How to Tune a Piano Yourself Guestbook

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Guestbook   Show guestbook | Sign guestbook | Statistics | Search | Back to main index   # Page: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |  EntryNo: 210  Date: Saturday 02:31 07.24.2010 jaime Appreciate your material. I am using it as a reference to help me tune my piano. I have tuned sour notes on a piano before, but want to learn to do the whole thing. It costs a lot of money to have someone come and tune it, and I just moved to a new location, so the piano is making its adjustment to the new local.  EntryNo: 209  Date: Tuesday 07:49 06.29.2010 Larry I was given a piano that was out in an unheated shop in Montna for several years. A lot of abuse, but I believe playable and fixable. When I put my tuner on it most of the keys are several cents sharp. Should I wait a while to tune it as it is now in our home in better temperature controlled conditions. I ordered the basic equipment needed to tune and am excited to get started as soon as it all gets here. Comment:I would give it some time to get adjusted to new conditions. It will more likely hold its tuning better.  EntryNo: 208  Date: Tuesday 10:54 06.22.2010 Jen One question I have is the difference between a student quality lever and a gooseneck tuning lever. If you're not going to be working an grands or baby grands, is there any point in getting the student quality? (I'm looking at those listen on pianosupplies.com.) Thanks for putting all the information here together in one place. Comment:The main disadvantage of the gooseneck lever is that it does not have interchangeable heads. This means if you discover a odd sized pin, or an awkward or tight position, you have no alternative but to buy a whole new tool rather than just a new part. A second disadvantage is that the gooseneck bend tends to be a little shallower than that on interchangeable hammers. The shallower the bend, the harder it is to "feel" and control the turning of the pin. Furthermore, goosenecks are by nature cheaply made, and may exhibit other problems of cheap tools, e.g., easily broken or imprecise machining. Good tuning is fussy enough on its own without fighting with a poor tool. On the other hand, goosenecks are inexpensive so not a lot is at risk if you want to see if it works for you. Thanks for reading.  EntryNo: 207  Date: Thursday 14:54 06.17.2010 Lisa Okay, I've read the instructions, got the tools, I guess its time to give it a go. Thanks!  EntryNo: 206  Date: Wednesday 13:59 06.09.2010 Pro Piano Tuner Hi, As a time served pro- I thought good on you! Well done. Personally I can not see any reason why another pro is attacking you. Some tips...when a piano is flat, check the middle with the bass and if required, just pull up the steel diskant section to the bass... On fine tuning...once finished, I check the steel notes doing the sharps first then the whites....it is easier on the ear... Try ''knocking'' the string into tune too...a very difficult skill which takes years of skill to master! cheers Comment:Thanks for the feedback.  EntryNo: 205  Date: Monday 08:59 06.07.2010 Mark Benton Thank you very much. Very very helpful. I get mine tuned once or twice a year but my unisons go out of tune very fast so it would be good to do a couple touch ups myself. I had no idea what the mutes were for until I read this. Thanks again.  EntryNo: 204  Date: Friday 13:54 05.28.2010 Rita Hicks Thanks so much for the information. I have been wanting to learn how to tune my piano.  EntryNo: 203  Date: Friday 10:33 05.28.2010 Steve Yandle Hi Scott. Thanks for the good advise on piano tuning. I've played the piano and organ for a good 45 years now, and nothing sounds worse than an out-of-tune instrument. Not until recently, have I decided to attempt to learn to tune a piano myself. One reason it took me so long to "break the ice" and try it, was that a professional tuner from my distant past one told an inquisitive "me" that I was a very good musician, but probably would not make a good tuner. He said that most of the time good musicians don't make good tuners, and he also said that good tuners seldomly become good musicians. He said we tend to take different approaches to harmonics, and that was the main basis for his remarks. I play by ear as well as by the music, and I don't know if he was right about all that, or not. Anyway, I find your web-site to be straight-forward, and very helpful. I plan to try to beat the odds even at age 57! Thanks for the great information!  