How your piano is like a car
Pianos and cars have a lot of similarities. They are both a significant financial investment, can be a way to express your unique personality, and can bring a lot of fun and joy to your life!
Did you know that any piano older than 15 years needs much more than a yearly tuning? Your piano has 9,000-11,000 parts in it and tuning only addresses the pitch by adjusting the tension of the strings.
Only tuning your piano without consideration to regulation, voicing, and cleaning would be like ONLY checking the lube, oil, and filter in your car without ever considering all the other things involved in car maintenance.
For example:
- Inspecting the fuel cell cap
- Replacing the fuel filter
- Inspecting the exhaust system
- Transmission fluid and filter
- Inspecting the suspension components
- Replacing Tires
The above services are usually included in a 50k mile service on a car. Pianos also need a “50k mile service.” That is where regulation and voicing come in.
WHAT IS REGULATION?
Regulation involves the touch of the piano and includes tightening and lubricating all those action parts so they are functioning at their maximum potential again.
WHAT IS VOICING?
Voicing has to do with the tone of your piano. Hammers will become compacted and get deep grooves in them from the hammer hitting the strings over and over year after year. This affects the tone and can create a “dull” or “tinny” tone.
To reshape hammers and restore good tone, the layers of felt must be removed, usually through sanding, to “reshape” the strike point (the point that is striking the string) and return it to a nice rounded shape.
Is your piano overdue for its “50k mile” service? Schedule a Silver or Gold service with us! This can take four to five hours or even a whole day depending on the current condition of your piano and how far you want to go. In the end, you will notice a HUGE difference in the touch and tone of your piano and we will give it a FULL cleaning as well!
