Tuning for that Perfect Interval!

Tuning a piano is the process of making small adjustments to the tension of the pianos strings in order to get the proper alignment of intervals between the tines produced when the strings are struck by the pianos hammers. Having a piano that is in tune doesn’t simply mean that a fixed tone is produced when the key is hit. In reality it has to do with interactions between the notes which is different for every piano.

Many things can cause a piano to go out of tune. However, living in New Mexico, there is one huge source of headache for the piano owner – humidity. Most of us realize that moisture content in wood causes it to expand or contract depending of the humidity of the environment the piano sits in. Since most homes in Albuquerque use swamp coolers as the method of air conditioning in the summer, the difference in humidity between summer and winter is drastic in many cases.

If you love the “In tune” sound of your piano, consider having it tuned twice a year to accommodate the large changes in your pianos surroundings.