The tension
A piano contains about 220 to 240 strings under nearly 20 tons of permanent tension. This colossal force continuously pulls on the structure.
Piano tuning
Why it is important
Maintaining the balance of your instrument.
Before talking about tuning...
A piano can seem "fine" for a long time. It plays. The notes come out. Nothing seems dramatic.
And yet, inside, the balance is slowly changing. It is not always spectacular. It is not always obvious to the ear. But it is very real.
Regular tuning is not just about making the sound beautiful. It serves to maintain consistency, stable tension, a solid foundation on which everything else rests.
Waiting too long is not just delaying an appointment. It is letting the instrument settle into an imbalance that will require much more effort to correct later.
Understanding this completely changes the way you look at piano maintenance.
What follows will simply explain why.
A piano doesn't go out of tune because it's played.
It goes out of tune because it's alive.
The environment
Wood moves. Humidity varies. The structure reacts. These daily micro-movements inevitably change the tension of the strings.
Even without playing, a piano will go out of tune:
- • Even closed.
- • Even barely used.
- • Even protected in a cover.
- • Tuning is not a matter of intensive use, it is a matter of maintaining its tension.
Understanding A440 Hz
A440 Hz (A4) corresponds to the A note located in the 4th octave of the piano. It vibrates exactly 440 times per second.
It is the international reference used in all modern music: Schools, orchestras, radio, television, YouTube, Spotify, concerts...
Maintaining your piano at A440 Hz ensures that it remains perfectly aligned with the rest of the musical world.
440 Hz, 442 Hz… and 435 Hz
Some classical orchestras choose to play slightly higher, around 442 Hz. It is an aesthetic and artistic choice.
But when a piano drops on its own towards 435 Hz or less, it is not an aesthetic. It is a progressive drift due to lack of maintenance.
Did you know?
A piano at 435 Hz will not necessarily sound "out of tune" to everyone at first. Why?
Because when the piano drops in tension, the majority of the strings drop together. The overall balance remains relatively consistent.
What the ear perceives most often and what really bothers it are the internal imbalances (notes that are no longer in tune with each other).
What you really hear when "it sounds out of tune"
Unisons
Most notes have three strings. They must vibrate exactly together.
If just one does not follow the other two, the sound becomes cloudy and unstable.
Like a choir of three singers: if just one is out of tune, you hear it immediately.
Octaves
A piano has about 7 and a half octaves (C1, C2, C3...).
If a "C" is slightly lower or higher than its other "C" at the octave, the harmony becomes unstable when played together.
It is this loss of internal harmony that offends the ear.
Chords
A chord contains several notes played at the same time.
If a single note is slightly off compared to the others, the whole chord seems out of tune.
The whole loses its resonance and balance.
Tools at your disposal
Don't let your piano be forgotten.
