Piano Tuning
4 WEEK FREE EXCHANGE
DISCOUNTED TUNING
UP TO 10 YEAR GUARANTEE
LOCAL FREE DELIVERY
Open 7 Days A Week
PART EXCHANGE
FOURTH GENERATION · FOUNDED IN SUNNINGDALE 1993
How Much Does Piano Tuning Cost?
A piano should be tuned regularly to sound its best - for most homes, twice a year. Over time, changes in temperature and humidity, and the natural settling of the strings, pull a piano gradually out of tune, even if it is played rarely. Regular tuning keeps it sounding right and helps catch small problems before they become large ones.
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Handel Pianos' qualified, experienced tuners tune every make and type of piano - upright, baby grand and grand - to A440 concert pitch if possible. Each time we tune your piano we also check it over: sticking keys, noisy pedals, and any other issues that may be developing, so you hear about them early.
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We are a fourth-generation family firm, with the showroom etablished in Sunningdale in 1993.
. Our tuners cover Berkshire, Surrey, Hampshire and London, and because we also repair and restore pianos in our own workshop, anything a tuning uncovers can be put right by the same firm.
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Our tuning service is popular, so please allow two to three weeks for an appointment, and do book ahead - particularly around seasonal changes and before events.
Why regular tuning matters
A piano holds its strings under enormous tension - collectively, several tonnes of it - and that tension is never quite still. Changes in temperature and humidity make the wooden soundboard and frame expand and contract slightly through the year, and the strings themselves gradually settle. The result is that a piano slips out of tune over time whether it is played daily or hardly at all.
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Regular tuning does two things. It keeps the instrument sounding as it should -
in tune with itself and at the pitch other instruments expect. And it gives a trained tuner a regular look at your piano, so that a sticking key, a developing buzz or a worn part is noticed and dealt with before it turns into a bigger, costlier problem.
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For most homes, twice a year is the right rhythm. A piano that is played hard, or one in a room with underfloor heating or big seasonal swings, may benefit from more.
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Your first tuning after delivery
A newly delivered or newly restored piano needs tuning sooner than at any other time.
A piano is sensitive to its surroundings, and when it moves to a new home it has to adjust to a different temperature and humidity. As it settles, it moves out of tune faster than a piano that has stood in the same room for years. For most new arrivals, the first tuning is best done within about three months of delivery.
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There is one thing worth timing around: if a seasonal change is coming - the central heating about to go on or off - it is often worth waiting until after it, so the piano can settle into the new conditions first. And because tuning raises the pitch and the strings then want to shrink back, a newly restrung or newly delivered piano will need a further tuning or two before it fully holds. This is entirely normal, and we will advise you on the right schedule for your instrument.
What a tuning includes
When we tune your piano, we:
Tune it to A440 concert pitch, so it is in tune with itself and with other instruments
Check for sticking or sluggish keys
Check the pedals for noise or poor response
Look over the instrument for any developing faults, and tell you about anything that needs attention
If the tuning reveals a repair - a worn part, a piano that will no longer hold its pitch, an action that needs regulating - we can deal with it ourselves, either at the visit or by arranging for the piano to come to our workshop. One firm, for tuning and everything it uncovers.
Frequently asked questions
Twice a year suits most homes. A new or newly restored piano needs tuning more often in its first year as it settles, and a heavily played instrument, or one in a room with big temperature swings, may need more frequent attention.
Within about three months of delivery. A piano needs time to adjust to the temperature and humidity of its new home, and it moves out of tune faster while it settles.
Yes. A piano drifts out of tune with changes in temperature and humidity whether it is played or not, so even a little-used instrument benefits from regular tuning.
Yes - every make and type, upright, baby grand and grand.
If a piano will not stay in tune however often it is tuned, the cause is usually mechanical - worn tuning pins, or a more fundamental issue - rather than a tuning matter. Our tuner can assess it and tell you whether it needs repair or restoration.
Our tuning service is popular, so please allow two to three weeks. Booking ahead is wise, especially before an event or a house move.
Berkshire, Surrey, Hampshire and London, and much of the surrounding South of England.