Category Archives: Piano Care Tips

Your Piano in 2020

your piano in 2020It’s 2020. A new year AND a new decade. Do you have special plans for your piano and yourself – or your family? Your piano in 2020 could offer exciting opportunities. In today’s post, I’ll make a few suggestions for how you can make the most of it.

Who Will Play Your Piano in 2020?

Think about it.  Who usually plays your piano? And who will play your piano in 2020? Do you play it yourself, or do you have kids who play? Perhaps both?

Then again, maybe you haven’t taken the time to play it as often as you would have liked, and perhaps hardly ever at all. That’s kind of sad.

So the first thing to think about is how to play more and more often, to increase your enjoyment in your investment. And, of course, you should encourage your family to do the same.

What will you be playing?

Then again, you may have been playing for years, or even decades. But perhaps your repertoire has gone a bit stale. Playing the same thing over and over again could get just a little bit (or a lot) boring.

So how about taking the time to discover some new music for your enjoyment – and that of your friends and family?

Now is a good time to start looking – and then practicing those new tunes. There are lots of holidays and occasions to look forward to, starting with Mardi Gras and Easter…

Keep your piano in top shape

To get the most enjoyment from your piano, make sure to keep it in top shape. Is it still in tune? If it’s been a while, schedule a time for your trusty Richmond piano tuner to stop by and take care of it. And spring, which is coming up shortly, is a perfect time to get it tuned.

What if it needs repairs? Are there keys that feel a bit sticky? Maybe some have stopped working altogether.

Then again, your piano may make some strange noises. This could be because something has become lose inside of it, or because an object has fallen inside.

How to fix your piano in 2020

Fortunately, all these problems can be fixed, and sometimes it’s a very easy fix. In fact, when I tune pianos, I also take a look around inside to spot problems that can be fixed right then and there.

So if you are ready to get your piano in shape for 2020, consider giving me a call (or send me a text message) at 804-677-2416 and we can schedule a time for me to come by to take care of it. I look forward to helping your piano sound its best no matter where in Central Virginia you happen to live.

Note: Please call only M-F during business hours, i.e., from 9 to 6. I keep my phone turned off during my private time and wouldn’t want to miss your call.

Please visit (and “like”) my Facebook page for updates as well..

How to Protect Your Piano in the Summer

how to protect your piano in the summerIt’s summer in Richmond and Central Virginia again, and temperatures are inching up. So does the humidity. t’s time to find out how to protect your piano in the summer from excess heat and humidity as well as temperature and humidity fluctuations. It’s also a good idea to find out whether you need a humidity control system for your piano.

You probably know that your piano is very sensitive to changes in temperature and humidity. And so it’s important to protect it from those changes as much and possible. read on for some tips on how to keep your piano safe during the hot Central Virginia summer months.

How Humidity Changes Can Affect Your Piano

You may wonder how a change in humidity can affect your piano. As you know, your piano is mostly made out of wood. And wood expands and contracts as the room humidity increases and decreases. As a result, your piano can go out of tune. worse, some of the key wooden parts can crack and may need costly repairs.

How to Protect Your Piano in the Summer

As a Richmond Piano Tuner, I am constantly giving tips to my clients on how to protect their piano in the summer.
Continue reading →

Preparing Your Piano For Summer

preparing your piano for summerIt’s May, and the temperature is rising… How are you preparing your piano for summer?

You probably know that the summer can be a challenging time for your piano, what with the extra humidity and the high temperatures. So what can you do to keep it in fine shape when the weather gets hot?

Evaluate the location of your piano

Start by evaluating the location of your piano. Is it in a room in which the temperature stays relatively stable?

Here is one of my most important piano care tips when it comes to protecting your piano in summer. It should be kept away from windows and heating/air conditioning vents. The humidity levels should also be relatively stable and controlled.

If your piano is in a “safe” location, that’s a good start. If, on the other hand, your piano is in a room where there’s a door to the outside, and the temperature fluctuates wildly, you may want to consider having your piano moved to a safer location.

Now moving your piano is a major task. A piano is very heavy yet fragile. So you should hire a professional piano mover for this task, even if it is only from one room to another.

If you need help with finding a Richmond piano mover, just send me a text message at 804-677-2416 and I’ll get you in touch with my trusted piano movers who I’ve been working with for years!

Then again, hopefully, your piano is in a safe place now…

Has your piano been tuned recently?

The next question to answer would be whether your piano has been recently tuned. Right now, it’s still not too late to have your piano tuned. The best time for tuning a piano is the spring and the fall, but definitely not in the middle of summer.

So if you plan to play your piano during the summer, or your child continues his or her lessons during the summer, it’s a good idea to make sure your piano is in tune! Otherwise, the practice can be really frustrating and demoralizing.

This means, if you hit some sour notes when you play your piano, you may want to make an appointment very soon to have it tuned before summer gets here for real. Once again, just text me at 804-677-2416.

Of course you can also call me, but texting usually works much better. Because of the nature of my profession, I can’t always access my phone in the middle of a tuning, but I can always take a quick peek at a text message, and text back to confirm that I got it.

Preparing your piano for summer in two steps

As you can see, preparing your piano for summer isn’t all that hard. Make sure it’s protected by keeping it in a temperature and humidity-controlled room, away from windows, doors, and vents. Want to know more? Just click the following link for more piano care tips for the summer.

And if it hasn’t been tuned recently and will be used during the summer, get it tuned now, before the weather gets too hot. If you won’t be playing the piano during the summer, you could wait with the tuning until fall.

