Title says it. Can I buy a kit and use an app or device to get correct pitch?

Or is it a professional task?

We acquired a used upright piano and I'd like to tune it. No previous piano experience.

bearamedic99 said:

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Title says it. Can I buy a kit and use an app or device to get correct pitch?

Or is it a professional task?

We acquired a used upright piano and I'd like to tune it. No previous piano experience.

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I really, really, really doubt it. Probably the same as doing your own dental work.
I was pretty shocked when we paid someone $800 to tune ours and replace the strings.

bearamedic99 said:

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Title says it. Can I buy a kit and use an app or device to get correct pitch?

Or is it a professional task?

We acquired a used upright piano and I'd like to tune it. No previous piano experience.

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Call this guy

No, but you can tune a fish!

You can do it but not correctly.

I have a neighbor who is wired that he can pretty much take anything apart, watch a few videos and get it going again. When they acquired an old family piano the resounding response from the internet was that tuning a piano basically can't be done with out years of training and certainly more than a 20 min YouTube video.

My sister got into tuning pianos as a second career post-kids and spent several years learning the trade.

Part of the problem (as I understand it) is that everything is relative. It's not nearly as simple as this key is this many hz and this key is that many hz.

I can tune a guitar. A piano has 230 strings. That would be like tuning 40 guitars with longer strings, which means finer tuning. It would take a while.

Philo B 93 said:

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I can tune a guitar. A piano has 230 strings. That would be like tuning 40 guitars with longer strings, which means finer tuning. It would take a while.

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piano is way different. The strings actually aren't tuned to perfect intervals, because of stretching and vibrations..

there is a whole bunch of science about it on wiki.

62strat said:

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Philo B 93 said:

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I can tune a guitar. A piano has 230 strings. That would be like tuning 40 guitars with longer strings, which means finer tuning. It would take a while.

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piano is way different. The strings actually aren't tuned to perfect intervals, because of stretching and vibrations..

there is a whole bunch of science about it on wiki.

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I guess when you tune string #230, you will have changed the tension (a lot) on string #1 and so on. Same thing happens on a guitar, but mostly unnoticeable. Glad I never tackled this myself.

Philo B 93 said:

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62strat said:

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Philo B 93 said:

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I can tune a guitar. A piano has 230 strings. That would be like tuning 40 guitars with longer strings, which means finer tuning. It would take a while.

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piano is way different. The strings actually aren't tuned to perfect intervals, because of stretching and vibrations..

there is a whole bunch of science about it on wiki.

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I guess when you tune string #230, you will have changed the tension (a lot) on string #1 and so on. Same thing happens on a guitar, but mostly unnoticeable. Glad I never tackled this myself.

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exactly. you can definitely notice it on a not properly balanced floyd rose. Also same reason why a guitar neck has the truss rod, to more easily achieve a balanced system of tension across the guitar.

Nobody can, it's impossible!

I have an 1897 baby grand and have done so successfully when a few keys have gone sharp using a tuning app and a socket wrench. My piano tuner guy is not near by so this works in a pinch. Be gentle with the pressure on the strings if they are old as they will snap if not careful. Hasn't happened to me but my piano tuner broke two strings awhile back.

MSFC Aggie said:

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Sorry....but first thing that popped into my head...

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Literally opened thread to post this image.

Well done, good sir.

I tried it one time with an app.

Shouldn't have started on middle C, that was an incredibly stupid mistake.

"Anybody can tune a piano" like anybody can write an essay by randomly pressing buttons on they keyboard.

An acquaintance years ago was a piano tuner. Our mutual friend mentioned once the he had some very specialized equipment for the task and it wasn't a trivial skill like tuning a guitar.