Grand Piano vs. Upright: Understanding the Tuning Needs of Your Chicago Instrument
By Eathan Janney, Floating Piano Factory
One of the questions I’m asked most frequently by Chicago piano owners is a variation of: “My neighbor has a grand piano and gets it tuned three times a year. I have an upright — do I need the same?”
The honest answer is: it depends. But there are real structural and mechanical differences between grand pianos and upright pianos that affect how they respond to Chicago’s climate, how often they need tuning, and what kind of care they benefit from most.
Here’s what every Chicago piano owner should understand about their instrument.
The Structural Difference That Matters Most
The fundamental difference between a grand and an upright is the orientation of the strings and soundboard.
In a grand piano, the strings run horizontally — away from the keyboard, parallel to the floor. The soundboard (the large spruce panel that amplifies the piano’s tone) lies flat beneath the strings. Gravity works with the instrument: hammers fall back from the strings under their own weight, enabling faster, more precise repetition.
In an upright piano, the strings run vertically — up from the floor. The soundboard stands upright behind the strings. The action mechanism must use springs to return hammers after they strike, which limits repetition speed and touch refinement compared to a comparable grand.
Why this matters for tuning:
String length is directly related to tonal richness and tuning stability. Grand pianos — especially concert and semi-concert grands — have significantly longer strings than most uprights, particularly in the bass register. Longer strings vibrate with more clarity and tend to hold their pitch more consistently over time.
A seven-foot grand piano has bass strings that are nearly twice as long as those of a comparable upright. That extra string length produces deeper, more complex overtones — and it also means the bass tuning is more stable and less susceptible to short-term drift.
Most upright pianos, by contrast, have shorter strings under higher tension. Shorter, higher-tension strings are more reactive to temperature and humidity changes and can drift more quickly between tunings.
How Chicago’s Climate Affects Each Type
In Chicago’s climate — with its severe winter dryness and humid summers — both grand and upright pianos are affected by seasonal change. But they’re affected differently.
Grand pianos: The horizontal soundboard sits in a more exposed position and can respond more dramatically to rapid humidity changes. However, most grand pianos also have a larger pin block (the wood block holding the tuning pins), which tends to hold tuning pins more securely. A well-maintained grand from a quality manufacturer will typically hold its tuning well from fall to spring with two professional tunings per year.
Upright pianos: Uprights are often placed against walls — which are exterior walls surprisingly often — exposing them to cold in winter and dampness in summer. The vertical soundboard is less exposed than a grand’s, but the shorter, higher-tension strings are more sensitive to humidity change. In Chicago’s climate, uprights in poorly climate-controlled rooms can drift noticeably between appointments.
What This Means for Tuning Frequency
For most upright owners in Chicago: Two tunings per year is the practical minimum. If the piano is in a room with significant seasonal humidity variation — a finished basement, a room without central air, near exterior walls — you may benefit from a third tuning to catch the midpoint drift.
For grand piano owners: Two annual tunings remain the baseline. However, grand piano owners are more often serious players or musicians, and the instrument is typically a more significant investment. Three to four tunings per year is common for grands used regularly by players who depend on precise intonation.
For performance instruments: Any grand piano used for teaching, performance, or recording should be tuned before each significant use, regardless of when the last tuning was scheduled.
The Case for Higher-Tier Service on a Grand
At Floating Piano Factory, our service tiers are not differentiated by the piano type you own — they’re differentiated by the depth of care you want on this visit. But in practice, grand piano owners more often choose Signature or Premier Care, and for good reason.
Signature Care ($275) includes a more detailed assessment of touch and tone, minor adjustments where practical within the appointment, and a care plan discussion. For a serious player or a significant instrument, this additional attention often reveals issues — a slightly loose pin, a key that’s misbehaving — before they become larger problems.
Premier Care ($395) is our most complete visit: advanced tuning refinement, a thorough evaluation of the instrument, extended attention to tone, touch, and stability. For a premium grand piano, a vintage instrument, or a piano being prepared for performance, this level of care is appropriate.
Choosing Where to Place Your Piano
Whether you own a grand or an upright, placement matters significantly in a Chicago home.
Avoid:
- Exterior walls in winter
- Rooms without temperature control
- Direct sun from south- or west-facing windows
- Proximity to heating vents or radiators
- Basements without humidity control
Prefer:
- Interior walls
- Stable temperature and humidity year-round (45–50% relative humidity)
- Away from direct heat sources
- Away from direct sunlight
A piano in a well-chosen, climate-controlled location in a Chicago home will hold its tuning better, require fewer emergency pitch raises, and last longer than the same piano placed near a heating vent or exterior wall.
A Note on Older Instruments
Chicago has a lot of older pianos. Many families have uprights that have been in the home for decades — sometimes well-maintained, sometimes not.
An older upright in Chicago that hasn’t been serviced in several years may need more than a routine tuning: the pins may be loose, the strings may have false beats, and the piano may require a pitch raise (or several) before it holds A440.
This isn’t a reason to give up on an older instrument. Many older uprights, once properly serviced, tune up well and hold beautifully. But the first appointment on a neglected instrument takes more time and may require a follow-up visit to fully stabilize.
Floating Piano Factory serves Chicago piano owners with Essential, Signature, and Premier Care. Book your appointment — grand or upright, we’ll give it the attention it deserves.