What does piano tuning include?
The short answer:
- ADJUSTING THE PITCH OF EACH OF THE STRINGS TO CREATE A HARMONIOUS SOUND.
The long answer:
There are three things that I can adjust on a piano.
PITCH means adjusting the frequency of vibration of each of the 220 or more strings inside the average piano. At this time in history, pianos are almost always tuned in equal temperament. They are set at the current standard of A4 = 440 hz. A4 is the the piano technician's reference to 3rd space, treble clef A. Equal temperament is a set of compromises that sets the musical space between each of the twelve notes in a chromatic octave to the same width. This creates a very slight dissonance in the pure intervals of the 4th and 5th, but it makes the piano sound the same in all keys. This is an acceptable trade off to nearly all musicians and is the standard.
TONE is a subjective thing. There is no "right" tone quality. there is only pleasing or displeasing. It can be adjusted by softening or hardening the piano's felt hammers. It might require removing a small amount of compressed, cut or contaminated felt from the hammer. This is not a part of standard tuning.
TOUCH is the feel of the key response. the unique thing about a piano is that you can play loud or soft according to how hard you hit the key. This 300 year old invention depends on the hammer being thrown toward the string. An escapement device then trips the pushing part, called the jack, out from underneath so that the hammer swings freely to the string and rebounds so that the note will continus to ring as long as the key is held down. Each of the 88 keys has 3 main moving parts. Each part has sub-components that can be adjusted. It is a "Rube Goldberg" marvel of 18th century technology. If all of the parts are adjusted the same way, the feel and expression of each key will be consistant. This is a mechanical adjustment process and is not covered in a standard tuning.
The advantage of regular tunings is that a technician can see and hear what things about your piano and its performance are deteriorating. I can then work with you and your requirements for your instrument to make it more satisfying to play.
