Piano Care

The first thing to do to look after you piano is make sure its stored in a suitable place. This means finding somewhere that isn’t too damp. Keep your piano away from heaters, air conditioners and fire places. Also try and keep your piano (if it’s an upright) away from an outside wall of the house. Keep the piano out of long periods of direct sunlight too, as this can damage the finish and also affect the tuning. This all sounds very particular but anything to do with heat and moisture will put your piano at risk of going out of tune and have other long term negative side effects. Ideally you want the piano somewhere that the humidity and heat levels are at a nice constant level. The contracting and expanding of the wooden parts will affect the quality of the piano.

You should have your piano tuned twice a year. Also, it helps to get it “re-conditioned” or “regulated”. This is when a trained professional piano technician will fix and adjust any wear and breakage. It’s a very good idea to keep a piano properly maintained and your piano will love you for it.

Try not to put drinks or vases on your piano either. It’s very easy to have an accident and very difficult to clean up the mess it will make inside your piano. Sometimes the damage can be irreversible. Also be careful of objects that may scratch or damage the finish on your piano.

When cleaning the piano use a feather duster first. The dust that accumulates can cause tiny scratches when you polish it. Then use a soft damp cloth. Don’t use polish, despite what the labels might say, because this can also sometimes damage the wood. Just get the excess moisture off with a dry cloth. This process can be used on the actual keys as well. However use separate cloths for the black and white keys.

If you really want to get more thorough with cleaning your piano there are some products that are designed specifically for pianos. Go down to your local piano shop and talk to the people. They will undoubtedly have the right products and advice for you, or check with your piano technician for your specific piano care needs.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ashley Southam (The Piano Guy) is a pianist with years of experience behind him. Piano is his passion, and he is also the drive and inspiration behind Rocket Piano – the Ultimate Piano Learning Kit, and Rocket Piano Gospel Edition. If you want to take your piano playing skills to a new level, you need the Rocket Piano Kit. You get step by step instructions complete with audio and video lessons, and you can get instant access by clicking http://www.pianovillage.com/RocketGospelPiano.html .