How Often Should You Tune Your Piano? (The Honest Answer)
By Eathan Janney, Founder — Floating Piano Factory
The most common question I hear from piano owners is some version of this: “How often do I really need to tune my piano?”
The short answer most technicians give is “twice a year.” That’s not wrong — but it’s incomplete. The real answer depends on who you are, how you use your piano, and what kind of instrument you have.
Here’s the honest breakdown.
Why Pianos Go Out of Tune
Before answering how often, it helps to understand why a piano goes out of tune in the first place.
A piano has roughly 230 strings, each under an average of 160 to 180 pounds of tension. The combined tension across the entire instrument is somewhere between 15 and 20 tons pressing against the piano’s wooden structure.
Wood is not static. It expands when humidity rises and contracts when the air dries out. As the wood inside your piano swells and shrinks with seasonal changes, string tension shifts — and pitch drifts.
This happens whether you play the piano or not. A piano that sits untouched in your living room all year will still go out of tune, simply because the seasons changed.
The Standard Recommendation: Twice a Year
Most piano manufacturers, including Steinway & Sons, recommend tuning at minimum twice per year — typically once in spring and once in fall, aligned with the major humidity transitions of each season.
The logic is sound: as the seasons change, the piano’s pitch drifts. Two tunings per year keep it reasonably stable and prevent the strings from drifting so far that a simple tuning can no longer correct the problem.
If your piano is in a reasonably stable environment, receives moderate use, and has been consistently maintained, twice a year is a solid baseline.
When Once a Year Is Acceptable
For some pianos and some situations, once a year is realistic.
If your piano:
- Is in a climate-controlled home with stable humidity
- Is used casually (occasional playing, not daily practice)
- Has been consistently tuned every year for many years
- Is an older instrument that holds pitch reasonably well
…then annual tuning may keep it in acceptable condition for its purpose.
I want to be honest here: “acceptable” is not the same as “optimal.” A piano tuned once a year will likely spend part of that year slightly flat or slightly inconsistent. For casual home use, that may be entirely fine.
When Twice a Year Is Essential
Twice-annual tuning is the right standard if:
- You or someone in your household practices regularly — even casual daily playing means the piano is an active part of your life, and it deserves to be reliably in tune
- You have children taking lessons — students learning on an out-of-tune piano develop imprecise pitch perception over time
- You have a newer piano — new piano strings are still stretching and settling; new instruments often need three or four tunings in their first year
- You live in Chicago — Chicago’s climate produces significant seasonal swings, and an instrument that is well-tuned in October can drift noticeably by February
When You Need More Than Twice a Year
Some situations call for three, four, or more tunings annually:
- Serious students or advanced players who have well-developed ears and notice pitch drift early
- Music teachers whose students are paying for a high-quality learning environment
- Performance preparation — any piano being used for a recital, recording, or concert should be tuned shortly before the event
- Newly purchased pianos — especially in the first one to two years
- Pianos that have been moved — moving always disrupts tuning
The Chicago Factor
Chicago’s climate is genuinely hard on pianos.
Our winters are dry — indoor heating removes moisture from the air, causing the soundboard to contract and strings to go flat. Our summers bring high humidity, which causes the soundboard to swell and pitch to sharpen.
The swing between Chicago’s driest winter months and most humid summer months can be significant enough to affect tuning noticeably. Chicago piano owners, more than those in more stable climates, benefit from sticking to a consistent twice-yearly schedule — and many of my most serious clients here prefer three times per year.
What Happens If You Wait Too Long
If a piano has not been tuned for two or more years, a single tuning may not be enough to bring it back into proper pitch.
When a piano drifts significantly flat, the strings must first be raised to approximately the correct tension in a process called a pitch raise — and then tuned to fine precision in a second pass. In some cases, this requires two visits.
The practical consequence: waiting too long costs more money and more time than staying current. A piano tuned regularly is a piano that stays easier and less expensive to maintain.
My Recommendation
Here is what I tell my Chicago clients:
- Minimum once a year for a very stable environment with light use
- Twice a year for most homes with active players, students, or anyone who wants the piano to sound its best
- Three times a year for teachers, serious students, and performance-level instruments
- Shortly before any performance or recording, regardless of schedule
The goal is not to follow a rigid rule. The goal is to keep your piano sounding the way it should — musical, stable, and responsive.
Ready to Schedule?
If you are in Chicago or the surrounding area and your piano is due for service, I would be glad to help.
Floating Piano Factory offers Essential, Signature, and Premier Care appointments throughout Chicago and Chicagoland.
Eathan Janney is the founder of Floating Piano Factory and has been tuning pianos professionally since around 2000. He serves clients throughout Chicago, New York, and beyond.