Gordon Piano Service

Information may not be reliable

Tuning & Repairs: Grand Pianos, Spinets, Uprights; Sales; Appraisals
Pennsylvania: Greater Pittsburgh Area, Beaver, Belle Vernon, Bridgeville, Canonsburg, Greensburg, Washington
West Virginia: Morgantown, Charleston, Parkersburg, Wheeling
Ohio: Dayton, East Liverpool, Marietta
Does My Piano Need Tuning?
If it's been over 6 months to a year since your last tuning, the answer is, yes. (In my experience, no more than one in 700 to 800 pianos can hold a decent tune longer than one year.)

When a piano is fully tuned up to standard pitch (A440), there is approximately 40,000 pounds of tension on your strings. As the piano sits, this pressure works to slowly cause the strings to slacken and the piano gradually goes flat.

Over time, your instrument will become so flat it will need what's called a "pitch raise." Simply put, this is a process where the tuner pre-stretches the strings before he tunes the piano. This tuning won't be as stable as normal since the string tension has been drastically increased. That's why a second tuning needs to follow fairly soon after a pitch raise. Ron can recommend a safe waiting period until that time: usually 2-6 months.

Ron tunes pianos by ear. "I love to tune pianos; it's like a hobby. Tuning by ear is an art."

In 1982 Ron worked at a Christian ministry out in the country with 20 pianos. Calling in tuners from larger cities was expensive. Ron thought, "With a good ear for music, surely I can learn to tune pianos."

A year later he had completed the course, joined the Dayton chapter of the Piano Technicians' Guild, and was receiving pointers from the older tuners. Today, his tuning ability passes at the examiner's level with the tuners' guild.

The number one culprit against in-tune stability is humidity variation. The swelling or shrinking of the soundboard greatly affects the tension on the strings. Concerning long-term stability, read "Does My Piano Need Tuning?"

Note: Every piano mentioned in this column is privately owned and has been evaluated by the piano technician. Call Ron at 724-229-4779 or 1-888-831-1533 about any piano listed below.

43" Samick console, gorgeous case in reddish brown, $1500.
Shroeder console, mechanically good, excellent case, medium brown, $900.
Yamaha upright, 43" high, light to medium oak finish, 5 years old, hardly used, $2500.