Piano Tuning and Repair Jonathan Langham
A great-sounding piano is my goal for you
Langham Piano Service
Piano Tuning and Repair Jonathan Langham
A great-sounding piano is my goal for you
Langham Piano Service
A great-sounding piano is my goal for you
Langham Piano Service
A great-sounding piano is my goal for you
Langham Piano Service
Service to the client started in 1985 when Jon started tuning pianos in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. In 1988 he became a Registered Piano Technician(RPT) with the Piano Technicians Guild. This designation indicates competency in piano knowledge, tuning ability, and repair and maintenance of pianos.
Over the years he held the office of VP and President of the Pittsburgh chapter of the Piano Technicians Guild. Today he serves customers inSouthwestern Indiana and neighboring Illinois. At Langham Piano Service continuing education is emphasized to stay current with trends and skills, old and new. This is accomplished by frequent attendance at regional and national annual conventions, private study, and interaction with leaders in the business.
Tuning is the forte of the service. The performance of the piano is also a keen interest. We want the piano to feel good under the fingers and respond to nuances of touch, so the music expresses what you, the player want. Sometimes, if needed, we will take it apart to make the repair.
The satisfaction of the client is the overarching goal of Langham Piano Service. Tears of joy and notes of thanks are what we remember most. Our pledge is to improve your piano in tone, in function, and in potential for beautiful music.
Please contact us if you cannot find an answer to your question.
Tuning is the core of our business.
We pitch the piano at standard pitch: The A in the middle of the piano is set to 440 cycles per second.
Your ears and mine determine when the piano sounds good. After fifteen years of using a tuning fork and the naked ear we accepted the assistance of an electronic tuning aid (computer). When the computer says it is right, then our ears go into fine tune mode to give a tuning, pleasing to the ear and verifiable by the numbers.
How often should I tune? The tuning your mother or grandmother had done, when you were a child does not qualify your piano as being up to date. We recommend tuning twice a year to counteract the swings of humidity as our seasons change, damp in summer, dry in winter.
Call for pricing. 304-670-7904
Over the years the piano gets worn. Hammers are cut by the strings, felt throughout the action compresses. Consequently you feel looseness and hear rattles. The piano will not repeat fast and is hard to play quietly. All this can creep up, unnoticed until someone points it out. We “tune up” the piano by carefully manipulating many points of adjustment throughout the action. In the business, we call this regulation.
The wood deteriorates, too. We offer climate control for the piano. Dampp-Chaser is our supplier for humidity control. D-C’s system goes inside or underneath to keep the humidity stable. This keeps the wood of the sounding board supple and musical. If you care about the piano, this is for you.
We are able to remove dust from the piano.
The finish of your piano is maintained by simply wiping with a dry cloth, damp cloth or quickly washing with mild soap. An oil polish is acceptable, not wax. For high polish finishes use water with a very clean, soft cloth.
“If I move my piano to another room, does it need to be re-tuned? My grandmother had a fine old upright that she never got tuned. Why does my piano need regular tuning? Back home we always kept a jar of water in the bottom of the piano. Does this help keep the piano in tune? How often does my piano need tuning?” Piano technicians hear these questions every day. Tuning is the most frequent and important type of piano maintenance, but it’s often the least understood. Here we’ll look at why pianos go out of tune and how you can help yours stay in better tune between visits from your technician.
First, new pianos are a special case; their pitch drops quickly for the first few years as the new strings stretch and wood parts settle. It’s very important that a new piano be maintained at proper pitch (A-440) during this period, so the string tension and piano structure can reach stable equilibrium. Most manufacturers recommend three to four tunings the first year, and at least two annually after that.
Aside from this initial settling, seasonal change is the primary reason pianos go out of tune. To understand why, you must realize that the piano’s main acoustical structure, the soundboard, is made of wood (typically 3/8-inch thick Sitka spruce). And while the wooden soundboards produce a wonderful sound, they also react constantly to weather. As humidity goes up, a soundboard swells, increasing its crowned shape and stretching the piano’s strings to a higher pitch. During dry times, the soundboard flattens out, lowering tension on he strings and causing the pitch to drop.
Unfortunately, the strings don’t change pitch equally. Those near the soundboard’s edge move the least, and those near the center move the most. So, unless it’s in a hermetically sealed chamber, every piano is constantly going out of tune!
The good news is there are some simple things you can do to keep your piano sounding sweet and harmonious between regular service appointments. Although it’s impossible to prevent every minor variation in indoor climate, you can often improve conditions for your piano.
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