How to Look After Your Piano

Your piano will inevitably show signs of wear and tear if subjected to long hours of rigorous practice, but it can last a century if properly maintained and played.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Pianos
• Tuning Forks
• Dehumidifiers
• Furniture Polishes
• Soft Cloth
• Soft Cloth
• Dehumidifiers

1. Keep your piano away from cold drafts such as occur under open windows.

2. Keep the instrument in a dry room; dampness will cause the strings to rust and the dampeners to warp.

3. Put the piano in a room without central heating and keep it away from a hot radiator.

4. Install a humidifier if central heating cannot be avoided. Excessive dry heat can cause the soundboard to crack.

5. Avoid leaving the piano in a cold, damp room during wintertime.

6. Clean and polish your instrument using furniture polish and a very soft cloth - you don't want to leave permanent scratches or stains on your piano.

7. Have your piano tuned regularly by an expert tuner. Ask for referrals at your local music store.

8. Ask the tuner to keep your instrument at standard pitch (A equals 440 cycles per second).

9. Buy a tuning fork to check the pitch. Tuning forks are usually set to standard pitch.

Tips & Warnings

• Avoid trying to fix the action of the piano (see Glossary); you might easily break a hammer or a string. By all means, leave it to an expert.

on 8/8/2006 Never spray furniture polish on the keys. They will be slippery.

on 11/22/2005 Do you have a sticky key on your piano, but don't want to call in the tuner? Try this trick. Aim a blow dryer on top and underneath the key for about a minute. You may have to do it a couple times, but it usually works. I don't know how, but it works!