It is delightful to gaze at a fine piano standing in your home; it is exhilarating to play your own piano, and it is necessary to take good care of that piano. Just like any other family member, your piano needs to be loved and cared for. Negligence will deduct years from your piano’s life, while proper care will add many more glorious years to its life. Furthermore, good care ensures good performance. Regular attention and care help maintain the sound quality and the splendid finish. No matter if your piano is new or old, you should treasure it like gold.
Go through the tips listed below and start taking care of your piano so that its heart beats melodiously for a longer time.
Find The Proper Piano Room
When choosing a room for your piano, you might consider the following factors:
Temperature Conditions
The interior parts of your piano can be damaged when exposed to extreme temperatures. Give points to the room with moderate and stable temperature conditions. Fluctuations in temperature can harm the interior of your piano and affect the sound quality, whereas stability helps the instrument to function properly. Place your piano away from AC vents, heaters, and fireplaces to avoid frequent fluctuations.
Direct Sunlight
To ensure the long and shining life of your piano polish, try to keep it away from direct sunlight. Give points to the room with minimum exposure to sunlight. Place your piano away from windows to ensure minimum sun exposure and avoid extreme temperatures.
Humidity
Humidity affects the soundboard of your piano. The soundboard is the amplifier of your piano and it decides the pitch. In high humidity, the wooden soundboard increases in size and raises the pitch, while in low humidity, it lowers the pitch. Piano tuning will be adversely affected in both cases. Give points to the room with moderate and stable humidity conditions. Fluctuations cause swelling and shrinking which injure the quality and lifespan.
Human Traffic
Placing your piano in a popular place can lead to spilled water or damaged keys. Treat your piano as an introvert and ensure only responsible people are around it. Give points to the room that expects the minimum and the sensible crowd.
Now consider the factors, compare the marks, and choose the perfect place for your piano.
Clean The Exteriors Of The Piano Regularly
If your piano is left unattended for days, then dirt will start building up in the interior and the polish will start fading. You could avoid paying loads for these repairs if you start cleaning regularly. But remember to clean only the exterior. To clean the keys, take a damp cloth and gently wipe in a back-and-forth motion to prevent dirt from entering the space between the keys. Remember to dry off the keys immediately. If there is any kind of spot on the keys, then you can use mild soap. To maintain the finish, you can use compatible polish occasionally. But for regular cleaning, a damp cloth is advisable. When you take care of the piano by yourself, then stick to the exterior only. Make an appointment and wait for a professional to attend to the delicate and complicated interior.
Practice Makes Perfect
Playing is the easiest and best way to take care of your piano. When you practice, you wake up all the parts by letting them play with you. Frequent use helps your piano maintain perfect condition and avoid wear and tear. Loneliness is not only a problem for creatures but also for instruments. If left alone for a long time, they can become internally damaged. Play your piano at least twice a week so that the interior parts can work out and maintain a ‘sound physique’. Playing the piano will soothe your soul and heal the piano. Play, practice, produce, and maintain perfection.
A Piano Is Not a Table
A piano is an exemplary instrument that requires respect and care. No one should confuse a piano for furniture. Stock your books and place your vases on a real table and not on your piano. You can damage a piano’s pitch this way. Heavy weight can cause serious injury to a piano’s interior. Vases and plants will allow water to damage the wood. Any kind of liquid on or around the instrument poses a serious threat to its wellbeing. Taking proper care of your piano is to ensure that it is respected as an instrument and not burdened by heavy weight or damaged by liquids. Always be alert and avoid any form of liquid around your piano.
Tuning
Some say that frequency of tuning depends upon the usage of the piano, but experts say tuning twice a year is inarguably important. Many factors in the piano’s environment affects its tuning and creates the requirement for regular tuning. Temperature and humidity fluctuations result in dreadful contraction and expansion that affects the quality. If you continue to play in poor conditions, then the wear and tear will increase, and the life span of the piano will decrease. If your piano is new, then you should tune more often. When you bring home a new piano, it requires more care and the stings require more tuning. If you want your melodies to sound mesmerizing and hit the right string in your heart, then tune it regularly to maintain the piano string. Tuning will maintain sound quality and prevent unwanted wear and tear.
Contact A Piano Technician
Keeping contact with a registered piano technician helps you take care of your piano. The expert advice and professional sessions with them will help you understand and handle your piano better. Make frequent appointments for servicing and tuning with the technician to ensure the best care.
Cover
Remember to cover the keys, and if possible, the whole instrument, when not in use. The cover will protect your piano from exterior wear and tear and dirt molecules.
Taking care of your piano is simple but requires devotion. Piano demands regular attention as well as professional attention. If you want your piano to live long and sound right, then take good care. Treat your piano as a family member that has a heart of strings, the hand of keys, and the voice of heaven. Place correctly, clean daily, practice frequently, treat as an instrument, tune regularly, call a professional, cover when not in use, and give it all the love and care it needs.
