Metropolitan Piano Tuning

Metropolitan Piano Tuning Metropolitan Piano Tuning is a NYC-based piano tuning service. We offer Tuning, Regulation, Voicing,

Detailed cleaning as well as precise tuning and regulation. Schedule a cleaning today!
10/22/2022

Detailed cleaning as well as precise tuning and regulation. Schedule a cleaning today!

FAQ Series 4!There's a saying "There's no such thing as a free lunch." I'd like to also coin the phrase "There's no such...
10/21/2022

FAQ Series 4!

There's a saying "There's no such thing as a free lunch." I'd like to also coin the phrase "There's no such thing as a free piano." Here's why:

There is a surplus of free pianos in the world. A quick search on craigslist shows many ads for a "free piano." Either people need to move them out of their house ASAP or someone in the household loses interest in the piano and it's simply taking up space. Most of the time, not all the time, but most of the time the free pianos you see are pianos that have brand names that are long extinct. This also means that most piano dealerships won't want them sitting on their showroom floor.

Here is the first reason why there is no such thing as a free piano: piano moving.

Piano moving can start at ~$300 and go up to ~$600. I do not recommend trying it on your own. You can seriously injure yourself or the piano by trying to move a piano with your friends. I'd say leave the piano moving to the professionals.

Second reason: piano service.

Most likely, free pianos have been neglected for many years. Meaning the piano is usually wildly out of tune, or parts may not be functioning properly. Another factor comes into play as well. Since these pianos are sometimes made by lesser manufacturers, they can be harder to work on, especially if it's a spinet piano. These pianos just weren't made to stand the test of time. They succumb to structural issues, soundboard cracking, bridge cracking, and string breakage.

All these costs can add up very quickly, sometimes more than $1k. I can say that I've seen some free pianos that hold up well. But if you see a free piano, beware that there may be issues hiding beneath that may make the piano un-serviceable. Always get a technician to assess a piano. Metropolitan Piano Tuning offers this service.

As the soothsayer in 'Julius Caesar' says "Beware the ides of March" piano technicians say, "Beware the free piano." A free piano can just as easily stab you in the back!

Repairs and more with Metropolitan Piano Tuning.
10/20/2022

Repairs and more with Metropolitan Piano Tuning.

FAQ series 3!It's not actually humidity itself but changes in humidity that affect the stability of a piano tuning. Here...
10/19/2022

FAQ series 3!

It's not actually humidity itself but changes in humidity that affect the stability of a piano tuning. Here's a basic explanation.

Other than the cast-iron plate, which holds the tension of the hundreds of strings, a piano is made almost entirely of wood. The most important part of the piano, the "belly" of the piano as technicians call it, is the soundboard. This is the natural amplification system of the piano. This is also the piece of the piano that is most vulnerable to humidity changes.

Wood gives a natural resonance that is crucial to the sound of a piano. It also acts a sponge that either absorbs moisture in the air or contracts when the air is dry. This expansion and contraction of the soundboard directly affects the tuning. As there is most moisture in the air (summertime) the soundboard expands and stretches the strings ever-so-slightly sharp. Conversely, as the air drys out (wintertime) the soundboard contracts from the lack of moisture in the air and goes flat. This expansion and contraction of the soundboard contributes to pianos naturally going out of tune.

It is the change in humidity that causes pianos to go out of tune. But, you can mitigate the affects of the change by creating a stable humidity in the room where the piano is located. Keeping a humidity between 40%-50% and a temperature around 65-70 degrees will lessen the affects of the soundboard expanding and contracting. To simplify this, a technician can install a humidity control system within the piano to help with this problem. Metropolitan Piano Tuning can install this system as well.

This is the trade-off of having wood as the main material in a piano. Wood resonates beautifully, but it also can contribute to the piano going out of tune.

Patrick Carr, owner of Metropolitan Piano Tuning. Pat is a registered piano technician with the Piano Technicians Guild....
09/29/2022

Patrick Carr, owner of Metropolitan Piano Tuning. Pat is a registered piano technician with the Piano Technicians Guild. He has been tuning and servicing pianos for 10 years.

FAQ series 2!This is another aspect of piano maintenance thats a mystery to most. Its a common procedure that piano tech...
09/20/2022

FAQ series 2!

This is another aspect of piano maintenance thats a mystery to most. Its a common procedure that piano technicians do all the time. But, it can be prevented by regularly servicing your piano!

A quick explanation of A440. A440 refers to A4, the first "A" above middle C, being set to a frequency of 440 Hertz. Hertz is a measure of frequency or pitch. By the laws of physics, one can logically assume that if A4 is 440Hz, then A3 is 220HZ, and A5 is 880Hz and so on. So therefore, all the notes within each octave fall within a certain frequency range. If A4 is tuned to 440 then C4 (middle C on a piano) falls at around 261HZ.

Pianos are built to hold stable string tension when A4 and the rest of the piano is tuned to A440. Unfortunately when a piano hasn't been serviced in a year or more, the string tension slips and the piano falls flat. Meaning that A4 is not tuned to A440 anymore. The piano may be in tune with itself, meaning the piano may sound decent by itself. But as soon as you try to play along with a recording or even play with an instrument that is tuned to A440, the notes will not match. Ive seen pianos that have fallen almost a half step flat.

This is where the pitch raise comes in. If I show up to a piano and the starting pitch of A4 is 420Hz, this definitely calls for a pitch raise. I need to get the piano back to A440. So I will do a pitch raise tuning or a "quick pass" tuning. This is a quick tuning to stretch the strings back to A440. Because the strings move so much in this instance, I need to fine tune the piano once more, in the same appointment, to make the piano stable once more at A440. This is why pitch raises can add to the final cost of the tuning. It also takes skill and experience to understand how the strings stretch and where they will naturally land based on how far off the piano is.

Phew! A long winded explanation! Like I said before, you can avoid pitch raises by regularly servicing your piano at least twice a year!

Quality piano tuning right to your door! 10 years of piano tuning excellence at your service.
09/17/2022

Quality piano tuning right to your door! 10 years of piano tuning excellence at your service.

FAQ Series!I get this question a lot. Pianos should essentially get tuned at least 2 times a year. Here's why: There are...
09/16/2022

FAQ Series!

I get this question a lot. Pianos should essentially get tuned at least 2 times a year.

Here's why:

There are a lot of different materials that goes into the construction of a piano. One of the main materials is wood. Just as wooden doors stick during the summer as the wood absorbs excess humidity in the air, so does the wood inside a piano. Conversely, during the winter months, the dry and cold air causes the moisture to leave the wood and to shrink and contract. Because of this change, the strings inside a piano stretch and contract, directly affecting the tuning. Furthermore, because the strings in the piano are under so much tension, tiny changes in the exspansion/contraction of the wood have a big impact on the sound of the tuning. For this reason in the New York/US northeast climate with dry winters and humid summers, I recommend clients getting 1 winter tuning and 1 summer tuning.

I will add, if the piano is getting heavily used it should get tuned even more frequently than 2 times a year. If you are a piano teacher that teaches from home, a professional musician, or a school or institution that uses pianos everyday, your pianos should get tuned 2-4 times a year. Pianos tend to stay in tune the more often they are tuned!

Is piano tuning on your to do list? Book with us today and mark ✅ it done.
09/16/2022

Is piano tuning on your to do list? Book with us today and mark ✅ it done.

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