EntryNo: 202  Date: Wednesday 14:27 05.12.2010 Wayne F. DIbert Very nice website. You have great information here and you are very upfront about tuning and the reality of what a novice should expect. I have been playing for over 50 years and have tuned my piano and used the techniques you have described. Still, nothing ever beat a professional tuner. Thanks for the info and support. Wayne  EntryNo: 201  Date: Tuesday 22:39 05.04.2010 Carl James Thanks for a simple and easy to understand principles of pianotuning. Some notes: You should emphasize more clearly that old instruments, well out of tune should not be reset to A=440 at once, but brought back gradually in several passes. The tuning will hold much better, and it will greatly reduce the risk of broken or damaged strings. I also advice the use of massage with a simple wooden tool in order to reduce tension. Comment:Thanks for your comments. I edited them for clarity. I don't completely understand your last sentence about the wooden tool, though.  EntryNo: 200  Date: Tuesday 08:31 05.04.2010 Terry Great info, thanks a bunch  EntryNo: 199  Date: Tuesday 15:34 04.27.2010 Etienne A. Goilo So very true as a handy amateur guitar player wanting to tune an old but otherwise good I bought for playing when my piano playong friends visit me I also.. "could not find information on the web that explained how to do it"... They only want to sell something without giving really usable info. Thanks very much. I have been looking for info for weeks until I found your page/site. Can't say it enough: Thank you very much!  EntryNo: 198  Date: Wednesday 10:42 04.21.2010 Bill Chamis Thanks for spending the time and sharing some great information in a clear and easy to follow way.  EntryNo: 197  Date: Sunday 06:59 04.18.2010 Joe Hey, great job of explaining the tuning process. I'm just wondering why you didn't mention temperament felt in the equipment section. That is a very important piece of equipment if you want to tune your whole piano, not just touch up on a few notes. Comment:I do mention it further down in the "equipment sources" section, where I talk about additional equipment that might be useful. You are correct that it is important, but one can get by without it when first learning. I keep it simple for people new to the process.  EntryNo: 196  Date: Friday 18:05 04.16.2010 Mike Absolutely great. Thanks for the tips. Fundamentally, I assumed many parallels with tuning a guitar, but I learned a lot here. Thanks again.  EntryNo: 195  Date: Wednesday 04:52 04.07.2010 Paul Brandon Excellent site, thank you so much. I have just acquired a 1920's Pianola, and although I daren't attempt tuning it myself, at least I now have a basic understanding of what's involved and can have a reasonably intelligent conversation with a professional. Thank you once again, Paul Brandon, Norwich (UK), April 2010.  EntryNo: 194  Date: Monday 03:27 03.29.2010 DB in WV Wow! I was getting so frustrated at all the hipe from the other searches telling me to buy this or that or sign up for a course. I am just learning to play the piano and a very nice lady from our church gave me one of hers that was so far out of tune no one wanted to touch it but with your information I was able to get it in tune close enough that I could use the piano and I have a professional coming back to retune now that it actually sounds like a piano. Thanks So Much! DB in WV.  EntryNo: 193  Date: Thursday 18:57 03.25.2010 Leah Thanks! You've given me hope and a summer project :)  EntryNo: 192  Date: Sunday 12:33 03.21.2010 vanessa Thank you so much. As a singer and piano teacher I have always wondered if I could just tune the darn thing myself. I am already a month into this and very happy with the results. Thank you!!!  EntryNo: 191  Date: Wednesday 05:25 03.03.2010 al osinchuk i am hammer dulcimer player,,,have spent many hours tuning,,,progressed to piano tuning,,,, very good information...  EntryNo: 190  Date: Monday 20:02 02.08.2010 C3P0 I found this site after making a few touch-ups on my mother's Baldwin. We were both surprised and happy with the results. I thought about trying to tune it completely but wanted to find something about it beforehand. After reading this I now feel more confident in doing so. Thank you.  EntryNo: 189  Date: Friday 10:49 02.05.2010 mark I just bought a 1967 yamaha spinet and had it tune professionally. It sounded a little harsh to me so I checked it with a korg tuner.It seems that every octave going up is tuned slightly sharp.Is that a tuning technique? Could the piano need voiceing and is that doable by an amateur? Comment:Perhaps the tuner was anticipating that the piano would go flat, and he was over-tuning slightly expecting it to settle in correctly. I would just ask your tuner. Voice refers to the tone of the piano as determined by the padding on the hammers. In older pianos, the felt on the hammers can wear, giving a harsh sound. Reshaping or replacing this felt is called voicing. I have not attempted this, and do not know how feasible it is for the amateur.  