How Often Should You Tune a Piano?

Most pianos in regular use need tuning at least once a year, and twice a year is the standard recommendation for a home piano where the heating comes on in autumn and goes off in spring. The actual interval depends on how much the piano is used, how old and stable it is, and how much the temperature and humidity change around it. A piano in good condition, well placed and regularly tuned holds its pitch well between visits. One that has been left for several years or sits near a radiator will not.

Why pianos go out of tune

A piano has around 220 strings, most under very high tension. Each string runs from a tuning pin at one end, over a bridge, to a hitch pin at the other. Temperature and humidity affect the timber of the soundboard and the bridge, which moves the speaking length of the string and changes its pitch. In practice this means every piano shifts through the seasons, and some move significantly even within a single season when the room has wide temperature swings. Strings also settle over time. A new piano, whose strings have never been at full tension, goes out of tune more quickly than an older piano whose strings have stabilised over years of regular tuning.

Once a year: the minimum

A piano used regularly and kept in a reasonably stable room needs tuning at least once a year. Below this, the pitch drifts noticeably, not just to a trained ear but to anyone familiar with how the piano used to sound. A piano tuned once a year will not stay at concert pitch, but it can stay close enough that it sounds acceptable and each annual visit is a straightforward job. If the gap grows longer, a pitch raise becomes necessary before the fine tune, which costs more and takes longer.

Twice a year: the standard recommendation

Most piano technicians recommend tuning twice a year, once in spring and once in autumn, for a piano in a centrally heated home. British homes warm up in autumn when the heating comes on and cool down again in late spring when it goes off. These temperature and humidity shifts are the largest regular stresses on a piano's stability, and tuning at each transition catches the piano at its most displaced and brings it back before it drifts further.

Two annual tunes also keep the tension change at each visit smaller. A piano tuned from a slight drift is easier to set right than one tuned from a major drift, and a smaller adjustment holds better. Twice-yearly tuning is not twice the expense for twice the improvement; it is twice the expense for a piano that holds pitch more reliably all year and is cheaper to maintain over time.

New pianos need more frequent tuning

A new acoustic piano should be tuned three or four times during its first year. New strings are under full tension for the first time and will stretch and settle during the first twelve months. Until they stabilise, the piano goes out of tune faster than an older instrument. Most manufacturers recommend three tunes in the first year, then two a year after that. This is the normal behaviour of new steel strings, not a sign of a fault with the piano.

When you always need a tune

Certain events mean a piano needs tuning regardless of when the last visit was. A piano that has been moved should always be tuned after it has had time to settle in its new room. Moving stresses the frame and strings, and a change of room almost always means a change of temperature and humidity. Leave the piano two to four weeks to acclimatise, then book the tuner. If you need a specialist to move the piano first, our piano movers directory lists verified moving companies by city across the UK.

A piano that has not been tuned for three or more years will almost certainly need a pitch raise before a fine tune. When a piano has dropped significantly below concert pitch, raising each string in turn is not straightforward because tension added to later strings pulls earlier strings back down. A pitch raise is a rough first pass that brings the whole instrument closer to pitch before the fine tune follows. This costs more than a standard visit, which is one reason why regular tuning saves money over time. For a full breakdown of costs, see our guide on how much piano tuning costs in the UK.

Does a piano need tuning more often if it is played every day?

Not in a direct way. A concert grand used every day in a professional setting is tuned before performances or several times a week, but that is because the standard required is very high, not because playing wears out the tuning. For a home piano, the stability of the environment matters more than the amount of playing. A piano played two hours a day in a stable room holds its pitch as well as one played thirty minutes a day in the same conditions. What causes drift is temperature and humidity change, not use.

What happens if a piano goes without tuning

A piano left without tuning for several years does not break, but it drifts progressively further below concert pitch. As pitch falls, the tension on the strings, pinblock and soundboard drops, and when tuning eventually happens, the frame and soundboard have to readjust to higher tension. This makes a pitch raise necessary, adds cost and time, and in the worst cases can cause old strings to break during or after the tune. A piano left untuned for long enough can also develop corroded strings, which changes the sound permanently. Regular tuning is the cheapest way to maintain a piano in good condition.

Finding a qualified tuner

Look for a tuner who is a member of the Pianoforte Tuners' Association (PTA) or holds a qualification through the Institute of Musical Instrument Technology (IMIT), as both signal genuine training. Our piano tuners directory lists verified tuners by town across the UK, drawn from the trade registers, with independent tuners first. Contact them directly; we link straight out to their own websites. For guidance on what to ask before you book and how to find a good tuner near you, see our guide on how to find a good piano tuner.