly. Besides, a good tuner will give it a thorough looking-over, and suggest and make minor repairs as they become necessary.
If you find this too expensive, sell the piano & replace it with an electronic one. They never play out of tune!
2007-06-01 06:37:05 · answer #2 · answered by twosweethounds 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
NO wonder! Old pianos start losing their ability to stay in tune. Most new new pins, usually slightly larger, because the woods which holds them has lost some integrity.
The special tuning rod is available anywhere on line. However, some notes have two string, while most three. Dampers and felts are required to tune. Also, if you snap a string and your face is near it, It can cost you many stitches. It;s a pros job. Perhaps look up that you are seeking someones starting in tuning for a bargain rate.
2007-05-30 20:47:22 · answer #3 · answered by Legandivori 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
If the piano has not been tuned in a long time, it is possible that it will not stay tuned.
Pianos have to be kept in tune, if they are allowed to sit for too long out of tune, it will be impossible to keep them in tune.
Any repudable tuner would tell you that up front.
Did you tuner guarantee the work? Is it still under warrantee, probably not, if he will came back and re-tune it, but charge you for it, he's scamming you.
Get a second opinion.
Good luck!
2007-05-30 17:37:30 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
That's pretty old for a piano. If you aren't using it much, don't bother the piano tuners. You can tune it yourself too, by using an Allen wrench, or wrenches used to open the hubcabs of car tires.
My teacher has had a Steinway for 30yrs. It was always in top shape, tuning wise, until a few yrs ago. She had to replace the entire piano since it was pretty old and worn. She used to be a concert performer. :).
My suggestion, if you don't want to spend much on tuning, is to tune it yourself as I mentioned earlier. Or, if you can save up, get a new piano.
2007-05-30 21:09:03 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 5⤋