How Often Should a New Piano Be Tuned?

Pianos are incredibly complex and delicate instruments vulnerable to changes in weather, issues that crop up in a piano cannot be solved overnight by the users and specialist expertise must be used to fix the problem properly. When purchasing a new piano, it is important to keep it in a constant state of perfection, otherwise the piano will creak and strain early in its use. Here's why.  

Beneath the hood of a piano are steel strings that are constantly dealing with a tremendous amount of pressure, between 25-30 tons, in the case of new pianos, the strings are grappling with the weight for the first time. Even though tuning has taken place at various points of production and distribution of the piano, the steel strings need awhile to adjust to the constant tension, therefore a new piano will not be at its best point for a long period of time, simply because the new strings are trying to adjust to the pressure exerted on them. The new strings also need time to adjust the weather conditions it will be staying in for a long time, pianos are more sensitive to changes in the weather, and strings are more prone to be affected especially if they are new. Frequent tuning can help the strings adjust to the weather.  

Therefore, a new piano should have a tuning session once every three to nine months, for the next two to four years. In order to make sure that the steel strings are adjusting to the conditions while keeping the piano in optimal shape. Pianos that are used regularly, such as in a school, need to be tuned once every one to three months. This option might be more expensive, but given the frequency of use, it is imperative to let the new piano settle into intense use so that it can run smoothly, without any issues for the next couple of years. The ideal pitch for any piano is the A440 concert pitch and is usually the standard maintained. A pitch raise is done when the piano's pitch falls below the A440 level.