Service & Maintenance

Tuning is the adjustment of tension on the strings to affect the sound of upright and grand pianos. Tunings should be scheduled at a minimum of six-month intervals, though more tunings may be recommended depending on usage and environment (see service plans below). For pianos that have not been tuned at recommended intervals, it may be necessary to tune the piano more than once in the same visit to ensure tuning stability. If a perfectly-tuned piano has a deficiency in tone, the finer settings of the mechanism or the firmness of the hammers may need maintenance.

The more than 7,500 moving parts in your piano must be periodically adjusted to help them synchronize with each other. These adjustments are referred to as regulation. Frequency of play and climate will influence how frequently a piano needs regulation. Regulation adjustments include calibrating travel of keys, distance of hammers to strings, and strength of repetition, as well as adjustments to damper and pedal systems.

The piano is a percussion instrument, creating sound as hammers strike strings. Each hammer is covered with felt, and the density of that felt alters sound dynamics, sound development, and overall tonal quality. When necessary, a Steinway- authorized technician will voice the hammerheads to meet your personal tastes through a variety of factory-specified techniques. In newer pianos, voicing maintains the tonal standard you fell in love with when you bought the piano; in older pianos, voicing provides tonal rejuvenation.

Dust and impurities in the environment get into places on a piano—such as the soundboard, strings, frame, and keyboard—that only a technician can reach. When these impurities build up, they have a negative impact on your piano’s function and can shorten the lifespan of your piano’s inner workings.

Your piano should be protected from the path of sunlight and direct air from heating or cooling vents, and it should not be in direct proximity to a humidifier. A climate of 40%–60% relative humidity and 68–78 degrees Fahrenheit is recommended. A Steinway technician can monitor climate with a hygrometer.