Ten Piano Tuning Myths a Technician Hears Every Week

Every trade has its folklore, and pianos have more than most — passed from grandparents, piano salesmen, and the internet. Some myths are harmless; several cost owners real money or, worse, cost pianos years of life. Here are the ten we hear most in GTA living rooms, and what's actually true.

1. "Nobody plays it, so it doesn't need tuning."

The most expensive myth on the list. Pianos go out of tune from humidity moving the soundboard, not from being played — an unplayed piano drifts exactly as fast as a played one; you just don't hear it. Worse, the unplayed piano's problems (drift, sticky keys, pests) go unnoticed for years. How often it really needs tuning.

2. "It's too old to tune."

Almost never. A piano that's spent decades in a stable room typically comes back beautifully with a pitch raise. Age isn't the killer — damp basements, garages, and radiators are. What to expect after 20 years.

3. "A tuning app can do the job."

An app can hear a pitch. It can't set a tuning pin so it stays, match unisons string against string, or judge the stretch a real piano needs. App-guided DIY tunings sound off within days — the physics is unforgiving. The honest DIY answer.

4. "Tuning once and it's done for years."

A tuning is a state, not a repair. Seasons move the soundboard and pitch drifts — annually for most home pianos, twice a year for grands and serious players. Steady room humidity is what makes each tuning last longer; nothing makes it last forever.

5. "The tuner made it worse — it sounds different."

Occasionally true of a bad tuning, but far more often: a piano that's been flat for years sounds strange at correct pitch, because the ear has adjusted to the flat version. Give it a week. If it's genuinely off, that's what a guarantee is for — ours is 30 days.

6. "A cracked soundboard means the piano is finished."

Most soundboard cracks are cosmetic — common in older Canadian pianos, usually inaudible. The board fails when it loses crown or its ribs separate, which you hear as buzzing or weak tone. A crack you found with your eyes on a piano that sounds fine is a crack to ignore.

7. "Moving a piano across the room won't affect it."

It might, a little — and moving it to another floor almost certainly will, because the instrument is now in a different microclimate. Two to four weeks to settle, then tune. Moving day is the wrong day to tune.

8. "Old pianos are valuable antiques."

A few are. Most old uprights are the market's least valuable tier regardless of ornate cabinetry — "antique" in a listing usually just means old. Brand and condition set value; the birthday doesn't.

9. "Cheap tuning is the same tuning."

A proper tuning takes about 90 minutes and sets ~230 strings stably by ear. A 30-minute tuning at half the price is a different product that fades in weeks — the most expensive kind of cheap. Fair GTA range is $150–$240; below that, ask what's being skipped.

10. "Humidifiers are for people, not pianos."

They're for both, but the piano needs it more. A room held at 40–50% humidity through a Canadian winter is the difference between a piano that ages and one that erodes — cracked boards and loose pins are overwhelmingly a dry-winter injury. A $60 humidifier and a $20 hygrometer are the best piano care money buys.

Bonus: "The middle pedal does nothing."

On many uprights it's a practice mute; on good grands, a sostenuto; on some pianos, honestly, it's decorative. Ask your tuner which yours is — it takes ten seconds and settles a family argument.

The pattern in all ten: pianos are sturdier than the folklore fears and needier than the folklore assumes. Tune it annually, keep the room steady, fix small things while they're small — and ignore the rest. Book a tuning.

Common questions

Does a piano need tuning if it isn't played?
Yes — drift comes from humidity, not use. An unplayed piano goes out of tune just as fast; it simply goes unheard, along with any other problems developing inside.

Can an old piano still be tuned?
Usually. What matters is where it's lived, not how long ago it was tuned. A stable-room piano decades untuned typically needs a pitch raise and comes back well.

Why does my piano sound strange after tuning?
Most often because it was flat for so long that correct pitch sounds unfamiliar; the ear readjusts within days. If it's genuinely off after a week, use the guarantee — any good technician offers one.