THE CARE OF YOUR PIANO

• LOCATION:  Never place your piano near or against radiators of any kind, over or under hot air vents, or right next to an outdoor exit. If placed near a window, pull down a shade in summer months so as to protect the finish. Interior walls are best, but exterior walls are acceptable in modern homes, as they tend to have sufficient insulation. If not, pull the piano 6" away from the wall, or place a sheet of styrofoam insulation behind it. In short, avoid placing your piano where extreme or sudden humidity and temperature changes can occur.

• HUMIDITY:  Controlling humidity levels is of paramount importance to the tuning stability and overall mechanical health of your instrument. The aim is to maintain a constant humidity level (around 40 to 50 percent) and a normal indoor temperature range. Too much humidity can cause rust to form on metal parts, swelling of wooden components and a sluggish action, and injury to the finish, or can encourage the growth of mold. Conversely, too little humidity has the effect of shrinking, cracking and warping even wood that has been seasoned prior to manufacturing. In humid weather, place "Damp Gone" in an open container inside the piano, or use a room dehumidifier or air conditioner. During dry weather, a humidifier or open vessels of water and flowering plants in the same room can help. The best option is to install a humidifier/dehumidifier system specially designed for pianos. This is the "Dampp Chaser" system, which can be purchased and installed by your technician.
  

• EXTERIOR:  Dust with a fine feather duster or silk cloth. Clean off smudges with a soft lintless cloth, such as a chamois or cheesecloth slightly dampened with water. Rub with long straight strokes in the direction of the grain and remove any remaining droplets with a dry cloth pad. Do not use furniture polish. If you do, use one that contains no silicone, or use a polish made specially for pianos. For the majority of piano owners with older instruments, the cleaning, polishing and waxing materials used will be governed by individual selection. In general, any of these products that do not contain silicon and are offered to preserve the finish on fine furniture are equally acceptable for use on the piano case. Polishes containing lemon oil are preferred by many piano owners. Do not put vases or heavy objects on the piano, as they may leave marks.
  

• INTERIOR:  Over the years, an amazing amount of dirt and debris accumulate inside your piano. Dirt acts as an abrasive on moving parts, which inhibits the action. You may also discover mold, mouse-nests, and any variety of small objects inside your piano. Some cleaning you can do yourself, such as using a soft brush or compressed air to clean out dust and dirt. Be creative, but use care around the delicate components of the action. To clean the gilded cast iron plate, soundboard and interior rim, dampen a cloth with a solution of one gallon of warm water combined with two tablespoons of white vinegar. Take care not to let water run down into the piano or form standing pools anywhere.  A technician can provide the most thorough cleaning of the action, keys and interior. He also has specialized tools for hard to reach areas, such as the soundboard.

• KEYS: Clean the keytops with a slightly damp cloth, using the same vinegar solution as described above, or use vinegar based Windex sprayed into a cloth. Be careful not to soak the keys, as they are held down with water soluble glue and can come off if the they become too wet. Use extra care with ivory keys, as standing water may cause them to curl. Use a separate cloth for the black keys, but don't rub vigorously enough to remove any black stain. Never use chemical solvents, furniture polish or cleaning fluids on the keys. Close the piano when not in use, but expose natural ivory keys to light, as natural ivory turns yellow if continuously kept from the light. 

• CASTER CUPS: It's recommended that caster cups manufactured specifically for pianos and their excessive weight be used, if you're concerned with protecting the floor underneath the piano. They act to disperse the massive pressure that otherwise will destroy carpet or wood flooring. 

    

PITCH RAISING  vs. TUNING 

It is necessary to understand the difference between a pitch raise and a tuning. If a piano has been allowed to fall very flat, greater than a quarter step, it is not possible simply to tune it to concert pitch. Instead, a pitch raise is first required. When a tuner raises the pitch of a piano a quarter step, 1,500 to 2,500 pounds of over-all tension is being added to the instrument. Pitch raising a piano that is a half step flat, means 3,000 to 5,000 pounds of tension is being applied! At this point, the tuner is dealing only in tension and is not concerned with sound, other than as a rough guide. Only after the pitch raise has been done can the tuner begin the work of tuning the instrument into harmony. This is the reason many tuners make a separate charge for the pitch raise and a separate charge for the tuning. When a pitch raise is very large, over a half step, it is often necessary to return at a later date to do the tuning. This is because the strings have been stretched so far that they need time, usually a week, to settle before a fine tuning can be done. Do not wait more than six months to tune the piano after a large pitch raise, or the piano will be right back to where it started. Most times when a pitch raise is required and is not extreme, the tuning can be done in the same service call. Because a pitch raise requires two complete passes over the piano, one to add tension, the other to fine tune,it is likely there will be two charges, one for the pitch raise and another for the tuning. It is for this reason that the piano owner will benefit greatly by regular tunings that keep the piano close to correct pitch at all times. This allows the tuner to devote his time and energy to fine tuning only.

ELECTRONIC TUNING DEVICES

The "Oxford Companion to Music" comments:

"In 1936 it was announced that a visual tuner had been invented, the Stroboconn, that was already in use for reed instruments, and would shortly be adapted for use with pianos. When setting the temperament, the Strobotuner is accurate to one hundredth of a semitone (one cent)."

Obviously, since the inception of the first "visual tuners" in the 1930's, the technology has come a long way. For the accuracy and efficiency they provide, electronic tuning devices are a common, if not essential, part of every professional tuner's gear.

I use the Reyburn Cyber Tuner www.reyburn.com to tune pianos to perfect equal temperament. The R.C.T. is widely considered to be the world standard in tuning devices. The R.C.T. has an enormous amount of knowledge stored about how pianos are tuned aurally. R.C.T.'s tuning sounds so close to perfect that many listeners use adjectives such as "incomparable or "smooth as glass". The results are due to 15 years of research and development and the input of hundreds of concert technicians around the world. The R.C.T. has encapsulated this knowledge to produce fantastic tunings on all types of pianos. It provides reliable and repeatable tuning accuracy of 0.01 cent, and can produce historical tuning temperaments as well.