This story was first published in Classical KC's "Take Note" newsletter. You can sign up to receive stories like this in your inbox the first Wednesday of every month.
Pianos are mechanical wonders, and require a lot of moving parts to work together in precise harmony to create the sounds we know and love. And unlike most instruments where the player tunes them regularly, pianists usually need professional help to keep their instrument in tune.
It doesn’t matter if you found your piano from a free online posting or at a high end shop: keeping your piano in a climate-controlled room and working with a piano technician you know and trust is not just a worthwhile investment, it’s a necessity.
Here are insights from a few local piano technicians on why it counts - and what you can give the piano player in your life to keep them in tune.
Key performance indicators
The most common service a piano technician provides is a tuning. But tuning is more than adjusting the pitch of strings: a piano technician will also record the humidity of your room, note the location and condition of all of the instrument’s components, and track if any changes have occurred over time to impact your instrument. “My ideal day is I get to work with a piano that I know,” says piano technician Mark Allen.
A piano is made of organic and metallic materials. These materials age differently, and sometimes in contradictory ways. Regulating your piano is a step-up from a tuning, and makes sure notes sound and feel consistent through mechanical maintenance, which may include repairs. It’s a “tune-up” that brings these disparate materials into alignment. “What a fine regulation does is opens up the full dynamic range and functionality of the piano,” shares piano technician Shawn Hansen.
Finding equilibrium
In the Midwest, we have long periods of hot, humid weather in the summer, and dry, cold weather in the winter. You might like the variety, but pianos do not. A piano’s soundboard, typically made of spruce wood, has a “crown” that works against the downward pressure of the strings. In the summertime, heat and humidity cause the crown to swell, pressing upward on the strings and making them go sharp. In the winter, the opposite occurs: the soundboard shrinks, making strings go flat - or worse. “The crown can be lost, or the soundboard can crack,” shared piano technician Steve Waters of All Keyed Up. “The [wintertime] also affects glue joints and things like that. So, yeah, it's the most destructive time of the year.”
Regardless of time of year, any sudden fluctuations in heat or humidity can cause damage. Mark Allen aims for a room’s humidity to be between 40-45% when servicing pianos, but a range of 35-55% is considered safe. When you turn your A/C or furnace on, that number can change quickly, exacerbating any damaging effects.
Products such as Dampp-Chaser’s Piano Life Saver provide consistent humidity control for your instrument, helping elongate its lifespan by monitoring and regulating relative humidity to keep your piano at equilibrium.
Additionally, sunlight through windows or stage lights can focus the damage on a particular part of your piano. “Sometimes customers will walk in and they’ll see me trying to hang my jacket on a window in funny ways or I’ll put my hat on strings that aren’t being tuned just to block that direct light,” says Hansen.
The brand, age, and location of your piano in your home all impact the instrument’s stability. Being aware of these factors can help you further determine how to best take care of your instrument.
Warning signs
A sticking key, a note that sounds a little flat, a buzz, or a key hammer that feels “delayed” are common issues that may indicate a larger problem. Regular maintenance (yearly is recommended) from the same piano technician will allow them to get to know your piano and better diagnose issues.
If your piano seems beyond the brink, a rebuild might save it. This can include taking the inside apart to replace multiple components, and refinishing the exterior. “The older growth wood and the way it was seasoned makes a huge difference in the ability to restore those pianos,” says Waters, when he considers rebuilding a piano. So that heirloom you’ve inherited may have more life left in it - regardless of what it looks like on the outside.
Get set up for success
Whether they help you preserve a piece of family history or maintain your new piano, being able to communicate your piano’s needs to you - and yours to your piano - is the most rewarding part of the job for a piano technician.
"[A piano is] one of the most expensive items in your home. And a house isn’t a home without a piano.”Steve Waters
No matter the season, take the time to schedule your next piano tuning. Or, if you’re thinking of a perfect holiday gift for the musician in your life, consider a humidifier or treating them to a visit from a trained technician.
It's not just maintenance: it’s self-care. Waters says it best: “[A piano is] one of the most expensive items in your home. And a house isn’t a home without a piano.”
Find your piano technician
Has it been a few years (or decades) since your last piano tuning? Find a technician in the KC-area:
Interviewed for story:
- Mark Allen
- Shawn Hansen
- Steve Waters/All Keyed Up
Additional Resources:
- Piano Technicians Guild: Find a Technician
- Upcycle Piano Craft
- Vanguard Piano Service
- Conrad Hulme
- Meyer Music
Are you a piano technician who would like to be listed here? Email us at classical@classicalkc.org to be included.
