For a piano to be tuned properly the piano has to be in good enough condition for it to stay in tune. There are 3 general types of tunings.

Pitch correction is when the pitch isn’t close enough to A440Hz so that it can be tuned properly at that pitch. This is where the piano is tuned quickly to bring it as close to pitch as possible. If the piano is far off pitch then this needs to be done twice or even 3 times before it will become stable enough at pitch to be tuned properly.

Fine tuning is when the piano is stable and very close to pitch. This is when the whole piano is tuned properly with much care to deliver the best result possible.

A relative tuning is when the piano is not at pitch but instead of correcting the pitch before tuning it is tuned to its current average pitch. This is usually done as a cheaper option when its not really worth spending the time and money on the instrument.

There are many factors to get a piano to work properly and behave at an optimum level. Regulating is the art of setting up the piano keys, hammer action & damper action to how it should be for best performance. This requires many fine adjustments. It is a skill that requires a thorough knowledge of piano technology. I’ve recently completed the Yamaha 4 day grand regulation workshop at the Yamaha Premium Piano Centre in Melbourne.

Voicing is the art of getting the best tone from the piano. This is done by a few methods. When hammers are worn they can be reshaped to rejuvenate their tone. Also there are many different methods of needling the hammer felt to finely adjust the tone and maintain a consistent tone across the whole compass of the piano