A common question that is asked is how many times should one tune the piano. The answer to that question includes tuning your piano four times a year – once every season.
While this number might seem like a lot of times, the truth is that since a piano is a stringed instrument, it’s bound to go off tune from time to time.
In other words, tuning the piano every 3 months will not only restore it back to its original state from being out of tune due to play and climate changes but it will ensure that the piano will last longer.
Alternatively, tuning a piano twice a year, especially in areas that have all four seasons, requires one to be aware of the importance of good timing but also a little bit of luck in getting it right. Of course, if you live in a place where the climate is stable throughout the year, then tuning it twice a year is a good idea.
That said, two factors that will come in handy is the local weather and the piano’s level of use. For the former, extremes or fluctuations can turn out to affect the soundboard negatively. The reason for this is the strings usually expand or contract due to varying temperatures or moisture that they are exposed to.
Also, the number of times you tune a piano depends on how much you use the piano. For those pianos that are used regularly for public performances, you might have to tune them at least once a week.
For those used at least three times a week, a tuning every three months is in order. Finally, if you play the piano once a week, then a tuning every six months works just as well.