Pianos are incredibly complex instruments, and each string has a tension of anywhere from 160 to 200 pounds, and without the proper training and tools you might find your piano more out of tune than when you started, or even having broken strings.

Piano manufacturers will recommend that you get your piano tuned twice a year, usually coinciding with the major seasonal changes, but for most people you can get away with once a year, ideally keeping it around the same date each year. If a piano is played frequently, such as daily practice, it is better to get it done more often, but unless you find yourself playing constantly you can get away with once a year.

Outside of your normal tuning schedule, the most important times to get your piano tuned are after a major move, like from one house to another, or before a performance.

Pianos are tuned to the pitch of A440, which is done to both standardize the tuning process as well as ensure that all pianos will sound similar to one another.

I don’t do work on player pianos, as they are highly specialized and require additional insight and training to attention.

If it’s been a significant amount of time since your last tuning, your piano will likely need a pitch raise. If left untuned for too long, the whole piano, from the strings to the pins, is affected, as it settles at a lower pitch, and will attempt to pull back towards that pitch. After an initial pitch raise, the instrument is left to sit for 1-2 months, before it would be tuned to A440.