Pianos have several thousand parts (8,000-12,000) and many of those parts are moving parts. To keep all the parts in good working order, pianos need regular care.

During the first year of a piano’s life it’s suggested to have it serviced two to four times. Then talk to your piano technician to decide what frequency to continue service at. Usually twice a year after the first year is recommended, but sometimes once a year is enough. Servicing includes having the piano tuned, regulated as needed, voiced as needed, and eventually having worn parts repaired or replaced as needed.

Tuning is the part that just about any piano owner is familiar with and many know how bad an out of tune piano sounds. Each piano has over 200 strings so it can be a bit of a process to make sure each is in pitch, but the sound quality improvement you get is immense.

Pianos go out of tune due to a variety of reasons but the main one is humidity. If you live in a climate with large humidity changes throughout the seasons, you’ll need to get your piano tuned more often than if you lived in an area where it’s pretty constant all year round. You could also keep the piano in an environment where humidity is controlled year round but for most of us that’s not practical.

When a piano is regulated, that means that mechanical parts of the piano are being worked on. There are no hard and fast rules to how often a piano needs to be regulated as it depends largely on the climate its being kept in.

When it comes to voicing the piano, we’re talking about adjusting the pianos quality of sound or tone. The frequency that voicing needs to be done depends largely on how much you use your piano - 1 to 5 years tends to be the typical range.

You’ll also want to make sure you take good care of the exterior of the piano too. Neglecting the exterior of your piano can, believe it or not, affect the sound quality of your piano. Keeping it clean is a pretty simple job, but one thing to remember is that you don’t want to use furniture polish.

Your piano will also need to be reconditioned occasionally. Some parts will get worn out from use and will need to be replaced.

The step beyond reconditioning is rebuilding. This is a very labor intensive process and also quite expensive, but caring for your piano can help you avoid the expense of a full rebuild.

Your piano is a major investment which deserves to be protected through regular servicing by a qualified technician and regular care by you. Properly maintained, your piano will sound its best and give you and your family a lifetime of enjoyment.