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The piano soundboard is made of wood, which is very susceptible to movement from changes in humidity. Wood is a hygroscopic material, meaning that it absorbs moisture and swells when there is an increase in humidity. When there is less humidity, it dries and shrinks. This swelling/shrinking throughout the soundboard changes the tension of the strings, which causes the piano to become out of tune over time. If the piano hasn't been tuned in a long time, the overall string tension goes down and the piano goes flat. When this happens, a pitch correction is needed to bring the piano back to standard pitch. The note A above middle C (A4) is tuned to a frequency of 440hz (440 cycles per second). To keep the piano soundboard in good condition, and to keep the piano from going flat, a piano should be tuned every six months and kept in a climate-controlled environment. A standard tuning takes about two hours. 

Most piano parts consist of wood and felt. Over their lifespan, these parts wear and change dimension. These changes effect the overall performance of the piano action, which consists of more than 9,000 parts. In regulation, each part is carefully adjusted to produce evenness and responsiveness in playing. How often a piano should be regulated depends on a wide number of factors including the climate, age of the piano, 

and how often the piano is played.

I am located in Rockland, ME and offer piano tunings in the Midcoast.

*Please contact for pricing