An important step in caring for a piano is ensuring consistent humidity and avoiding extreme temperature exposure.
Humidity is one crucial factor that affects acoustic pianos. One or two days' extreme change can have a noticeable effect on your piano's tuning. Pianos prefer a humidity range of 35-55%. According to piano care experts, the ideal humidity for your piano is 42%.
There are many ways to provide hydration, but the most simple and cost-effective trick is to place a glass jar with filtered water in the bottom compartment of the upright piano. To monitor the levels you can attach a small cigar humidity gauge.
These measures are needed as soon as your house heating system turns on in the cold months. Also, be aware of how sunlight ‘travels’ over the course of a day in your home. If possible, your piano should not be placed in direct sunlight.
Do not place your piano near:
Heating vents
Stoves
Fireplaces
Radiators, gas heaters, space heaters
Drafty windows
For Grand pianos, there are professional humidity control systems on the market.
If you are not interested in spending a lot of money then a simple and cheap solution could be a product called Dampit. There are different sizes available but for big piano, a larger form would be more effective.
Tuning
There is no absolute rule as to how often your piano must be tuned; however, it is recommended to tune your piano once or twice a year. Since a piano will adjust to changes in temperature and humidity throughout the year, I suggest to tune your piano 3 to 5 weeks after you turn on your air conditioner in the Spring, and/or 3 to 5 weeks after you turn on your furnace in the Fall. This allows your piano to acclimate to the new season before tuning. The better your piano is stabilized to the season, the better it will stay in tune.
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