Answer. This is where the bass strings are set at a diagonal across the piano running from the top left to the bottom right, running over the top of the steel wires which themselves are set diagonally from bottom left to top right. However, the steel strings are not at as greater angle as the bass strings. The reason for this is, theatrically, the longer the bass string the nicer the tone of the piano. Overstringing also allows manufacturers to gain a longer string length using the same size of case than with straight stringing permits. Over strung pianos grands and uprights are considered modern pianos. In the UK trade, beginners pianos are generally straight strung overdamper pianos.

Q. Should I Put Water In My Piano?

Answer. In todays climate with the abundance of central heating and modern insulation, pianos before the 1960s were not designed to withstand the dry heat found in some homes in the UK. This can result in splits in the soundboard and the drying out of the wrest plank which effectively keeps the pianos tuning pins nice and tight therefore, holding the piano in tune. To combat this we recommend the placing of hydracell units inside the piano placed at the relevant points. However, a large container placed in the bottom of an upright piano filled with water will nearly do as good a job but of course, will cost you considerably less. Grands, on the other hand do require the fitting of hydraceel units ®. A third alternative might be the use of radiator pans which are easily obtainable from a local D.I.Y. store. Consult your piano tuner for more information as extreme moister can also have an adverse affect on the play mechanism.

Q. Why maintain a piano?

Answer. The piano is a highly developed, complicated piece of equipment. It contains about 240 different lengths of highly tensioned wire. (Approx 160lbs per note and a 15% increase in the bass giving you an overall strain on the frame of 21 tones approx .) These lengths of wire go to make up 85 to 88 notes spread across the musical range. Plus, for each note, there exists a mechanism which in the case of an upright piano contains up to 14 different moving parts. In the case of a grand up to 22 per note. Since the piano must be maintained at a specific tension to achieve a good musical sound, the matter of maintenance becomes an on-going process. Since a piano consists mainly of wood and iron, all of this is subject to movement. The movement of the wooden sound board, framework, cause the wires to change tension without prompting by the user. Thus, it becomes necessary to set up a minimal schedule of tuning of the instrument to ensure reliable, and pleasant results. Of course, this schedule can't be, nor is it a hard and fast one. But, we can make recommendations and set out guide lines. You should evaluate your piano usage in terms of your own experience.

Q. What should the tuner be expected to do and why?

Answer. Assuming that the piano has been maintained to a quality standard down the years, the tuner should be prepared to maintain the piano at "Concert Pitch". This is what has been accepted as the pitch to which all musical instruments are to be tuned. In this case, the note a should be set to 440hz. That's 440 cycles per second. If the tuner can't produce this result, he should explain why. It may be necessary to perform more than one tuning to achieve this result. This may be due to long-term neglect, or a move of the piano to a different environment. Again, this isn't unexpected. The tuner will do his utmost to keep the piano in as stable a condition as his are will permit. But, on occasions, conditions caused by weather, and the internal environment may cause the piano to be affected adversely. Again, the tuner should be prepared to advise accordingly. The tuner should be prepared to check the overall performance of the action. This is the mechanism which turns your key-strokes into sound. If he finds out that there's a problem, he should be prepared to discuss additional maintenance.

Q. What is tuning?

Answer. Tuning is the process by which the piano is brought into sonic regulation with itself. The process of tuning is a multi-stage process. The tuner begins by setting the instrument to the pitch to which it is to be tuned. He then performs the setting of the "temperament." This is the 12-note pattern that governs the entire tuning of the piano. It is based on a mathematical formula that dictates that all the notes in this 12 note pattern be spaced equally apart in distance from each other. This "scale" has been worked out by musicians down the years, and become to be known as "Equal temperament." This is the formula by which instrumentation in the west has been tuned for the last 150 years. The tuner accomplishes this task of setting the temperament by applying a series of tests that are part of his training. Thus, a good aural tuner can set up a piano from but one reference point. A good aural tuner needs no additional instrumentation, but some have resorted to meters, and scopes. This isn't to infe r that the se are inferior, but it is suggested that a tuner have a strong degree of training in aural tuning before attempting to rely on such.

