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EntryNo: 12  Date: Saturday 13:59 04.29.2006 Stephen Tucker You said to use an electronic tuner this is easy, but, tuning a piano effectively 'to its self' (its own middle C) provides a much better and more natural tone throughout the whole piano. It does involve more practise but it is worth the extra effort. This is not advisable if it is used with other instruments though. Comment:Thank you for your comments; you make a good point. The electronic tuner method is a place for the novice to start, but a true professional tuner has the skill to really tune the piano to its maximum potential.  EntryNo: 11  Date: Sunday 19:20 04.23.2006 Brett Shortland Thank you for the information. We have this old upright that used to belong to my mother-in-law and has moved with us a couple of times, so it was quite badly out of tune. I had thought all along that I should be able to tune it more or less just like a guitar and your site confirmed that for me. Armed with your tips I took about 5 hours to raise the piano pitch a semi-tone and bring it back into proper tune using a microphone and some tuning software. It sounds fantastic now! Comment:You are welcome, and thank you for the compliment.  EntryNo: 10  Date: Wednesday 19:14 03.01.2006 Royal & Arline Meservy Thank you for your webpage "How to Tune a Piano Yourself". We bought a tuning hammer and used little foam rubber paint brushes to mute the strings. Worked pretty well. We both play the piano and thoroughly enjoy it now. Thanks again.  EntryNo: 9  Date: Tuesday 17:27 02.28.2006 charles e potter This is a great site. I have an electronic tuner and can't get anyone to explain how to use it. The manual is good for its operational features only. Also I am beginning to feel the Guild is some secret club that doesn't want new members. It is impossible to find someone who will apprentice you. Comment:Thanks for your comments. I have not explored apprenticeship. I can only recommend the Piano Technician's Guild website, http://www.ptg.org for more information. Good luck!  EntryNo: 8  Date: Sunday 16:09 02.19.2006 Chris A Thanks for simplifying a seemingly-daunting task. My 50-year old Lester needs new Vagias elbows, and I'm going to replace them myself, as well as the tuning.  EntryNo: 7  Date: Saturday 07:30 02.04.2006 SB This is an excellent site. THANK YOU! It is exactly what I was looking for. I'm going to give it a shot.  EntryNo: 6  Date: Thursday 14:50 02.02.2006 pizzazjazz Thank-you for your site, I found it very informative and most helpful. I have played the piano for many years and trying to keep mine in tune has become not only expensive, but time consuming too. There is only 1 piano tuner in my area, and he is usually booked 6 mos. in advance. I am going to give tuning my piano a go and if I have any success, I think I might have found the next professional step I'll take. PIANO TUNER! Thanks again.  EntryNo: 5  Date: Saturday 09:42 01.14.2006 Cy Shuster I am a professional piano tuner, but I'm not going to say what you might think: I support anyone who would like to learn more about this fascinating, complex instrument. In fact, a key mission of our Piano Technicians Guild is to pass on the knowledge needed for this complex craft (see http://www.ptg.org for more info). It's how I got started myself. The basic approach you give here is a starting point, and will sound fine in the middle few octaves, but will be flatter in the treble than it should be, and sharper in the bass. This is because piano strings are at very high tension (about 150 pounds), which changes the frequency of their overtones. Here's a brief discussion of this effect: http://tunelab-world.com/tlp curves.html As a result, no two pianos are tuned exactly the same, except for the A440 above middle C. There's also quite a bit to learn about using a tuning lever. You must strive always to twist the tuning pin, and never bend it. One great starting point is Arthur Reblitz's book, "Piano Servicing, Tuning and Rebuilding". The PTG site listed above also has a great deal of info, as well as books for sale. Cree's book is quite a bit out of date. Larry Fine's "The Piano Book" should be required reading for every piano owner: http://www.pianobook.com Please experiment carefully, and don't choose a high-value piano with your first attempts. It's possible to damage tuning pins and break strings. Always lower the tension first; you'll be surprised how often you're on the wrong tuning pin! Good luck, and keep learning! --Cy Shuster-- Boston, MA Comment:Thanks for your comments, Cy. You make some valuable points which I have used to improve the main site.  EntryNo: 4  Date: Sunday 21:12 01.01.2006 Elson Kwan I am not a piano player nor tuner, am just fascinated by the physics and the mechanics of the instrument. I think I will practise on my sister's piano first, since I do not have a piano myself. Thanks very much for the instructions.  EntryNo: 3  Date: Sunday 14:16 12.11.2005 JM I recently came across your site and became fascinated by the prospect of tuning. I called all the tuners [near me], but all refused to apprentice me. So I bought J. Cree Fischer's famous 1907 book on piano tuning and repair. Even though its a technical text, and a rather old one at that, its pretty easy to understand and kind of entertaining. It explains the method of building a temperament and countless other things quite easily and well. Please encourage anyone who is interested in taking tuning to the next level to invest in this book. Its only 178 pages long and cost me $7.85 at Borders. Furthermore, encourage people to experiment with muting materials. Since I wasn't able to get muting wedges here (unless I wanted to pay 3 times as much for shipping as I was for the mutes), I had to improvise. Black rubber stoppers for laboratory flasks...worked well when carved into a wedge shape. Also, I found some sheets of a dense foam-rubber material in walmart in the crafts section that when cut into strips and folded to a proper thickness mute even better than the rubber. Comment:Thanks for the comment. I have added a reference to the book you recommend to the main page. [received via email. added to guestbook by admin] --P--  EntryNo: 2  Date: Sunday 12:27 12.11.2005 JV When using a tuning forks, strike the double end gently on a firm surface and then carefully grip the single end in your front teeth. Don’t let your lips touch the metal, it will dampen the sound. You will be surprised at the volume that the tuning fork develops when it resonates within your head. The tone last longer too! Comment:Thanks for the tip--very interesting! (Entry sent as email. Added by Pianoman, admin) --P--  EntryNo: 1  Date: Wednesday 18:08 12.07.2005 Pianoman Welcome to the "How to Tune a Piano Yourself" guestbook. Share some tuning advice or just say hello. Comments are moderated. « previous page