EntryNo: 188  Date: Tuesday 03:02 02.02.2010 Javier The best and most useful web about piano tuning. I am using "AP tuner 3", a free application from the internet in my laptop instead of an electronic tuner. Has it got any problems? Thanks Comment:I am not familiar with that particular software. But assuming the tones are accurate, it should work as well as the basic standalone tuner I use.  EntryNo: 187  Date: Sunday 03:28 01.31.2010 Stuart Rodes Insights gained from reading your page helped me appreciate the skill (and fee) of the professional tuner. I was about to buy tools and take up becoming our piano's only technician to save the $400/year. I realize now I would be putting in a big time commitment and still needing the pro once a year anyway.  EntryNo: 186  Date: Monday 11:09 01.25.2010 Jyefash Un grand merci pour ces précieux conseils :D Je dispose d'un piano 1/4 de queue sur lequel je joue tous les jours, mais depuis l'hiver, seules 4 notes se sont désaccordées; ne voulant pas faire venir un accordeur juste pour 4 notes, votre site m'a été d'un grand secours. Les 4 notes ont été remises au diapason et la moindre dissonance est à présent aussitôt corrigée :D Encore merci :) Comment:Approximate translation for our English-speaking readers: "[i]Big thank you for this invaluable information. I have a piano which I play every day, but since winter, 4 notes were out of tune; not wanting to make a tuner come right for 4 notes, your site was a great help. The 4 notes are now tuned."[/i]  EntryNo: 185  Date: Tuesday 09:18 01.19.2010 Jerry Weiss Thanks for the info. I have been doing exactly what you recommend for abut 5 years now (discovered on my own) and I find it's great for "between tuning" maintenance (I can go about a year between tunings now, which is a lot since I'm a professional pianist). One note on the Korg tuner. Test the tuner by using a tuning fork to make sure it is reading correctly. If the batteries are a little low, it maystill function, but may cause you to tune the entire piano 25-50 cents flat (speaking from experience unfortunately). If you ever run into any info about why some octaves and unison beats are easy to hear and why some aren't, I'd like to hear it. I have the most trouble with bass notes. Also, some unisons can seem to be as in-tune as they will ever get, but still sound "bad" as if there is a "phasing" going on (almost a buzzing sound). Any insight on that issue would be appreciated too. Thanks again Comment:I never thought about the battery issue. Thanks very much for pointing that out. I don't have any advice to offer on the buzzing. As for the bass notes, they are hard to really tune precisely; the heavy gauge, wound wire is unruly. But they are also low enough that the human ear is not as sensitive to them; I have been told that "close" can be good enough. In either case, you might want to read or ask in the forums over at Pianoworld.com for tips. Just don't tell them I sent you...they aren't my biggest fans!  EntryNo: 184  Date: Tuesday 06:36 01.19.2010 Nancy Thank you thank you thank you for providing this resource! I "inherited" an old Lester spinet from a friend who was going to throw it out, and I bought the Reblitz book to learn how to do the necessary repairs and do a first tuning before paying someone to tune it more precisely. The Reblitz book was great for helping me diagnose what repairs were needed, but its instructions on tuning were way too complicated (I don't want to learn how to build a watch, I just want to know how to set the time.) Your instructions have gotten me where I need to be, to feel like I can get this old piano in playable condition. Bless you!  EntryNo: 183  Date: Tuesday 05:24 01.12.2010 Gerr Thanks for this wonderful resource. (Forget the critics) With your site I was able to get my piano "playable" again. A pro tuned and set pitch on it a couple of months ago and was willing to come back out free of charge. I had about 10+ keys go out flat on this old piano. Being mechanically inclined, I carefully followed your steps and used Appretice Tuning Hammer and Kit (as you said essential) as well as KORG CA-1 CHROMATIC ELECTRONIC TUNER (also essential even with a good ear for the appretice) and there was no need for pro as now I can do my own tuneups. Will proabably have pro once a year but do the rest myself. Thanks again. Gerr  EntryNo: 182  Date: Saturday 12:25 12.26.2009 Adil Mehta Very well written and a well organized website. I enjoyed your sense of humour. The information you have provided does indeed shed light on what is involved in tuning pianos. Although I would like to be able to tune my own piano, I think for now my best bet would be to hire a professional tuner and then purchase the basic tools necessary to tweak and maintain the piano's tuning in-between the yearly professional tunings. Thanks for the information.  