Hot can I fix a sticking piano key?

Sticking keys are generally as result of moisture build up in the keyboard. The structure of a piano keyboard is primarily made up of the wooden keys as well as a number of paper and cloth felts. Sticking notes develop when any or all of these three components attracts moisture build up.

In climates such as those found in South Australia and Western Australia, piano keyboards typically remain free for most of the year due to the dry hot climate found in these states. When the weather is unseasonally humid or if there are long periods of rainfall, moisture in the air can build up which reulsts in the wood, paper and felt components in piano keyboards to swell. This is why keys start to stick.

In most cases, the following basic steps can be taken to temporarily repair a sticking piano key:

1. Identify the sticking key.
2. Depress the keys either side by using the thumb and index finger.
3. Grab hold of the sticking key by using the pad of the thumb and index finger.
4. Gently wiggle the sticking key from side to side for around 5 seconds.
5. Release and test the key.

If this doesn't work, the problem may well be somewhere in the piano action which will require a qualified piano tuner / technician to repair.  

Pianos in the streets - Come Out festival Comes to Adelaide!

Hi there piano lovers!

For those who are not aware, Adelaide's version of the worldwide 'Come Out Festival' has once again hit our streets. This annual event has attracted rave reviews with organisers this year placing 31 pianos on random street corners in and around Adelaide for anybody and everybody to play!

What a great Idea, Adelaide's Arts community has done it yet again!

Click on the below link for the Advertisers story.

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/entertainment/festivals/a-piano-on-ivory-corner-of-come-out-festival/story-e6free4l-1226025704949

Fellow Piano Tuners...

Are you a fellow Piano Tuner? Post a message on my blog and say Hi!

Piano Hammer Voicing

Today, I repaired a piano in Albert Park, a suburb of Adelaide, where the hammers had become dry and were producing a really harsh, metalic sound. To rectify this, I used a process known as 'voicing' which basically changes the physical structure of the hammer felt in order to give the piano a more nicer, mellow tone. Tonight I was playing around on youtube and found this really great short film on 'voicing' piano hammers, check it out...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FQTabXCh3g&feature=related

Piano Tuning - a dying art, ABC short video

For those who wonder how us piano tuners spend our days, check out this fantastic 5 minute documentary by the ABC on the dying art of piano tuning...

http://www.abc.net.au/news/video/2011/02/13/3137464.htm

Have we tuned your piano?

Have we tuned your piano? We value customer feedback, so post a comment on how you rate our service to you?

How often does a piano need tuning?

As a general rule, pianos need tuning anually, however its no big deal for a piano to go 3-5 years without being tuned. After 5 years, the pitch begins to drop sharply and the piano will begin to sound quite flat. We generally recommend home pianos be tuned every few years and if your playing every day, it should be tuned anually. When was your piano last tuned? Post a comment...

Beale Pianos - Their history, value and are they worth restoring?

Beale Pianos were originally founded by Octavius Beale in 1893, in Annandale, NSW. The Beale Piano Company rose to be the largest piano manufacturer in the British Empire at one stage, producing more than 90,000 pianos from 1893 to 1975. Of particular note is the unique 'steel tuning system' that Beale Pianos patented which was designed to withstand the dry, hot conditions found in many states of Australia. This system was so successful that many Beale Pianos have survived the test of time and are still being played today. Just the other day, I tuned an upright Beale Piano at Banksia Park Primary School in Adelaide, the tuning system was as tight as the day the piano was built.

Older style Beale Pianos are generally valued at between $250 - $1000 depending on their age, condition and model. Some later models (1970's and 80's) can fetch above $1250 and new Beale pianos start from around $3995.

Most older style Beale pianos are worth restoring. The relatively low value of some older styles in a way does the quality of these pianos an injustice as most had a full iron frame, were overstrung and had a quality underdamper playing mechanism. We find a common scenario is for people to pay up to $500 for an older style Beale and then spend $400 - $500 through us tuning and repairing the mechanism. In these cases, the money is well spent, because whilst the value of the piano may only be around $1000, the quality is well above most other older style brands on the market.

Mobile Piano Service's Piano information blog

Welcome to the Mobile Piano Service blog!

Mobile Piano Service operates out of Adelaide, South Australia. We are a small family business specialising in piano tuning, repairs, restorations, valuations and sales. Our advertisement and contact details can be found at www.mobilepianoservice.com.au

We recognise that the piano market is often a daunting place, whether its buying a new or used piano, tuning, repairs, restorations or valuations, our blog aims at giving you the information you need. In addition, we aim at providing useful information for fellow tuners and piano enthousists alike. 

We will be posting our first blog topic soon, so 'STAY TUNED'...