Excerpts from the National Piano Foundation:

Once your new piano is in your home, choose a place for it with stable humidity and temperature. Reducing seasonal humidity changes will greatly improve the performance and longevity of your piano. Ask your technician about climate control systems.

A piano’s continued good performance depends on regular maintenance. After you move a piano to any new environment, wait a few weeks for it to become acclimated before having it tuned. A new piano should be tuned at least three to four times during the first year and on a regular schedule after that as recommended by you Registered Tuner-Technician.

 

Tuning you piano:

Your piano should always be tuned to standard pitch, A-440 CPS, and should be tuned at least three times during the first year after purchase (applies to new pianos). Some tuning instability should be anticipated during the first year because of the elasticity of the piano wire, combined with the piano’s normal adjustment to the humidity changes in your home. If a piano is allowed to stand for long periods of time without service, it will go further and further out of tune. More time and expense will be required to achieve an accurate tuning. Changes in pitch occur in all makes and models of pianos.

These changes are caused primarily by the expansion and contraction of the soundboard. Dimensional changes occur when the moisture content of the wood increases during periods of high humidity, and decreases when the air is dry. Movement of the soundboard causes the bridges and strings to move, which increases or decreases the tension of the strings. This causes the pitch of each note to change. The amount of change varies in different parts of the scale. The low notes change only slightly, while notes in the middle sections vary the most.

Humidity control

Besides tuning your piano on a regular schedule, the best way to improve tuning stability is to reduce the changes in humidity that occur in most homes. Using an air conditioner in humid summer months and adding a humidifier to your central heating system will reduce the extremes of high and low humidity and improve tuning stability. However, room humidifiers and dehumidifiers, as well as systems designed to be installed inside of pianos will control humidity-related disorders still further. Place the piano away from windows, outside doors, heating vents, fireplaces, and other sources of extreme or sudden humidity or temperature changes. In normal environments, changes in temperature are important only because of the changes in humidity that result.

Humidity control will not only improve performance, it will also be a major factor in determining the useful life of your piano. Historically, pianos have lasted as long as people. Recent improvements in glues and finishes and ongoing improvements in design and production methods should contribute to an even greater life expectancy if the piano is properly maintained