What Happens During a Professional Piano Tuning? A Step-by-Step Look

See below as we walk you through what we actually do when tuning a piano in your home.

So you’ve just had your piano tuned, and as you wave goodbye to the nice man who worked on your instrument, you may wonder to yourself: “What all did he actually do during that tuning? I know my piano sounds excellent now and plays well, but how did he do it?” 

As a disclaimer, there are many ways to go about a professional piano tuning. There are almost as many methods as there are piano tuners. However, the end goal is the same: a piano that sounds excellent both by itself and when played with other instruments (another way of talking about this end goal is to be at concert pitch, or at A440). The tunings of Marcum Music Services will be as follows:

It’s a quiet, sunny afternoon as you sit in your living room waiting for the piano tuner to arrive. Then you hear a friendly knock on the door. You open the door to see a nice man in a collar who greets you by your first name as you lead him to the piano. He then informs you that the piano will only require the standard tuning package for the appointment today.  

Our standard tuning process includes the following elements: inspection, tuning, small repairs (if necessary) and light cleaning. But what is involved in the process of tuning a piano?

First the tuner removes the necessary components of the piano to access the tuning pins (the music desk, the fallboard, etc.). For centuries, piano tuners have used a pitch reference (i.e. a tuning fork) to make sure the piano aligns with concert pitch. This method is time-honored and effective. 

However, technology has been developed to aid in the precision and speed of piano tuning. Using the Sanderson Accu-Tuner (an industry standard), we take measurements and calculate a tuning that is tailored to your piano. Using proper tuning form, we also ensure the stability of your piano’s tuning is second to none.

After the tuning is complete, it is my joy to play the freshly-tuned piano (with the client’s permission). I also love when the creation of music in the home of a client creates a connection over this beautiful art. To quote John Williams, “Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music.” 

So, if you need your piano tuned or have questions about the tuning process, we are always just a phone call or text away.