Very out of tune after 6 months?

janetwilson · Post by **janetwilson** » 28 Feb 2005, 09:41

How fast should a piano (kept in normal conditions, not very near radiator as far as I could see) go out of tune?
I looked at a couple of pianos (small modern-ish uprights, one of medium one of high quality) last tuned 6 months ago and they were very out of tune, though one was otherwise in extremely good condition. Does this suggest there is something wrong with them?

Brian Lawson, RPT · Post by **Brian Lawson, RPT** » 28 Feb 2005, 17:52

My you have lots of questions

I can give an answer just based on what you say - yes it does not seem right that the piano is out of tune.

But, what is the condition of the piano, although it was tuned 6 months ago, maybe it hadn't been tuned for 5 years before that!

Are these only pianos you have seen at a dealer or at private homes?

As with all final inspections of the piano you are going to buy, hire a tech and take them with you.

Post by **Gill the Piano** » 28 Feb 2005, 21:54

What is also relevant is the amount of time between its last tuning and the one before that; if someone is selling a piano privately, they don't want it. If they don't want it they haven't been playing it, and if they haven't been playing it they're not going to spend out on having it tuned. A tuning is like a session of keep fit; if it's done regularly, it's a breeze. If it's done after, say, a ten year gap then it's going to be hell on earth, and the response will be painful.So a tuning after a long lay-off will be a shock to the instrument and the strings will react to the sudden onslaught; to raise the pitch of a piano just a quarter of a tone adds a whole TON of tension to the frame. Equally, if a dealer is selling, he's bought the piano from someone who didn't want it, and there are only so many tunings which it's economical to do before it eats into their profit margin. So ask the question!