Piano Placement

Honestly there are not too many places in any given room that pianos can go. Most folks put a grand piano with the straight side at a little bit of an angle near the wall and have the curved side into the center of the room. The advantage of this is that the lid opens into the room for better sound distribution and it takes up less floor space. However, some folks like the tail (or smaller rounded end) into the corner with the keyboard towards the center of the room. Whatever works will work. We all like the look of something different. Outside walls are no so much an issue any longer because modern homes are much better insulated and thus not a ‘cold’ wall. Also watch the heating vents and fireplaces that they are not blowing dry air right at the piano. A heating deflector works nice if needed.

Piano Service

Tuning the piano is somewhat akin to putting gas in the car! If it’s done regularly things will go well. Find a good and competent Piano Technician that really knows his or her business. Pianos should be tuned from one to two times a year or more depending on the need. They will sound better and everyone will be happy. (Especially your neighbors in the summer with the windows open!) The great Horowitz had his piano tuned on the first Tuesday of every month at 11:00 AM. That was his need. He was a great concert artist and wanted it perfect all the time. Your need may not be quite that. The benefit of regular tuning also helps the piano tuner to know when to suggest other things that may need servicing such as any voicing (tone enhancement) or regulation (the playability and responsiveness of the action.) (SEE FAQ)

Finish Care

If your piano is the traditional satin finish then you’ll want to care for it like any other fine furniture. Feather dust and the clean and polish it with some kind of furniture polish. If you have the shiny polyester resin “high polish” finish then you’ll want to feather dust so no dust particles get “scratched into the finish” and then clean and polish. You can use a piano care product for this; a window cleaner or even just a damp rag. Buff it dry whatever you use and it will look lovely.


The piano is a combination of wood; metals; felt; etc. That being the case it will do better with a moderate and consistent humidity level. The 40 to 45 % level has been recognized as the best possible humidity level to keep the room or piano at. This allows the wood and metal and felt parts to not be too moist or too dry. You can accomplish this one of two ways; install a sophisticated climate control system that is very inexpensive in comparison to what you’ve invested in with a piano, or moderate the humidity with air conditioning in the humid summers (if that is your climate) and humidification in the winter (if you have a dry heating season.)