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How often should a piano be tuned?
 Normally, it is recommended that you tune your piano twice a year. The reason for tuning is seasonal climate change. The climate of Long Island and the tri-state area is constantly changing, especially in Nassau and Suffolk counties. During a typical year the climate moves from warm and humid in the summer to very dry in the winter. Pianos, being mostly wood, respond to changes in humidity and temperature. If you've ever noticed how drawers and doors stick in the summer and free up in the winter, you have seen how wood can "breathe" - which is expand in the summer and contract in the winter. Pianos breathe also, and that movement of the wood is enough to affect the tuning on the piano. Having the piano tuned twice a year is usually sufficient, in most cases, to keep the piano sounding proper and to provide minimum maintenance.
Piano Environment
 The life blood of fine wood is its moisture content. The dissipation of moisture over time results in the wood weakening as it shrinks, causing problems with tuning, mechanics, and overall piano sound quality. The drier the piano's environment, the faster the process. If your piano is in a dry area and cannot be moved, consider using a humidifier for the room during dry Long Island winter months. Pianos like 40-45% relative humidity - just like people do.
Pianos in humid conditions, such as basements, or houses near water, are susceptible to excessive moisture. Excess moisture around your piano will tarnish or rust metal parts including its strings, resulting in an out of tune piano and worse, broken strings. Mildew and mold can grow on felt and cushions. If you live on the north or south shore of Long Island NY you may of experienced this. If your piano is subject to excessive humidity, dehumidification is the answer.
If the piano is located near an often used door, the blast of hot (summer) or cold (winter) air that hits it each and every time the door opens will affect the piano's tuning stability. A piano located near an air conditioning or heating vent will affect the piano in a similar fashion. Dry heat can cause long-term damage to pianos. Furthermore, a piano placed next to a poorly insulated window will not only suffer similar effects, but the direct sunlight will affect the piano's rich finish and cause discoloration of the piano keys.
The ideal location for your piano is away from outside doors, next to an inside wall, and out of direct line of any vents or heaters, and especially away from fireplaces and indoor stoves.
New pianos
 New pianos need to be tuned up to half a dozen times before it will properly hold a tune. The usual recommendation is to tune it four times during the first year or two, as the piano "breaks in". Piano strings will stretch and drop in pitch until they become broken in and carry the proper tension they were designed to hold. The soundboard and bridges need to become acclimated as well. After the break-in period has passed, normal maintenance is sufficient.
Older pianos
 Older pianos (over 40 or 50 years old) that have been neglected or abused may have tuning stability problems, especially if the piano has been improperly placed. These pianos may require tuning more frequently than twice a year. Many times older pianos have been neglected and may have problems unseen to the eye. To assess the piano, first acclimate the piano to its new environment for a couple weeks before tuning it. String breakage occurs sometimes, although rarely, when a piano is tuned for the first time after years of neglect. The piano will not usually exhibit normal tuning stability until after the next tuning visit, assuming a commitment is made to regularly tune it.
CARE OF YOUR PIANO
Ideally you want to maintain a humidity level between 40% and 60%, with as little fluctuation as possible. A small humidifier can transform a dry space into a properly controlled environment, and it requires no more maintenance than filling the unit every few days. Alternatively a wet space requires a dehumidifier.
Pianos respond the best to a stable environment. The more unstable the environment, the more unstable the piano. Ask The Piano Mover about the best way to stabilize your piano's environment.
The Piano Mover is a full service piano professional!
We offer a complete line of piano services including the following:
Piano Rebuilding & Restoration
- As a piano's fine wood ages, the piano's character may change over time. Older, hand-made pianos are often tonally superior to even the finest new pianos available...and well worth preserving. Piano Moving - The Piano Mover offers local piano moving coverage in the entire Tri-State area, including all five boroughs of New York City (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, & Staten Island), New Jersey, and Connecticut tri-state area - including ), Westchester, and on Long Island in Nassau and Suffolk Counties (all the way to Montauk Point). Piano Storage - Whether remodeling or relocating, don't risk damage to your piano. Let us move and store your piano in our climate-controlled storage and warehouse facility.
ABOUT THE PIANO
The piano is a integral part of Western music, from classical to jazz, used in film, TV, and most other western genres. As so many composers are pianists--and because the piano keyboard offers an easy means to create complex interplay between melodic and harmonic aspects, allowing the piano's use as a tool for composition.
Pianos have always been popular instruments in private homes, regardless of class, allowing pianos to gain a place in the popular culture. As such, pianos have earned a number of nicknames including: "the ivories", "the joanna", "the eighty-eight", and "the black(s) and white(s)", "the little joe(s)" and playing the piano is sometimes referred to as "tickling the ivories".
MANUFACTURERS
Some popular piano manufacturers:
Yamaha, Disclaimer, Clavinova Baldwin, Chickering, Wurlitzer, Ellington,Samick, Kohler & Campbell, C. Bechstein, Steinway, Boston, Essex, Weber, Kawai, PianoDisc, George Steck, Mason & Hamlin, Story & Clark, Petrof, Wienbach, Rosler, Estonia, Seiler, Fazioli, Young Chang, Pramberger,
Wm. Knabe & Co., Bosendorfer, Schimmel, Bluthner, Haessler, Irmler, John Broadwood & Sons, Grotrian-Steinweg, Kemble, Sohmer
ABOUT THE PIANO MOVER
The Piano Mover Inc., has been in the long island area for over 15 years, tuning, refurbishing, moving, and storing pianos. The owner of The Piano Mover is Bill Rogers, who's is known for his expertise as as piano tuner in the New York and Long Island tri-state areas. His piano skills go beyond piano tuning, including his keen eye for piano restoration detail, and his knowledge of proper moving and storage. His work is excellent. The Piano Mover Inc. is the full service piano company in the New York and Long Island areas.
The Piano Mover provides a full range of piano relocation and moving services that compliment our piano tuning, piano storage and piano restoration services. We believe the principles that define our NY company are hard work with integrity! Our devotion and expertise is evident in our attention to detail, whether its tuning, restoring, moving, or storing your piano.
Coverage Area:
Our local Piano Moving coverage area includes the entire New York NY, New Jersey, and Connecticut tri-state area - including all five boroughs of New York City NYC (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, & Staten Island) out to Nassau and Suffolk Counties to Montauk Point, all of Long Island. We are Piano movers of the Long Island - Tri State Area.
We're INSURED!
Click Here for a Free Quote on your Local Piano Move from The Piano Mover! (Suffolk, Nassau, Queens, Brooklyn, NYC, New Jersey and Connecticut)
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