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Routine service is part of piano ownership, just like
it is with a car or a house. With thousands of highly sophisticated parts,
pianos need periodic adjustments to maintain their performance potential
over a period of time.
There are three basic components to maintaining the sound and touch of
your piano:
- Tuning: Keeps your piano at the
right frequency and proper pitch. Unfortunately, no matter how expertly
a piano is tuned, atmospheric conditions, particularly humidity, and
consistent playing conspire to knock it out of tune. Most piano manufacturers
recommend two to four tunings a year.
- Voicing: Ensures the sound quality
of the instrument remains even. Voicing is, to some extent, a matter
of preference. Some pianists prefer bright voicing while others prefer
a mellower sound. Regardless of your piano’s original voicing,
your piano’s tone will change with time due to use and age. Your
piano needs voiced when your ear tells you it has changed. In voicing
a piano, the resiliency of the hammer felts is adjusted with special
tools and then all notes are balanced so that the tone is uniform across
the keyboard.
- Regulation: Keeps the touch and
responsiveness quick and even. Over time, the piano action needs to
be re-regulated to original factory specification. A piano with normal
home use probably needs regulated every two to three years. If your
piano has a player device installed, it will probably require regulation
annually to keep it in top playing condition.
Tuning, voicing and regulating all require the special
skills of a qualified piano technician. Call us at 317-582-1946
to schedule your piano service with one of our top technicians.
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Use a clean, damp cloth to wipe the keys. Be very careful that dampness
does not seep between the keys or down onto the key bed. Dampness in the
key bed can cause swelling and hamper the proper movement of the keys.
Wipe off exterior dust gently with a feather-type duster.
Then clean the finish with a soft cloth (slightly dampened, if necessary,
followed by a soft dry cloth to remove any remaining moisture). Excessive
rubbing can dull the finish over time, as tiny particles of grit are dragged
over the surface causing micro-scratches.
And, finally, never place objects other than books or
sheet music directly on top of the piano.
If your piano is scratched or the finish damaged,
call us at 317-582-1946. Piano restoration
is a cornerstone of our business and we have the restoration expertise
to return your piano’s finish to like-new condition.
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Every two to three years, a qualified piano technician who can clean the
soundboard, strings and action should clean the interior of your piano.
This reduces the risk of exposing the piano to undue wear caused by abrasive
dust and dirt particles.
If a foreign object falls into your piano, a piano technician
should remove it at once. Foreign objects can seriously affect the action
and tone of the piano.
Interior cleaning is often performed in conjunction
with a piano tuning. Call us at 317-582-1946
to make arrangements for the services of one of our qualified piano technicians.
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Where you decide to place the piano in your home can affect optimum performance.
The following recommendations will help you minimize the environmental
impact and keep your piano in top condition:
- Avoid the direct path of an air conditioning or heating vent.
- Avoid spaces near an evaporative cooler or room humidifier.
- Keep it away from a non-insulated outside wall.
- Avoid placing it by a window so it doesn’t receive direct sunlight.
- Consider room acoustics: non-parallel surfaces and sound-absorbing
materials (such as rugs and cloth-covered furniture) help balance tone
and reverberation.
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Unlike other household items, acoustic pianos and other unique musical
instruments require temperature and humidity-controlled environments when
being stored.
Whether your piano storage needs are brief or lengthy,
Piano Solutions can store your piano in a temperature- and humidity-controlled
secure storage facility. Call us at 317-582-1946
for more information.
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The cardinal rule of piano moving is to always have professional piano
movers do the job. Pianos are heavy and require special tools, dollies
and training to be moved without damage to the piano or injury to the
movers. Your piano simply cannot be regarded as another large piece of
furniture.
We’ve moved pianos out of small rooms, down
stairs (and up) and in unique locations. Our movers are trained at handing
your piano with care. Call us at 317-582-1946
to make arrangements to have your piano moved by experienced staff trained
in transporting, packaging and assembling pianos, organs and player pianos.
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