Tuning
Regular tuning is the most important aspect of looking after your piano. As well as keeping it sounding its best, every tuning also provides an excellent opportunity to assess a piano’s general condition and to identify potential problems before they start causing any trouble.
Routine Piano Tuning - from £70
A comprehensive tuning service to keep your piano sounding and playing its best.
What to expect:
- The current pitch of your piano will be measured. Pianos within 1.5Hz of Standard Pitch (A440Hz) will be tuned in one pass, at a cost of £70. Pianos which are 1.5 to 10Hz away from Standard Pitch will require a pitch correction prior to fine tuning, bringing the cost to £90.
- During your tuning, any minor mechanical issues will also be fixed. Such fixes typically include: lubricating one or two sticking notes; regluing a few keytops; or sorting out a squeaking or unresponsive pedal.
- The humidity of the room will be measured and logged in your service record. This is done to understand how environmental factors may be affecting your piano over time.
- Notes will be made of any further work which would benefit your piano. I’ll then be glad to advise you on these and provide estimates if you so wish.
Please Note: If your piano is more than 10Hz flat, then I might not have time to bring it back to Standard Pitch in one visit. If you suspect that this might be the case, please consider booking a Half-Day Service instead.
Alternatively, pianos more than 10Hz flat can be tuned to a lower pitch during a routine appointment to save on cost. This may even be advisable for some older, more fragile instruments.
Custom Tuning Procedures
If you would like your piano tuned to a pitch other than A440Hz, this can easily be facilitated in line with the pricing structure above (i.e., pitch changes within 1.5Hz to 10Hz are covered for £90, while larger changes will incur extra cost).
Examples of non-standard pitch may include historic or alternative concert pitches such as A442Hz or A444Hz, or Scientific Pitch at A432Hz.
starting from £90
If you would like your piano tuned to an unequal temperament, be it historical or of your own design, then this can be arranged. Due to the rarer nature of such tunings, I request some time to discuss the scale structure with you prior to commencing work. That said, the following unequal temperaments should be fairly straightforward to accommodate:
- ¼ Comma Meantone
- Bach/Lehman
- Broadwood’s Best
- Kellner
- Kirnberger III
- Thomas Young’s
- Valotti
- Werkmeister III
starting from £90
If you are after a “honky-tonk” sound (à la Keith Emerson) or another deliberate effect from your piano, it is possible to deliver a variety of different sounds in a manageable and recoverable way through controlled detuning. Such effects can range from a subtle ‘waviness’ to a rich and heavy, chorus-like sound. Your piano should be tuned conventionally first and then detuned; this ensures a consistency of detuning which will still work well with other instruments.
Please note: A separate retuning charge will apply should you require the piano returned to standard pitch afterwards.
