The Care and Maintenance Of A Piano

The care and maintenance of a piano is key to its performance.  The piano is a wonderful durable device despite its complexity.   However, there are certain steps that you need to take in order to ensure that your piano will last the longest possible amount of time and perform at its best.

1. Keep your piano out of direct sunlight.  Direct sunlight will cause a localized area of dry moisture content in the air.  In fact, bright direct sun can subject your piano or any other object it falls upon to conditions that equal or surpass that of the Sahara desert.
   
2. Keep your piano out of drafts from outside air.  Just as direct sunlight can cause a dry area, air drifting in through an outside door or window can subject your piano to a sudden moist flow of air.  Pianos are made of wood, lots of wood, and wood expands and contracts when the moisture content in the air around it changes.
   
   The finish material that is on the wood cannot expand and contract as much as wood can so your finish will begin to degrade.  Also the glue joints will eventually begin to fail if subjected to extremes of moist or dry air.   In addition the tone of hammers can also change by extremes of humidity and you will find the action will perform differently.
   
   Sticking keys is one of the problems that come up in moist environments.  Player pianos can develop leaks if the wood is subjected to extreme swings that cause the air chambers to crack open, and other parts shrink.
   
3. Keep the air around the piano clean.  Keep in mind that dust or cigarette smoke can build up in places that are too complex to be removed easily without rebuilding.  After a time the sound board will become ugly with dirt and grime as well as the plate, keys, action, etc if the air in the room is full of different contaminants.  Note: grand piano lids should be closed when the piano is not in use. 
   
4. Keep your piano tuned at least once a year.  If your piano is tuned frequently, the tuner doesn't have to move the tuning pins very much and this is important.  The less the pins and strings have to be moved the more likely they are to stay where your tuner puts them.  The result of this is that your piano will stay in tune better if tuned at least once a year (many tune every six months).
   
5. Have the hammers reshaped and replaced as they become worn.  Grooved piano hammers spoil the tone of the piano and can cause premature wear on the shanks and flanges (the hinges that they swing on.)  Remember, keys that develop warn grooves tend to smother the strings when they strike.  Hammers should bounce of the strings cleanly, only the very top of the hammer should make contact with the string.  Strings should not be struck with the bottom of canyon-like grooves of the keys.
   
   Remember that when you press the una corda pedal these grooves are shifted on a grand.  When a badly grooved hammer strikes the strings in the shifted position it puts stress on the flanges as the hammer tries to slide sideways into the grooves.
   
   On an upright, if the hammers are badly grooved and the action parts happen to become misaligned with use (not at all uncommon) then the same problem will develop.  In addition, if the hammers are reshaped and re-voiced frequently as they wear, then the technician is better able to keep them in good condition.
   
   Hammers that have been allowed to get deeply grooved are very hard to bring back, if they can be brought back at all.
   
6. Have the action regulated about every five years to ten years depending on how much use the piano gets.  For a concert artist who plays his/her piano for eight hours a day, the action may need to be regulated several times a year to keep it performing at its best.
   
7. A word about humidity control: You can purchase a humidity control system that mounted in your piano that can help prevent the kind of damage described above from occurring to the action, sound board and pin block.  These systems may be useful; however it is important to note that they must be maintained in order for them to be of any value to your piano.  The ability of these systems to protect your piano is limited, in my opinion. The best way to preserve your piano is to maintain an even humidity level in your home.  A humidity level of about 42% is ideal for pianos.  It is also ideal for your other furniture - not to mention you and your sinuses.   However, in my opinion, installing a humidity control device in your home’s heading and air-condition is the very best way to go.  You then ensure that your piano will live a long and happily life.
   
   Also, it is best to keep your piano away from heat sources, sunlight, outside doors, open windows, leaky windows or doors and outside walls that don't have modern vapor barriers built into them.

All you have to do is see a piano that has been kept for fifty years in a room that is clean and has had no swings in humidity to understand how important humidity and dust control are.  Such a piano will look practically new.

Related Article: Tuning Your Piano / Pitch Raise