How to Tune a Piano Yourself: Tools, Apps and 8 Simple Steps
Yes, you can tune a piano yourself. A piano teacher's guide to the tuning lever, mutes and apps, the 8 steps, and when to leave it to a professional.
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Yes, you can tune a piano yourself. You need a tuning lever, a few mutes and a piano tuning app, plus three or four quiet hours for your first try. This guide walks you through the tools, the eight steps, the bit of science that makes it work, and the cases where you should put the lever down and call a technician.
I'm a piano teacher, not a piano technician. My students' parents ask me about tuning all the time, so I've put together what I tell them: what is realistic for a beginner, and what isn't.
Quick answer
How do you tune a piano?
You turn each string's tuning pin with a tuning lever until the string matches its target pitch. Start by muting so only one string sounds, and tune A4 (the A above middle C) to 440 Hz. Then set the middle octave, work outward into the treble and bass, and finally tune each note's other strings to match until the “beats” disappear. A piano tuning app makes this realistic for beginners because it calculates the stretch a piano needs. If your piano hasn't been tuned in years, is valuable, or has loose pins or broken strings, call a technician instead.
Can you tune a piano yourself?
Yes, if the piano is only slightly out of tune and you're patient. A basic DIY tuning of an upright is within reach of a careful beginner. It won't sound like a professional's work the first time, but it can sound much better than a piano that has drifted.
It gets harder, and riskier, when the piano is far below pitch, the tuning pins are loose, or the instrument is valuable. A technician also does things an app can't: they check the pin block, regulate the action, and spot problems before they get expensive.
Two quick notes before you start. Digital pianos never need tuning: their sound is sampled, so if you have one, you're done (see acoustic vs digital piano). And if your acoustic piano was tuned in the last year and sounds mostly fine, a few sour notes may be just one string of a unison, which is the easiest fix of all.
What tools do you need to tune a piano?
You need a tuning lever, at least two wedge mutes, and a piano tuning app or a tuning fork. A felt temperament strip is useful but optional. A basic kit with a decent lever and mutes costs up to about $100, according to the DIY guide at Tune Your Own Piano.
- Tuning lever (also called a tuning hammer or tuning wrench). This is the one tool you can't improvise. Look for a tapered star tip, which fits the square tops of tuning pins in several positions. Most pianos take a #2 tip. Student levers cost around $50; professional levers start above $100.
- Wedge mutes. Rubber or felt wedges that you push between strings so only one string of a note sounds. Have at least two.
- Temperament strip. A long felt strip that mutes the outer strings across a whole section, leaving only the middle strings free. Handy for the middle octave, not essential.
- A piano tuning app or a tuning fork. An app is the easiest way for a beginner. A 440 Hz fork gives you one reference note, and then you tune everything else by ear.
- Optional for uprights: a treble mute such as the spring-loaded Papps mute, which makes the high notes easier to reach.
Don't use pliers, vise grips or socket wrenches. They slip and damage the tuning pins, which can turn a free tuning into a costly repair.
Which piano tuner app should you use?
Use an app made for pianos, not a generic chromatic tuner. Chromatic tuners aim every note at perfect mathematical pitch, but pianos need octaves that are slightly stretched (I explain why below). Piano apps measure your piano and calculate that stretch for you.
- PianoMeter works on iPhone, iPad and Android. It's free to download with a limited evaluation; the Plus version is a one-time $30 (or $60 a year), and Pro is $350, according to PianoMeter's site.
- TuneLab is available for Android, iOS and, as TuneLab Pro, for Windows. It has been used by professional tuners for a long time; see TuneLab for current licence prices.
- Entropy Piano Tuner is free and open source, but it's less beginner-friendly and has been harder to find in app stores.
How does piano tuning work?
Every note's pitch depends on the tension of its string, and you change that tension by turning the tuning pin. Tighten a string and the note goes up; loosen it and the note goes down. The pins sit in a hardwood pin block that holds them by friction, which is why a piano stays in tune for months, and also why a careless turn can loosen a pin for good.
If you want to understand the rest of the mechanism, I've written a separate guide on how the piano works.
Why do piano notes have more than one string?
Most piano notes have two or three strings, tuned to exactly the same pitch, so the note is louder and richer. The lowest bass notes have a single heavy string, the rest of the bass has two, and the tenor and treble have three. Each hammer hits all the strings of its note at once.
That's why mutes matter. You tune one string of each note with the others muted, then you pull the mutes and tune the remaining strings to it. Tuners call this tuning the unisons.
What are beats in piano tuning?
Beats are the slow “wah-wah” pulsing you hear when two strings are almost, but not quite, at the same pitch. The beat rate equals the difference between the two frequencies: strings at 440 Hz and 442 Hz beat twice per second. When they match, the beating stops.
Beats are how tuners work by ear. For unisons they turn until the beating disappears. For intervals like fourths, fifths and thirds, equal temperament actually requires specific slow or fast beats, and an aural tuner counts them to set the middle octave.
What pitch is a piano tuned to?
Pianos are normally tuned to A440: the A above middle C (A4) vibrates at 440 Hz. Each octave doubles the frequency, so A3 is 220 Hz and A5 is 880 Hz. The 12 notes in between are spaced in equal temperament, where each semitone is the twelfth root of 2 (about 1.0595) times the one below.
