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Understanding Pitch Raise in Piano Tuning

Upon first purchasing or restoring a piano, there’s a lot to do to ensure that it can both create and sustain the sounds you want. This process often includes extensive tuning to best stretch the internal strings and produce the necessary tunes. However, there’s actually a service that should be performed before tuning that can help your piano maintain its sound for much longer. So, for you to properly start up and care for your instrument in the future, it’s important that you have an understanding of pitch raise in piano tuning.

Defining a Pitch Raise

Every piano has what is known as its proper pitch. This is the ideal tension that the model’s internal components should rest at for it to produce the highest quality sound possible. As a piano sits idle or untouched after manufacturing, it can fall away from this ideal pitch and make it more difficult for the tuner to bring it back to the ideal placement. As such, pitch raising is a piano tuning session performed before the actual tuning process can begin. Its purpose is to change the overall tension in the instrument itself so that it can retain that tension for much longer.

What Happens During a Pitch Raise

It isn’t enough to know what pitch raising is. To truly understand pitch raise in piano tuning, you also need to know a bit of what the process entails. When beginning a pitch raising session, the technician will increase the overall tension on all 200 piano strings rather than the select few they typically would adjust during tuning. All strings need to be adjusted to distribute the newly applied tension and put less stress on the instrument as a whole. The amount of adjustment needed for each string will also depend on the model of the piano being worked on and its sound range. From here, the piano can be tuned with minor tweaks to a select few strings.

How Often Should a Piano Undergo a Pitch Raise

While pitch raising can be incredibly helpful in getting a piano back into peak performing condition, this process can be very harsh on its internal parts. The amount of strain that must be put on the strings to stretch them back into shape can also create more tension than the device can handle. This can result in more damage over the course of its life. Fortunately, you can maintain the results of pitch raise by practicing routine cleanings and overall upkeep. So, you should only need to put it through this process once every several years.

At Chicago Piano Tuners, we know that there’s more to a piano’s quality performance than the tuning process. Because of this, along with our quality piano tuning service, we also offer specialized pitch raising for newly manufactured or refurbished acoustic pianos. This way, we can ensure that not only are you getting the best possible sounds from your instrument but also that it lasts with routine maintenance.

Caleb CrockettUnderstanding Pitch Raise in Piano Tuning