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Caring for Your Piano

Tips and information about effective piano maintenance

Your piano is both a beautiful piece of furniture and a complex musical instrument. Consequently, the exterior wooden cabinet and the internal action mechanisms need deliberate, sensible and sometimes professional care and maintenance. There are several things that you can do either by yourself or using the services of a qualified professional that will be essential to the health, well-being, appearance, and longevity of your piano. Doing these things will preserve your investment and lead to many years of enjoying your valued investment.

TUNING YOUR PIANO

Your piano should be tuned regularly to the standard pitch of A440. Even if your piano is not played frequently, various factors cause it to go out of tune. Neglecting to get your piano tuned regularly will lead to it going further and further out of tune, requiring additional time and expense to eventually remedy the situation. An out-of-tune piano will also be a deterrent to you using the piano as you intended it to be used when you purchased it.

CLEANING YOUR PIANO

Exterior piano finishes are often equal to or better than those of high quality furniture. It is what caught your eye on the showroom floor and what initially impresses people who see your piano. Properly caring for the finish of your piano will preserve the luster and keep it looking like new. Specialized products are available which are particularly effective in maintaining the beautiful look of your piano. Benjamin Piano carries Cory Piano Care products which are recommended for your piano cleaning needs, including the keys, finished wood, etc. When dusting a piano, it is best to use a feather duster or a soft, damp cloth. Commercial sprays and polishes should be avoided because of the chemicals that they contain and their long-term effects. Cleaning the inside of your piano should be handled by your piano technician at the time of your regular service due to the delicate nature of the interior components.

HUMIDITY CONTROL

As mentioned elsewhere on this site, your piano is particularly sensitive to changes in humidity. While whole-house or room humidifiers/dehumidifiers can sometimes help, they seldom are capable of maintaining a consistent level the way a special piano climate control system can. Benjamin Piano strongly recommends the installation of a Dampp-Chaser Piano Life Saver system for managing the relative humidity levels in and around the piano. For further details, please see our humidity control page.

MOVING YOUR PIANO

Moving your piano should only be done by a qualified, professional piano mover. This is for the sake of the piano as well as for the protection of any individual(s) who might otherwise consider attempting a move. While Benjamin Piano does not offer piano moving services, we can make recommendations if you are in need of having a piano moved.

OTHER TIPS

  • Avoid placing your piano in direct sunlight
  • Avoid placing plants, drinks, or candles on the piano
  • Avoid positioning your piano in the vicinity of heating ducts or drafty areas
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We serve...

…individuals, families, schools, churches and organizations who want quality, reliable service for their pianos. The goal is not to just tune your piano, but also to service it, so that you can expect many years of enjoyment out of your special investment.

We work...

…in towns and cities in and around the Lower Bucks County, Pennsylvania, region including Langhorne, Newtown, Yardley, Richboro, Holland, Levittown, Bensalem, Bristol, Fairless Hills, Feasterville, Penndel, NE Philadelphia, and more!

Member of the Piano Technicians Guild

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...to provide quality, affordable piano service with uncompromised integrity, honesty and reliability. Customer satisfaction is always 100% guaranteed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Virtually all piano manufacturers recommend that a piano be tuned a minimum of two times per year. Depending on environmental conditions, how the piano is cared for and used, and the quality of the piano, pianos may need to be tuned more often. Scheduling a tuning every six months is a good rule of thumb

How often a piano is used is only one contributing factor to a piano going out of tune. Other factors, most notably environmental fluctuations (especially humidity), affect a piano regardless. If a piano is not tuned regularly, added time and expense will be needed to achieve a satisfactory tuning at standard pitch. An out-of-tune piano will also likely actually be a deterrent to being played.

Not really. Of course you don’t want to be abusive to your piano, but playing a piano loudly in and of itself is not inappropriate. Some of the world’s greatest pianists past and present were known for playing loudly. It is possible that action parts such as hammers may show signs of wear sooner, but that is not a reason to not play it the way you prefer to play it.

Under normal circumstances, it usually takes 1.25 – 1.5 hours to tune a piano that has been on a regular maintenance schedule. If a pitch raise is needed, that can add another 45 – 60 minutes to the process. 

