An Old Piano at Home: What to Check and How to Play It Again
An old piano can keep playing beautifully for decades, and when it comes back into use after a break, it helps to know what time changes in it and what to check. Maybe it came to you from your parents, maybe it stood quietly in a corner for a few years, or maybe you are simply curious about its condition. Here we go through what changes over the years, the signs worth knowing, and the tuner's first visit. The year it was made can be traced through the serial number, as we explained in our guide to the piano serial number.
How many years an acoustic piano keeps playing
An acoustic piano has no fixed end date. What decides it is the quality of the build, the climate at home, how much it is played and how it was looked after over the years. Kawai describes a quality piano that is well cared for as one that can last fifty to a hundred years and more. The American Piano Technicians Guild, PTG, describes one piano that asks for a thorough rebuild after twenty years, and another that needs only light reconditioning after fifty. In other words, age is one figure among several, and the actual condition tells most of the story.
What decades do to a piano
The felt and leather in the action compact over the years, so the touch becomes less even, and the tone gives up part of its range between pianissimo and forte. The hammers develop small grooves from meeting the strings again and again. Regulation, voicing and tuning bring most of this back into place, and we wrote about that side in our guide to piano regulation. After decades of changing seasons, the wood of the soundboard, the bridges and the pinblock changes too, and a tuning holds for a shorter time. This is where the climate at home makes the difference: steady humidity keeps the wood well over time, as we described in our guide to piano care and humidity.
Signs worth noticing
You can start with a short round of playing, from the lowest key to the highest. A note that sounds like two separate notes on the same key usually hints at tuning pins that grip the string less firmly. An odd buzz or rattle on a few notes points toward the soundboard, the ribs beneath it or the bridges. A key that rises slowly, or a note that keeps sounding after you let go of the key, usually relates to the action and the dampers, which we covered in our guide to piano action. A crack in the soundboard is only part of the picture, and the important question is whether the ribs still sit firmly against it. Most of these details are seen in depth once the piano is opened, so the full picture comes with a tuner's visit.
The first visit after a long break
On this visit the tuner tunes the piano, and takes the chance to look inside as well: the strings, the tuning pins, the hammers, the dampers and the soundboard. At Zohar Pianos tuning is done in your home, anywhere in the country, and a visit takes two to three and a half hours, depending on the piano. A piano left untuned for many years may ask for more than one visit before the tuning settles, and at the end of the visit you will know its condition and what is worth doing next. If the piano has just come to you from another home, it is worth waiting a week or two until it settles in the new room, and only then tuning it. You can book a time on our book a piano tuning page.
Repair, renewal or another piano
When the check shows the piano asks for more than a tuning, you can also arrange repair and renewal with us, and the repair is done in your home. And if a part needs repair, we'll take it in for repair and bring it back to you. How much to invest depends on the quality of the piano, the condition of its main parts and the place it holds for you and your family. Some pianos play beautifully again after regulation and tuning, and in some cases the tuner may suggest thinking about another instrument. If you would like to see more options, you will find our upright pianos on the site, and also a comparison of buying or renting. And whenever you wonder about your long-serving piano, we are here for you.
Links: Book a piano tuning · Piano regulation · Piano care and humidity · Piano action
FAQ
How many years does an acoustic piano last?
It depends on the quality of the build, the climate, the use and the care over the years. A quality piano that is well looked after can keep playing for decades, and Kawai speaks of fifty to a hundred years and more.
Can a piano left unplayed for years be tuned?
Yes, and on the same visit the tuner also looks at it from the inside. A piano left untuned for a long time may ask for more than one visit before the tuning settles. A visit takes two to three and a half hours, depending on the piano.
Does a crack in the soundboard mean you need another piano?
Usually it is only part of the picture. The tuner checks whether the ribs under the board still sit firmly against it, and whether there is a buzz in the notes, and the next step is decided from there.
Can an old piano be repaired at home?
Yes. Repair and renewal are arranged with us, and the repair is done in your home. And if a part needs repair, we'll take it in for repair and bring it back to you. The first step is a tuning visit, where it becomes clear what the piano asks for.