Ideally a piano needs to be tuned at least 2-3 times a year to keep the piano well maintained. But a lot depends on how often you play.
For example, if you only play once or twice a week, then you may get away with just twice a year. If you play quite frequently, then you should get the piano tuned about 3-4 times per year.
The very bare minimum is once per year, but this is only if the piano hardly gets played. I certainly wouldn’t advise this though.
Why does a piano need to be tuned?
A piano is a string instrument, and the strings are stretched so tightly that the tension will drop over time whether you play it or not. What a lot of people also don’t realise is that the strings may all drop at a similar rate, meaning that the piano still may sound in tune overall; until you compare with to a piano that is correctly tuned to the standard pitch.
So if a piano is left for too long without being tuned, it may not be able to take the stress of the string tension being increased back up to the standard pitch. It’s possible that a string may break which could prove very expensive to replace.
Does humidity affect the piano?
Yes, and this is also a very good reason to have the piano tuned. Pianos are approximately 85% wood, and so are affected by humidity. Because of this, some people may decide to have the piano tuned at the start of each season, which isn’t a bad rule to follow in my opinion. Other people may argue that it doesn’t really matter when you tune the piano, as the change in climate is very gradual throughout the year. This is true, but if you made the decision to tune the piano at the start of each season, it allows you to stick to a time table so you don’t forget. And tuning the piano 4 times a year is a sure fire way of keeping the piano in great condition.
A piano can easily last a hundred years if it’s tuned regularly and looked after properly, and pianos don’t depreciate in value like most things do. So although pianos can be expensive, and having them tuned more often is also an additional cost; try to remember that the piano can last a whole lifetime, so is a great investment!
Learn to play piano blues online with me
My online blues course teaches blues piano from scratch and builds your ability in a modular way. As you progress through the course, you’ll learn left hands, right hands, bridges and endings which you’ll use together to make your own blues piano compositions. I’ll show you the blues scale early on, giving you everything you need to start improvising – and we’ll progress to advanced licks and an impressive tutorial song to consolidate your new skills. Finally, we’ll move onto some popular blues songs, including music by the great Jerry Lee Lewis and my own personal favourite, Ray Charles.
I charge just £19.99 for 6 full months access, with 58 videos and counting – that’s less than the cost of a single piano lesson! – and I offer a 100% satisfaction money back guarantee.
I am going to gift my daughter a piano. I like how you mentioned that a piano should be tuned if it is being used frequently. Thank you for the advice. I’ll contact a piano tuner four times per year and whenever it’s necessary.
I am finding I need a fresh tune on my Piano about every Two Weeks, after playing heavy and forceful Rhythm and Blues.
So in conclusion I imagine there must be a vast degree of variables in answer to this question depending upon an equally large amount of variables in causation.
Thank you for your comment. I’m not sure if you’re being serious about stating that you need to tune your piano every two weeks, or maybe you made a mistake and meant months? In any case, no piano would need to be tuned every two weeks. 4 times a year is usually fine, and it mostly depends on the temperature and environment, as well as the seasons throughout the year. If you are finding your piano is going out of tune every two weeks then it sounds like your piano is faulty. Considering seeking some advice from your local piano tuner or piano repair centre.