If you’re moving it across the room, probably not. If you’re moving it across town or otherwise, probably so. If the piano has been handled with care during the moving process, the move itself is less likely to impact the tuning of the piano than the environmental variances in its new location.
There are many factors, which include the condition and quality of the piano, how often it is played, and environmental factors, such as humidity levels. Pianos have thousands of moving parts, many of which are made of wood and are particularly sensitive to moisture. If you find that your piano is not staying in tune even though it has been serviced regularly, you should strongly consider a Dampp-Chaser Piano Life Saver System, which is the premier way to stablize humidity levels in the piano.
In a word – regularly. There is no compelling evidence to suggest that a particular time of year is better for a tuning, especially if your piano has a stable climate environment. If you have recently relocated your piano, it might be best to wait a couple of months subsequent to the move so that your piano can adjust to the new environment.
Not really. Most modern homes are fairly well-insulated and there shouldn’t be a significant difference in this regard. What is a consideration, however, is placement near heating vents or other sources that could either dry out your piano or produce moisture.
Pianos have thousands of parts and the majority of them are made of wood. Humidity affects wood in a piano just like it affects doors and drawers around the house. When moisture is high, the wood swells, causing expansion of the soundboard and bridges (resulting in pitch changes), sticking keys and sluggish action parts. When conditions are too dry, parts can get loose and possibly start to crack. Neither scenario is healthy for the piano or its tuning stability, which is why climate control systems are so highly recommended by piano professionals and manufacturers.
If you are worried that your piano isn’t worth the investment, ask yourself, “Do I want my piano to stay in tune?” Surely you want your inexpensive piano to stay in tune as much as you would if it were an expensive Steinway. Also, if you decide later to purchase a newer, better piano, Benjamin Piano will transfer your Dampp-Chaser system into your new piano for FREE!

RegulatingRegulation is basically adjusting your piano to play the way it was designed to be played. Regulation generally involves ajusting various parts according to manufacturer specifications with notable consideration and awareness to ultimately do what it takes to simply function best. There are approximately 20 unique, precision adjustments that can be made to each of the 88 notes on a piano, so regulation is significant process that takes patience, time and expertise.

If your piano is more than 5 or 10 years old, chances are that it is due for at least some regulation work. Some regulation problems are subtle and not overly obvious to the owner or player, while other problems will be quite apparent. Some symptoms that a piano might demonstrate if a piano is in need of regulation are as follows: notes don’t play when you play softly, lack of control, lack of evenness, double-striking / wobbly hammers, key tops are not level with one another, hammers block against the string(s), and more. Like a car, it’s best to get that “50,000-mile maintenance” before actual symptoms become apparent, lest you inadvertently grow to accept abnormalities as normal. And like many things in life, often times the need is not fully appreciated until it has been addressed – at which point you may say, “I should have done that a long time ago!”

DiscountsYES! There are several ways that you can get discounts with Benjamin Piano. If you refer a friend for service, they will get $5 off of their first service and you will get $5 off of your next service. Also, if you stay on a regular maintenance schedule (typically every six months), you will receive a $10 discount for each tuning. At the time of your tuning, you will be given a reminder magnet that indicates your next tuning due date for discount eligibility. Additionally, we also run specials from time to time on other services such as Dampp-Chaser system installations.

Registered Piano TechnicianA Registered Piano Technician (RPT) has passed a series of rigorous examinations on the tuning, maintenance, repair, and regulation of pianos to demonstrate well-rounded competence in the piano service field.  The Piano Technicans Guild sets high standards and administers these comprehensive exams to ensure that technicians with the RPT designation are equipped to offer quality piano service to clients interested in hiring professionals at the top of their field.
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Registered Piano Technician

Dampp Chaser Certified Installer

This man knows his pianos! Professional, easy-going and excellent. He tunes our piano on a regular schedule and nips and tucks adjustments here and there if needed (small repairs inside and out). Ask him about humidifiers. :) I've had a piano for 47 years. He's good!
Lynne M.
Blair knows his stuff when it comes to tuning pianos and diagnosing issues that may be need to be fixed. He is professional, honest, responds quickly, arrives on time, and extremely thorough in his work. He went above and beyond for me, and I look forward to working Benjamin Piano in the future.
Allison R.
Hired Blair for a piano consultation, after being referred to him by FOUR piano sellers in the Bucks/Mercer County area and we were blown away with his professionalism, skill, and quality. Obviously, this is the reason he was so highly recommended. Blair Benjamin lives up to and out-performs on his stellar reputation.
Dennis K.
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