Tuning and Humidity

[gregh]

Does humidity affect the tuning of a piano? I was told that it does. But I thought those strings were stretched across an iron frame, so I'm having a little trouble figuring out why it would be affected.

[hfmadopter]

The tuning pins are mounted in a wooden pin block, there are bridges made of wood to transmit sound to the sound board. So while the main frame or harp is made of iron, the strings are directly or indirectly in contact with wood as well. Generally pitch will raise in high humidity and drop in low. Also pins can ( shouldn't but can if getting a bit loose) slip in extra dry conditions and lock tighter in highly humid conditions.

My own piano also has a more mellow tone in summer than winter, I assume this has to do with softening wood and also hammer felts, not to mention room condition. The tuning pins are much harder to turn in summer than winter, way harder actually. But my piano is also very old, dating back to 1898.

[gregh]

That makes sense, thanks.

My piano seems to generally have a softer tone than most pianos I hear. Maybe it's the worn hammers-- it was recommended that I get the felt reshaped, but where I am now the piano already sounds better than I do, so I haven't felt the urgency of it.

[hfmadopter]

That makes sense, thanks.

My piano seems to generally have a softer tone than most pianos I hear. Maybe it's the worn hammers-- it was recommended that I get the felt reshaped, but where I am now the piano already sounds better than I do, so I haven't felt the urgency of it.

Well you will catch up soon enough to where you know the difference and want it right. I reshaped mine last summer, I think the next time around will be about it for those hammers. They still have life but can only be shaped so many times and then you need new ones. If yours haven't been done and there is plenty of material left to work with then when the time comes to shape and voice them, you will enjoy the difference. Mine had compacted, were hard and very very ear piercingly harsh. When you can't control the volume well and the tone is unfriendly it's time to have that work done.

[nystul]

It's interesting how weather manages to wreak havoc with almost any instrument.

From what I've read, when soundboard swells in higher humidity it buckles up and pushes the bridge more against the strings, which increases the tension of the strings.

[viridian]

Constant humidity is a key factor in keeping a piano in tune and in prolonging its life. I run the air conditioner almost constantly for half the year, humidify (evaporator type, with a fiber-coated drum rotating through a water reservoir and a fan blowing air across the drum surface) the other half, and keep the windows closed except for brief periods when the outdoor humidity is in the 40% to 50% range, which is the ideal condition for my piano.

I monitor the humidity with a tiny Caliber brand hygrometer (available from Amazon.com) which I keep inside the piano near the tuning pins so I can easily see it. My 1926 grand infrequently needs tuning, the pin block is rock solid, and my piano technician always marvels at how long my piano stays in tune. I might add that when it does need tuning, it's because the over-all pitch has changed, but it's still in tune with itself.

It took some experimenting to arrive at this system, but my piano been very stable for several years.

[kriatina]

Hello gregh,

I don’t tune my piano during high or low humidity and certainly not during extreme temperature changes,
because my soundboard is Tyrolean pine and can therefore be sensitive.

I also have a humidifier, which automatically switches itself on when the air becomes dry
and I also check-up the temperature/humidity regularly
a few days before I attempt to tune my piano.

I also make sure that I feel under no stress whatsoever when I tune my piano
just to make sure I avoid mishaps...

I have noticed that temperature- and humidity-changes influence the sound of my piano
and the best way for me to tune my piano is only after a new season has settled a little.

Good luck from Kristina.

[gregh]

I also make sure that I feel under no stress whatsoever when I tune my piano
just to make sure I avoid mishaps...

And go to the bathroom before you start!

[kriatina]

gregh ... you obviously have not tuned your piano yet...
otherwise you would agree with me,
 how very easy it is to overstretch and break a string... .
... especially on a stressy/hectic day...

(... breaking a string is not funny at all and can become very complicated...)

... it is therefore advantageous if you tune your piano ...
only on a very restful, stress-free and relaxing day...

Good luck from Kristina.

[gregh]

gregh ... you obviously have not tuned your piano yet...
otherwise you would agree with me,

How can you say that? I would never begin any kind of detail work if I had to pee! Why, the other week, at work, I made a repair to a circuit board, but before I turned on the soldering iron I went to the restroom.

I don't actually intend to tune my own piano; I pay someone else to do it, and breaking strings is one reason for that. But I certainly wouldn't tune it if I had to pee!

[kriatina]

gregh,

after reading your input to my trying to answer your question I had a déjà vu :

until about 20 years ago I still watched occasionally TV- BBC programmes ...

... and then all of a sudden some of the “humourists” started –
in an “effort to entertain” - remarks & “jokes” about their own bodily functions...

I decided there and then to stop watching anything on the TV and that was that...

... I obviously made the right decision because I have read
that the formerly much respected BBC
 is no longer respected at all and has a hard job
to get any self-respecting people watching TV...

After reading your "humorous" input about your bodily functions -
- as your comment to my trying to answer your question here, I had a déjà vu
about my BBC-experience and  therefore I have decided right now
that I better leave the Piano Street Forum
and rather get on with my music instead ...and my piano... and my tonality...

Goodbye, Kristina.