Piano Tuning Procedures

In this ever-increasing do-it-yourself world, many piano owners think that they can save money by performing their own piano tuning. However, tuning a grand piano involves a very complicated procedure that should be performed by a professional in almost all cases. Here is an overview of the steps involved:

1.       Temperament Setting

Essentially, a piano’s temperament is the group of notes in an octave, usually located in the middle of the keyboard. This involves some 5^th/4^th intervals and only 3^rd/6^th intervals (first temperament group) or only 5^th/4^th intervals and some 3^rd/6^th intervals (second temperament group).

2.       Muting the Unisons

Select the desired temperament group and then place a felt strip along the unisons side strings between the F33 and F45 keys.

3.       Set the Tune

Set a tuning fork or chromatic tuner to the standard pitch of 440 htz.

4.       Tune the Temperament

Tune the selected temperament to the specified beat rates, using the 3^rd, 6^th and 5^th intervals and the center string at every unisons.

5.       Octave Setting

Place rubber wedges on the side strings and then use a tuning hammer on the F#46 and F#34 keys simultaneously until all audible beats fade and only one note is heard. Repeat on G47 and continue moving up and then down the keyboard.

6.       Stretch It Out

Note that pianos generally sound better when high notes are tuned slightly sharper than necessary and low notes tuned slightly lower than necessary, which creates something that experts refer to as ‘the stretch.’

Cooper Piano

Knowing how difficult tuning a piano really is will turn most piano owners towards hiring an expert, which is usually a better choice. Contact Cooper Piano in the Atlanta area to request a tuning appointment online or call 404-329-1663.  Cooper Piano has been serving the greater Atlanta area for over 100 areas and are experts at piano tuning, restoration, repair and even moving and refinishing.