Q. What is Action regulation?

Answer. Action regulation is the process by which the tuner maintains the moving parts to work as they are meant to. What can be the signs of poor regulation? Some guidance here may help. These items may also be useful in evaluating an instrument for purchase. A lot of what happens when the key is pressed can be picked up by feel. After all, it's the key that transfers your intentions into sound. The key must work efficiently, and accurately to do the job it was designed to do. Poor regulation can result in the note not working to its utmost efficiency. If you gently press the key, and feel a lot of "nothing happening", this could suggest that the key isn't set up properly. In the trade, this is caused "lost motion" which is one of the most common conditions one encounters. Of course this kind of regulation must be carried out by a trained technician. One thing that happens, is that all of the regulation procedures are inter-related. Change one, and another one may be affected. When the key is pressed, the hammer is brought into contact with the string. In a correctly maintained action, the hammer will release a split second before actually hitting the string. To understand this, think of a rocket being launched into orbit. The engines are turned off, and the rocket allowed to coast to its final position. Same for the hammer. It is sent to the note in a sort of free fall. If this isn't happening, you may get a condition known as "blubbering." a sort of double-strike, when the hammer is brought repeatedly into contact with the string. Again, this condition must be treated by a trained, competent technician

Q. What is voicing?

Answer. Voicing is an extremely difficult area. It's subjective in the extreme, and has caused endless discussion in piano maintenance circles. But the final goal of voicing is to have the hammers striking the notes of the piano to offer a uniform sound from the bottom to the top of the instrument. Goes without saying that evaluating this capability is governed by the capability of the piano, and the construction of the action parts. But, often a technician will find extremes in voicing, such as a particularly hard hammer which may result in a note sounding louder than the rest. But, this, too can be laid at the door of regulation. This is where the tuner's skill comes into play here. Voicing can be accomplished by pricking the hammer with a set of needles. This pricking changes the structure of the felt, and softens the hammer to a degree.

Q. What is toning?

Answer. This is the reverse of voicing, and accomplishes the inverse sort of thing. May be necessary to bring up a particularly soft sounding hammer, and bring it into line with its neighbors. This is accomplished by applying a special material to the hammers or ironing with a special tool.

Q. What is pin tightener?

Answer. This is a procedure that is deemed as controversial. What happens is, a piano's pin block the piece of wood into which the tuning pins are driven that the tuner adjusts becomes so loose that a piano can't be tuned. In a good many cases, the recommended procedure would be to rebuild the piano. This necessitates in most cases, restringing, and repinning with larger pins. However, this is a lengthy, and expensive process. In some cases, the piano just isn't worth restoring, or rebuilding. This is a decision that must be worked out between the technician, and the piano owner. In some cases, a piano may be deemed not to be worth rebuilding, but due to sentimental reasons, the customer requires that this task be done. But, where this isn't the case, a "quick fix" is the use of a substance called "Pin tightener" In the case where the pin block has become too loose to support a tuning, the wood has dried out around the pin. So, the technician may elect to add a solution of glycerine, and water. This solution cause s the pin block to attract moisture. the hoped for result, a tuneable instrument. The down side of this procedure is, that the pin block, or wrest plank can't be used for repinning. but, in some cases, it may add a few more years to the life of an old instrument.

Q. How Old is my piano?

Answer. You can take the serial number of your piano and match it to one of the numbers, of the manufacturers on the World Piano Atlas. However, if your piano make is not on this site you may look it up in the Pierce piano Atlas. Where do I find the serial number. On uprights first place to look is lift the lid up and look at the edge of the case work at the treble end of the piano, some manufacturers stamped the serial number on here. The second place to look is just above the tuning pins in the top treble or bottom bass. Some manufacturers place the serial nunmber in the centre of the piano in a little well in the iron frame. Next placer to look is on the sound board in the bass of the piano. (you may have to take the action out for this not recommended unless you know what you are doing) The next place is to take off the bottom pannel this normally has either a central fixing locking device or to extreme locking device. The serial number will be on the soundboard at the base. Some manufacturers however, did not put serial numbers on their pianos or kept acurate records regarding the dating of their serial numbers. Action finishes sometimes use to sign the bottom "A" key in the Bass and date it. This was a tradition with British and German Piano manufacturers. Below are some silowets of pianos, this will give you a rough guess of their age from the shape of the piano.

Grand Pianos

Serial numbers can be found on the frame in the top treble just under the music desk, also in the top treble stamped on to the soundboard just above the bridge. In the bass the serial number sometime can be found on the edge of the soundboard just under the frame. The legs and key blocks of some Grands were also stamped the legs on a Grand are also a good indication of its date they generally come in three types, Turned octagonal taperd legs from 1860, double square. (also known as gate legs) from 1900 and Square legs from 1930.