Still, you never know when the mood will strike you and you’ll feel inspired to play a few tunes…

That’s it for my piano care tips for right now. If you need any help with your piano, or if you have any questions, please feel free to text me, Blanton Bendall, your trusty Richmond piano tuner, and I’ll be happy to help: 804-677-2416.

 

Spring Piano Tuning Tips

spring piano tuning tipsHappy Spring Equinox. It’s the day when night and day are exactly the same length, and we know that spring is on the way. It’s also the perfect time for Spring Piano Tuning Tips.

Around Central Virginia, we’ve had a few nice springlike days already, and quite a few trees are bursting out in blossoms. So are the crocuses. And chances that it’s getting cold again are minimal.

So that means that the temperatures are going to be relatively moderate over the next few weeks and even months, until things heat up for summer.

The Spring Piano Tuning Connection

So what does spring have to do with piano tuning? Well, spring is the perfect time to have your piano tuned! And for a good reason…

You probably already know that pianos are very sensitive to changes in temperature and humidity. And both of these are pretty stable right about now, in spring. This means that if you have your piano tuned now, it will last for quite a while, especially if you do your best to protect it from the upcoming summer heat and humidity.

Spring Holidays

And that’s not all! There are various spring holidays coming up. A lot of families enjoy playing their piano around Easter, Mother’s Day, and other holidays.  It’s great fun to share songs and enjoy some Easter piano music.

Whether your piano is still pretty much in tune or whether it’s producing some sour notes, I can make it sound perfect in a hurry.

Just call me (or better, send me a text message at 804-677-2416) to schedule a time for me to stop by and take care of your favorite musical instrument.

If you have kids who are practicing the piano, it’s especially important to make sure it’s in tune. After all, you want them to stay motivated.

Pianos in Schools and Churches

With the holidays coming up, there are big demands made on pianos in schools and churches. So they have to be in top shape – and sound their best. This means that now is also the time to have your school piano (or school pianos) tuned. And the same is true for pianos in churches.

How to book an appointment for spring piano tuning?

I am Blanton Bendall, your trusty Richmond piano tuner. And the best way to book an appointment with me is to send a text message to 804-677-2416. I will then get back to you promptly.

Why Text Messages Work Best?

Why a text message and not a phone call? I spend my days tuning pianos, and can’t easily take phone calls while I’m doing that. And checking voice mail is also something that can be challenging in that environment.

But I can always take a quick peek at my phone to check my texts, and if you leave me a message, I can either text you back or call as soon as I’m able to.

I do recommend that you book an appointment soon. I will do my best to fit you in as soon as possible, but as my schedule fills up, it might be more challenging to find a good time that suits you, especially before Easter.

In the meantime, I hope you’ll enjoy the nice spring weather. And I look forward to making sure that you’ll be able to enjoy your piano as well, with a perfectly timed spring piano tuning.

Please also visit my Facebook page for updates, and be sure to “like” it.

Protect Your Piano In The Winter

protect your piano in the winter

A small white kitten on a winter background with a funny look near the piano. Advertising of musical instruments

Are you wondering how to protect your piano in the winter? You’re in the right place! You’ll find several tips below to help you keep your piano in fine shape no matter what the weather outside.

Depending on where you live, it can get very cold in winter. Even in Central Virginia, we have days where we have sub-freezing temperatures. And yes, we get snow too, sometimes a lot of it.

About Temperature

To keep your piano safe, it is first of all important to keep the temperature around your piano steady, preferably around 70 degrees. And that’s what it should be all year long.

This means that you should have your thermostat set to your regular temperature and keep it there, whether you’re home or not. Even if you’re on vacation for a week, you should still keep the room with your piano at that temperature, or you might be coming back to a piano that is out of tune.

Why You Should Keep The Temperature Steady

Hot and cold temperatures can have negative effects on your piano. Cold temperatures can weaken some of the delicate wooden parts of your piano, for example. And once they’re weakened, they could snap and break your piano. Heat has a bigger effect on the metal parts. But the biggest reason is something else that comes along with hot and cold temperatures…

About Humidity

Humidity fluctuates as the temperature fluctuates. If it’s cold, humidity levels are low. And when it gets hot, they rise. You know about hot and humid days, and you also know about chapped lips and dry skin when it’s cold. That’s the effect of humidity.

When it comes to your piano, humidity can really affect especially the wooden parts. They’ll expand when the humidity is high, and shrink when it is low. And that can lead to damage to the piano, as well as to the piano going out of tune.

How to Protect Your Piano In the Winter

To protect your piano in the winter against potential damage, be sure to keep both temperature and humidity steady. The temperature should be around 70 degrees, i.e., regular room temperature. The humidity should be around 40 degrees. Of course, that’s also true when you want to protect your piano in the summer...

You could use A/C to keep the temperature steady, and if needed, you can also use a humidifier if the air gets too dry in the winter.

How would you know if the air is too dry (or to humid)? You can use a hygrometer. They’re easily available from Amazon, or you could ask your piano tuner for a recommendation.

There are also humidity control systems available, but you probably won’t need one if you can control the humidity at your home in other ways, either through your A/C or by using a humidifier and/or a dehumidifier as needed.

Some Common Sense Tips

There are also some common sense things you can do, such as keeping the windows closed on humid and rainy days…  And, of course, always keep your piano away from heaters and drafts.

Any questions? Blanton Bendall, your Richmond Piano Tuner will be happy to answer them for you. And if it’s time for him to tune your piano, he’ll be glad to make specific recommendations on how to protect your piano in the winter.

Just send him a text message at 804-677-2416 for the fastest response, or call him at that number. You may also want to visit our Southern Piano Service Facebook page (and like it while you’re there).