Tips from the Technician

Tips from the Technician:

Why is it good for the health of the piano to have it tuned bi-annually or annually?

Pianos are largely made up of wood and metal components. Wood as we know remains hygroscopic even after it’s been dried. Wood naturally tends to contract and expand with humidity shifts because the wood is absorbing or expelling this moisture. On a piano, these changes in moisture content are slight, but effect the tension of the strings that travel across the bridges. These slight tension changes cause the piano to sound out of tune, whether the unions begin to sound wavy or your intervals start sounding a bit “off”. It’s best to tune your piano every 6 months to a year to avoid having to do any major pitch adjustments. The piano will remain relatively stable if all that is needed is fine tuning. A unique approach to providing a stable climate for the piano is having your technician install a Dampp-Chaser system. The Dampp-Chaser system provides a micro climate for the piano and maintains the immediate relative humidity right at 43%. The full system provides humidity when the RE drops below 43% but also dehumidifies the air surrounding the sound board if the RE exceeds 43%. Dampp-Chaser has a smart humidistat that governs the system. 

Wool String Covers—

Wool string covers help in the prevention of rust accumulating on your beautiful steel strings. What happens is dust falls onto the strings and accumulates moisture. This moisture eventually eats away at the strings in the form of corrosion, making them brittle, subject to breakage and often difficult to tune. The tone quality also changes when there is heavy rust on strings. Especially if you live in a coastal climate, salty air will destroy your piano. Protect the inside of your piano with a wool string cover. 

Do’s and Do Nots—

Since the pandemic, I have been seeing a lot of key tops cracking due to cleaning routines. It’s safe to use Cory Key-Brite. Do NOT use any kind of  alcohol products on key tops as it dries out the plastic and causes the key tops to crack. 

Do not use Pledge on the case/cabinet of your piano. This product has petroleum in it and will create a waxy build up over time. Instead, use diluted Murphy’s Wood Soap (only on wood finishes, not polyester finishes) to first clean the surface, than follow up with Cory All-Brite Conditioning Polish or Cory’s Harmony Detailing Oil. On polyester finishes, use Cory Super High Gloss Piano Polish. 

Do not play your piano or allow anyone to play your piano with acrylic nails on. They will scratch your key tops. Gel manicures and regular are safe for piano playing.