Theme and Variations Piano Services

Why does my piano go out of tune and how often should I have it tuned?

Contrary to what many people think, pianos go out of tune due to changes in temperature and humidity, not through playing (unless you’re practising 8 hours a day everyday!). As the weather and humidity can fluctuate so wildly in Sydney and Brisbane, we recommend having your piano tuned twice a year and at a minimum, once a year. If your piano is getting constant and heavy use everyday, it may be possible that your piano would need tuning four times a year, as well as extra maintenance to keep the piano in shape.

Besides tuning, what else might my piano need?

Occasionally, a piano might need extra servicing on top of tuning which includes regulation and voicing. Regulation is the adjustment of the piano’s action to ensure a smooth and even touch throughout the keyboard. Voicing is the manipulation of a piano’s hammers to even out a piano’s overall tone. It can also be carried out to brighten or soften the character of a piano’s tone depending on the environment that it’s sitting in. Voicing can often address common complaints such as a ‘piano sounding tinny’, ‘too harsh’ or ‘too muffled’.

What is the standard concert pitch?

A440 is still the standard concert pitch internationally, although we are requested to tune to A441 or A442 in concert situations. Some orchestral instruments prefer to be tuned to A441, particularly violins – which is why the piano is then requested to be tuned to A441 when there are piano concertos or chamber ensembles.

What is ‘A440’?

440 refers to the “hertz” or the frequency at which a sound wave beats per second. The difference between A440 to 441 is barely perceptible to most people; however, if instruments tuned to a different hertz are played together at the same time it may become more obvious. What methods do our technicians use for tuning? Our technicians are all trained to tune by ear using a tuning fork at A440 as a guide. Pianos are usually tuned to a modified version of a system called equal temperament.

How much for tuning?

We charge $180 for a standard tuning. If the piano is old and hasn’t been tuned in the past 10 years, it often needs a pitch raise as well (which is another $88). A pitch raise is a rough tuning to help a piano become more stable before a standard tuning and helps to prevent string breakages too.