05/08/2026
It's hot outside, all I want to do is play my piano, but it's out of tune!
Do you know why does your piano go out of tune? It's not how much it's played. It's the weather.
A piano has around 220 strings, each pulled to roughly 70kg of tension, all anchored to a soundboard made of wood. Wood moves. When the air is humid the soundboard swells and pushes upwards, stretching the strings slightly sharp. When the heating goes on in autumn and the air dries out, the soundboard shrinks back and the pitch drops flat.
That's why pianos tend to drift twice a year, once at the start of the heating season and once when it warms up again. It's also why a piano sitting untouched in a spare room still needs tuning.
Three things that help:
1. Keep it away from radiators, fireplaces and direct sunlight
2. Avoid outside walls where you can, they swing more in temperature
3. Aim for two tunings a year rather than waiting until it sounds wrong
If your piano hasn't been tuned in a few years it may have dropped well below concert pitch, which usually means a pitch raise before a fine tune. Worth knowing before you book.
Got a question about your own piano? Ask in the comments.
www.thepianogallery.co.uk
