The Case for Stretched Tuning

There are a variety of ways to tune a piano. The most common is in equal temperament. This simply means the frequency of the notes is equally divided amongst the twelve notes in an octave with the octave have a pure tone (no beats when play two keys of the same note).

A stretched tuning is taking those frequencies and "stretching" them higher as you go up the piano. Unlike equal temperament and meantone tunings, stretched tuning is the one kind of tuning that an ETD (electronic tuning device) can't be used for, with the exception of the piano temperament range (F3 to F4.) The reason is due to varying piano sound quality. An expert piano tuner will tune a piano to equal temperament, then adjust the notes just a little higher (or a little lower in the base range) to give a more deep and resonating sound to the frequencies when played.

This takes an expert ear and a lot of attention to ensure the adjustment of the frequencies aren't stretched too tight or too loose and cause the piano to sound like a howling wolf... an effect we call the "wolf tone". Typically, this kind of tuning is done on higher-end pianos as the stretching of the strings higher than the pitch requires the strings and soundboard to be able to handle the extra tension.

With n'Tune Piano KC, to avoid confusion, we simply refer to this kind of tuning as "Advanced Tuning" due to the extra care and expertise needed to perform it. So, if you have a Yamaha, Young Chang, Boston, Essex, or even a Steinway & Sons, reach out to us today and let us give your piano a personality that's unique to it's quality!