How To Tune a Piano's Bass Notes

When was the last time that you checked your piano? You probably have forgotten about it until now. When you find it, then you naturally would like to play a few tunes but then you find out that the piano is out of tune. However, tuning a piano’s bass notes can be pretty hard. If you are not sure you can do it, hire a professional.

Still, you are only a few strings out of tune. You would be able to tune them just in time for your piano recital.

The piano’s 250 strings are in a high tension, so you would have to be extra careful in tuning them. Make sure also that you have the right tools for this. There is a special wrench used to turn these up or down. As a matter of fact, there are some that have special tools that are used especially for it.

Since you would be able to hear best from the middle string in the piano, it would be best to start from there.

• You can use a tuning fork to make sure that you get that first one right. In a chromatic scale, you should go right in 12 notes.
• Then there are actually three strings for each key. You would need a strip of felt. This would guarantee that you would only be hearing one of them at a time. In a bass, there may only be one or two. You would have to secure the strip to ensure that you can distinguish only one note. There are also some that use muting wedges. The idea is pretty much the same, to keep the other strings from creating sound.
• Working in octaves is also a good way to guarantee the right tuning. Most of the registered piano technicians would use their trained ears when working. However, there are also some new technologies that can help you.
• There is popular software called the TuneLab97 that can do wonders. You would only need a reliable microphone to input the tune. This would help you in guiding on how to tune the piano. Just check for the initial instructions. This would dictate the rest of the tuning session. You should be able to move around the software even before the tuning session. This can even compute the overture.
• If you still feel that this is too complicated you would be able to find credible technicians by checking the Internet for websites that list registered piano technicians. The list of these technicians usually includes the "RPT" in their names. They are members of the Piano Technicians Guild. They are trained individuals that have been through a series of different “troubleshooting” problems for pianos. They may also have a few different styles, some per string, some per octave and other developed techniques. You would be able to find them easily if you know how to look.