EntryNo: 181  Date: Wednesday 20:31 12.16.2009 Hossein Falsafi Hi dear, i just bought a 1891 Marshall and wendell, it was two notes down! i did a ``pitch raise`` the strings are original and over 3 octaves ( the middel registe) i lost 2 strings,(sadness).but those octaves are now tuned to the +- 5-10 cents. 1- Could i do the same for the big coil wire (The bass section) and the very short wire (extreme right hand). 2- what is the size and diameter of those wires ,i see some numbers writen between the wires in a intervall of 5-6 tones. 12-13...14..15.. does this correspond wire size 12-13-14...and finally where can i buy good wires. Thanks for the site it is very helpful, encouraging, useful and human oriented. i use this site www.seventhstring.com for tuning my instruments it very simple and accurate maybe it could be useful for people . i red the entire page and there is an o missing in the word '' longer it is writen lnger. Regards Hossein Comment:I do not have enough knowledge or experience to answer your question. I suggest you consult a professional tuner or technician. I do know two things: be very careful tuning the low notes because those big strings are the most expensive to replace. Often, the very lowest notes will be allowed to stay a little out of tune, because your ear cannot hear the difference down there, and it's not worth the risk of breaking. One online source of piano strings is www.pianosupply.com. They ship internationally, too.  EntryNo: 180  Date: Tuesday 11:15 12.15.2009 Seria Mau Genlicher Now I know why we pay a professional to keep our piano in tune (it's not easy is it) - although after visiting your site we can at least help reduce his need to pop round just to (free of charge) tweak the odd string here and there between "official tunings". Great to see this information out there Thanks  EntryNo: 179  Date: Sunday 11:11 12.13.2009 Darryl Stewart Extremely helpful website, and very well written. I now understand the difficulty I'm facing. Thanks so much.  EntryNo: 178  Date: Saturday 10:49 12.12.2009 marshall interesting, got me to thinking even I can do this  EntryNo: 177  Date: Friday 17:22 12.11.2009 Andy Dennison Thank you for the excellent explanation, especially about the electronic tuner. I now understand why you cannot simply "dial" up each string to the exact setting. As an engineer when I hear "more art than science", I am skeptical. Now I am less so. I can see that tuning 88 keys is not going to be 88 minutes! You have covered the topic very well, and IMO giving professionals their due respect. The best I have read on this topic. Thanks.  EntryNo: 176  Date: Thursday 15:06 12.10.2009 Scott from North Carolina I have a 1908 Steinway type "O" grand which is in pristine condition. It was formerly in an unstable environment with fluctuating humidity/dry spells, etc. I installed a Piano Saver humidity control system on it and it helped some, but not enough. The piano is now ina new humidity controlled environment, and it stays in tune for 4-5 months with only an occasional touch-up. I'm sending you this information to emphasize the importance of proper humidity. It may help someone else who is experiencing a piano that goes out of tune too quickly.  EntryNo: 175  Date: Monday 05:11 12.07.2009 Peter Hardy Hi Scott, many thanks for the most useful tips on piano tuning. I made my first tentative attempt recently on an old and badly neglected piano before I discovered your site and, whilst the piano is far from perfect I am pleased with the results, so much so that I shall now take your advice and buy a tuning wrench and wedges. You're quite right, the back end of a quarter inch socket is not a good fit, especially on my 6mm pins! I am now looking for a supplier of a decent quality wrench in the UK, so wish me luck. Thanks again Peter Hardy  EntryNo: 174  Date: Tuesday 10:12 11.10.2009 johnf thanks, food for thought  EntryNo: 173  Date: Thursday 16:11 11.05.2009 alex wow!! thank you!!! a generous person gave me this piano so i can start learning how to play it after i got the sounds i realized some keys had a weird sound so i thought that it needed to be tuned. can someone answer my question how do i fix a key that gets stuck when I press it?? some keys were like that and i moved them a little bit and those work but there is like 2 keys that get stuck when they are pressed once again thank you Comment:One explanation is a missing, detached or damaged spring. The spring returns the key to the correct position. I have a similar problem on my piano that for now I just live with. But there are other reasons for sticky keys as well. I do not have advice on how to fix it. You can remove some of the extra cabinetry to get a look at the action (the key mechanical parts) to see if you can see the problem. Check the repair links on my site for other sources of repair information.  