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Tuning |
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Tuning-How
Often?
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| All
pianos should be tuned at least once a year-more often
if the piano is used for public performance, or if the
piano is new. A piano which is not tuned regularly will
go so far out of tune that extra time and cost become
necessary to restore it to proper tune. If a piano is
neglected for many years, the tone can be permanently
damaged. |
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Tuning
and Humidity
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| A
piano goes "out of tune" because of changes
in temperature and humidity,
more than for any other reason. Moving
a piano affects the tuning just as playing with a "heavy
hand" can affect the tuning, but the humidity and
temperature changes affect the tuning more than any other
factors. Thus, even if a piano is not played or moved,
it will go out of tune. |
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Tuning
Defined
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Tuning
a piano involves changing the pitch of each string by
increasing or decreasing the tension, or tightness,
of that string. Although most pianos have 88 notes,
there are approximately 250 strings. The first 10-15
lowest notes have one string each, made up of a very
heavy-gauge steel wire wrapped with two layers of copper
winding. The next 20 or so notes have two strings each,
smaller in gauge with one thinner copper winding. Each
of the remaining two-thirds of the notes has three strings,
steel music wire with no copper winding. Throughout
the entire piano, the gauge, or diameter, of the music
wire is decreased every few notes.
Not
only must the notes of the piano be correctly tuned
to each other, but each of the strings for a particular
note must be precisely tuned together, in unison.
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Standard
Pitch
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| It
is very important that the piano be tuned to standard
pitch. Music on recordings and on radio and television
is played at standard pitch. If the piano is below standard
pitch, it will sound very unpleasant when played with
a recording, or with another musical instrument which
is at Standard Pitch. Wind instruments, whose pitch can
be lowered slightly, cannot ba played with a piano which
is not at Standard Pitch. Anyone taking piano lessons
on a piano tuned to standard pitch, and then practicing
on one that is not at standard pitch, will be aware, whether
they realize it or not, of the difference between the
two pianos. If a piano has not been tuned as often as
it should, it will fall so far below standard pitch that
it must first be brought back up to standard pitch, and
then fine-tuned. This involves extra time, effort, and
cost. |
Every
piano should be tuned, and played, regularly.
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