Piano Tuning 101

Have you ever cracked the yellow pages or surfed the web in search of a piano tuner?  Then you’ve probably found yourself wondering, “Which one should I choose?”  What type of criteria do you use when finding a piano tuner?  Do you look for the company with the largest ads, do you search online for the company located closest to you? Or do you simply go for the cheapest option?  Or maybe the most expensive?  Once you find your piano tuner, how often should you tune your piano? It can all be a little confusing!  Let us shed some light on the entire process.

With regards to cost, the average piano tuner charges between $150-$200 for a standard piano tuning.  They may or may not include other services at the time of the appointment.  Artisan Piano Services includes a lot in our standard tuning “Bronze” package. The Bronze Package is a great service for someone who knows their piano needs more than just a tuning but isn’t quite ready for a fuller service. With this service, in addition to the tuning we will also adjust the action to be more responsive and take up the excessive slack in the parts.  It will make a significant improvement in the way the piano sounds and plays – enhancing your enjoyment of the instrument.

This service includes Tuning, Preliminary Cleaning, Minor Repairs, Regulation of the Pedals, Assessment of the Piano’s Condition, and Touch Up Regulation & Voicing all for $250! To learn more about our other packages, Click Here.

In our opinion, the best way to find a qualified tuner is through word of mouth.  You can do this by calling your most reputable piano retailer and asking for a recommendation.  Google, yelp, Facebook and Angie’s list are also great resources to find qualified technicians.  What you want to look for is someone with as much positive feedback and reviews as possible.  You want the best and the best are usually shown in these basic directories. 

Once you find your piano tuner, we recommend tuning no fewer than once a year.  Twice a year is definitely ideal and will make it so that your piano sounds at its best and will help keep potential problems under control with more frequent servicing. The main factors that cause a piano to go out of tune are temperature and humidity fluctuations.  So keeping your home as consistent as possible when it comes to the temperature and humidity is recommended.  Ideally having the temperature fluctuate no more than about 5-7degrees and keeping the humidity between 45-55% humidity is best and will keep your piano in good health.  Other factors that will lead to tuning stability are the quality of the instrument itself, frequency of maintenance and service as well as the skill level of the person performing the service.

Artisan Piano Services has offices in Oregon and Washington.  We provide a unique blend of old world craftsmanship and care with today’s technology and convenience while delivering unparalleled piano service.  We’ve built our reputation on the excellence of our artisans as well as the absolute quality of services we provide.

With our staff of highly trained technicians, we carry on the time-honored tradition of music, art and craftsmanship. Whether you are an accomplished professional, a budding artist, a teacher, or a family of beginners, our qualified piano technicians will create a memorable and worthwhile experience at each piano service.

Finally, what sets us apart from other piano tuners is that we offer a peace of mind guarantee. We guarantee that our expert piano tuners will leave you completely satisfied with your piano tuning service, or we will make it right. Our promise to you that if you ever have any problems after we service your piano, call us and we’ll send one of our technicians out free of charge to address your concerns. You have our word.  

Contact us today to learn more about our services. 

Piano Restoration, Piano Tuning, Piano Repair, Piano Cleaning, Piano Appraisal and Consulting.  Portland Oregon Piano Tuning, Bellevue Washington Piano Tuning