EntryNo: 172  Date: Tuesday 11:59 11.03.2009 m willis I wanted to say thank you with this method i was able to save a very old baby grand from the dump  EntryNo: 171  Date: Tuesday 18:35 10.20.2009 tundra Thirty years ago I sat in on a tuning and was just amazed. I thought one day I would like to try that. Locally there is a free piano being offered to anyone who will pay to have it removed. Its old and beat up but it needs a home. Working on it. Thank you for this inspiring article.  EntryNo: 170  Date: Tuesday 05:09 10.20.2009 tom Thanks for the article. I just acquired a Wurlitzer apartment size piano which is still basically in tune with a few really sour notes. With your help, I don't need to be afraid of damaging anything and I'm sure I'll be able to make it sound quite a bit better. I am going to have a professional look at it before long.  EntryNo: 169  Date: Monday 21:04 10.19.2009 Tony the Tuner Great site! I'm a musician who has tuned many a stringed instrument; yet have always hired a "pro" to tune my piano. Thank you for giving me the confidence to do it myself. I'm buying a kit immediately. So informative! Thanks again.  EntryNo: 168  Date: Tuesday 00:47 10.06.2009 Vernon Skinner If you're tuning an older piano, and the thick bass strings are reasonably well in tune, sometimes your best leaving them alone: they may be corroded, leading them to snap when adjusted, and they are expensive to replace!  EntryNo: 167  Date: Saturday 16:42 09.26.2009 charley I have been using this technique (same tuner) with good results for several years before finding your site. I prefer to use the tuner for as much of the piano as it will respond to and do the rest by ear alone. I also used this method to raise the tuning about 1/4 step to A440 when I bought my piano. The tuning had "sagged" from neglect. I was interested to learn below why my piano was actually sharp before I tuned it yesterday -- seasonal humidity. Thanks for your excellent site.  EntryNo: 166  Date: Tuesday 14:44 09.15.2009 Ron Richey Thanks for the interesting overview. I am restoring a couple of player pianos, and I have a small Kimball player that is really out of tune, and was told that it would take a couple of tunings to get it into tune. That is at least four tunings.And my sister has an old upright. I figure I have nothing to lose by trying it myself. You provided me with a lot of useful information. I may still get a book, but I do appreciate your insight. Thanks again, Ron  EntryNo: 165  Date: Monday 08:22 08.24.2009 Gabriel Rodriguez I have a question...My piano doesent really sound to bad but i put a tuner to it, and it turns out my piano is actually a whole not out of tune!! For instance when you play a C it registers as a B on the tuner. What should i do, should i just tune the piano to the note that it thinks it is like a B for a C, or should i tune it to the correct note Comment:You should tune it to the correct note. However, if many of the notes are that far out, you should probably do it gradually, over several tuning sessions over several days or longer intervals. If you do it all at once, it probably won't stay in tune. A professional tuner doing this would call it a "pitch raise." I would encourage you to research pitch raise in a regular piano tuning book for details before you try it; I have never done it.  EntryNo: 164  Date: Thursday 16:15 08.20.2009 Zemozits Excellent procedure. I tuned my piano, a Wurlitzer Spinet piano and got acceptable results in the middle ranges with a chromatic tuner. As you stated it failed in the highest and lowest octives which I did by ear comparing to other octives and got closer then it was before starting. I did break one of the low A strings to support your cautions about over tightening when my tuner wasn't responding. I am looking for a A string for less then $50, $15 if I tune pianos professionally. I'll find one eventually. I am gettingready to do this again after purchasing Peterson's Strobotune for my iPhone. It appears to be capable of doing all octives. I am looking now for more information on stretching other then the middle octives. You have produced a very informative document here and I am looking forward to my second attempt with the iPhone tuner and knowledge gleemed from your comprehensive instructions. Keep up the great work.  EntryNo: 163  Date: Tuesday 14:41 08.18.2009 Greg The most thorough and concise article I've read. Thank you!  EntryNo: 162  Date: Monday 17:17 08.17.2009 Alexandra Thank you so much for generously sharing your experiences and knowledge. I am going to follow your advice to tune my own piano. Thank you again !  EntryNo: 161  Date: Monday 09:15 08.03.2009 Agiad Thank you 4 your web next page »

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