Piano Care & Maintenance
By Brandy Kraemer, About.com Guide to Piano
Given the piano's size and complexity, piano care might seem like an endless endeavor. It's best to prevent piano damage before it happens, so you don't end up with future headaches. Learn about piano tuning; how to safely clean your piano and your piano keys, and learn how to detect interior and exterior damage.
Cleaning Your Piano
Compared to other pieces of furniture, the piano comes across as an indestructible beast. Actually, quite the opposite is true. Cleaning your piano like you clean your kitchen table – no matter how precious the wood – can lead to exterior and interior damage, and an annoying dent in your wallet. Learn the right way to keep your piano clean:
Piano Tuning
The piano is the least-tuned of all the stringed instruments. This is partly because pianos remain in-tune for fairly long durations, and also because most pianists do not tune their own pianos. For these reasons, many piano-owners put off a tuning until a bad pitch is heard; and by that point, it can cost you twice as much. Learn more about keeping your piano in-tune:
Detecting and Preventing Piano Damage
Given the piano’s size and complexity, it might seem easier to assume everything’s in working order so long as the keys play tune. But, while it’s always a good idea to contact a professional if you suspect damage, it’s important to learn how to detect, and prevent, a damaged piano:
- 4 Tips for a Healthy Piano
- How to Inspect a Used Piano
- Signs of Exterior Damage
- Signs of Interior Damage
Caring for Your Piano Keys
How often do you wipe the dust from your computer monitor? More often than the germ-ridden keyboard? Piano keys are in constant contact with fingers, yet it’s easy to overlook how badly they need a cleaning – even when you’re making the rest of the piano sparkle. Learn some inside tricks on how to dust, disinfect, and whiten your piano keys; and get tips on how to care for pure ivory:
