In general, when your piano is not producing a clear sound, or you hear multiple sounds when pressing just one key at a time, especially in the middle register and high register of the piano, your piano already needs tuning.

There are variables that need to be considered in order to determine how often you need to tune your piano. The condition of your piano, the workload (how often it is played), and the weather changes that your piano is exposed to are some of those variables.

1. If your piano is a house piano “a piano in your home that is played regularly”, and is still in good condition, it is recommended that you have your piano tuned every 4 – 6 months at the least to avoid unchecked advanced wear and tear and to make sure that your piano is always in good condition and is in standard tuning all the time.

2. If your piano is a commercial piano “a piano used commercially as a hotel, or bar piano”, which is used and played every day and has a heavier workload, it is recommended that you have your piano tuned and serviced every 2 – 3 months.

1. An acoustic piano that is not properly and regularly maintained can present more problems in the long run.
It can lead to unchecked wear and tear in the piano’s machine that if not addressed on time, might be costly to repair or fix if it still can be repaired or fixed.

2. It can put your acoustic piano in a “Sub-standard Tuning” state. This means that your piano’s tuning can slip lower than the Standard 440 tuning if not monitored by regular tuning and maintenance. If your piano’s tuning is way under the Standard 440 tuning, your piano’s tuning stability can be compromised, and it might be necessary for multiple piano tuning sessions to get your piano’s tuning stability back into place.

There are things that a piano tuner should take into consideration when tuning a piano. For example, the location of the piano, the acoustics of the venue, and the harmonics are to be considered. A piano tuner with good listening skills can also detect these things. Whereas, a digital piano tuning meter might not. Therefore, a good piano tuner must have good hearing and listening skills. He must also have the proper piano tuning technique. Otherwise, he might just be doing more harm than good to your piano. He should also be able to answer any questions you may have about your piano. So, you have to choose your piano tuner well.

It is recommended that you have the piano serviced and tuned by an independent professional piano tuner before selling/buying a second-hand piano so you can have an unbiased assessment of the actual condition of the piano. Having the piano tuned before selling/buying puts the piano in its best condition. You can then appraise the selling/buying price depending on the best condition of the used or second-hand piano.