Why are pianos stretch tuned?
Because piano strings are stiff, their overtones run slightly sharp, so octaves tuned to exact math sound narrow. This is called inharmonicity. To make octaves sound clean, tuners “stretch” them: the treble ends up a little sharp and the low bass a little flat compared with pure equal temperament.
This is exactly why a guitar-style tuner won't give you a good result across the whole keyboard. If you like the physics, this short video explains why a piano can never be perfectly in tune:
Play video: Why It's Impossible to Tune a Piano (YouTube)How to tune a piano step by step
Here is the process I'd follow on an upright with a piano tuning app. Read it all the way through before you touch a pin.
1. Let the piano settle in a stable room
Tune in the conditions the piano normally lives in. Wood swells and shrinks with humidity, and that moves the soundboard and the pitch. Don't tune right after a move, next to a radiator, or in a room you've just started heating. Give it a few days. My guide to climate control and your piano explains why this matters so much.
2. Open the piano
On an upright, lift the lid and remove the front panel above the keys (it's usually held by two turn-buttons or pins inside the lid). You'll see the tuning pins across the top. Lay a cloth on the keys so nothing scratches them. On a grand, the pins are just behind the music desk, which usually slides or lifts out.
3. Check how far out of tune it is
Measure a handful of notes across the keyboard with your app before you change anything. If the piano is only a few cents off, one pass is enough. If it's more than about 10 to 15 cents flat overall, plan two passes: a rough tuning first, then a fine one. That's a pitch raise, and I explain it below.
4. Mute and tune A4 to 440 Hz
Mute so only one string of A4 sounds, put the lever on that string's pin, and bring it to pitch. Follow the string with your eye from the hammer up to the pin before you turn anything. Turning the wrong pin is the most common beginner mistake, and the riskiest.
A tiny turn changes the pitch a lot. Play the key firmly (but not hard) as you go, so the string settles over its bearing points. Many tuners bring a string slightly above pitch and then ease it back down, so the pin settles in the block and doesn't creep later.
5. Set the middle octave (the temperament)
Tune the notes in the middle of the keyboard, usually F3 to F4, so they form an accurate equal-tempered octave. With an app, you just follow its readings note by note. By ear, you tune fourths and fifths from your A and check them with thirds, counting their beat speeds. Here's what that sounds like in practice:
Play video: Tuning the First 13 Notes of a Piano by Ear (The Temperament) (YouTube)6. Work outward, one string per note
From the temperament, tune upward into the treble and downward into the bass, still with one string per note. Let the app's stretch guide you. Check octaves as you go: a clean octave should sound like one fuller note, without a fast wobble.
7. Tune the unisons
Remove the mutes and tune each note's remaining strings to the one you already tuned, by ear, until the beats stop. Most people find this the most satisfying part, because the piano suddenly sounds clean. Mute one of the three strings while you tune the second to the first, then do the third.
8. Play, recheck and close up
Play octaves, chords and a piece you know. Fix any notes that sound sour, then put the panels back. Expect some notes to drift a little over the next week or two. That's normal after a first tuning, and touching them up is easy.
If you'd like to see the whole process from start to finish, this free one-hour course from a technician is the best beginner walkthrough I've found:
Play video: How to tune a piano - Beginner's Guide (free 1hr course) (YouTube)What is a pitch raise?
A pitch raise is an extra rough tuning that brings a piano that has fallen well below pitch back up near A440, before the fine tuning. It's usually needed after years without a tuning. The Piano Technicians Guild notes that tuning a piano after years of neglect often requires a pitch raise.
One pass isn't enough because raising every string adds a lot of load to the frame and soundboard. As you bring the later strings up, the earlier ones sag flat again. So you go slightly past the target on the first pass, then fine tune. If your piano needs a big pitch raise, I'd let a professional do it: old strings and pins are more likely to break or slip under the extra strain.
How long does it take to tune a piano?
Plan on 3 to 4 hours for your first DIY tuning. That's the estimate from Tune Your Own Piano, and it matches what I hear from adults who've tried it. You'll get faster with practice. An experienced technician is much quicker on a piano in reasonable shape, while a pitch raise or repairs add time.
DIY vs professional piano tuning cost
DIY costs the price of the tools, roughly $50 to $100 for a usable lever and mutes, plus an app. A professional tuning in the US typically costs somewhere around $100 to $200, more for a grand or a pitch raise, and prices vary a lot by area, so ask two or three local tuners. The Piano Technicians Guild doesn't set prices.
When you hire someone, look for a Registered Piano Technician (RPT). That title means they've passed the PTG's exams on tuning, repair and maintenance. For more on timing and costs, see my guide on when a piano needs tuning and why.
How often should you tune a piano?
Most piano makers recommend tuning twice a year. A new piano needs more: about four tunings in its first year, as the new strings stretch, and twice a year after that (Wikipedia summarises the guidance). A piano that's played hard, or lives in a room with big seasonal swings, may need more.
The best way to make each tuning last is a stable room. Keep the piano away from windows, heaters and air vents, and keep the humidity steady with a piano humidifier or a dehumidifier, depending on your climate.
Common DIY piano tuning mistakes
- Turning the wrong pin. Always trace the string from the hammer to its pin, and play the note before every turn to check which string moves.
- Big movements. The pitch changes fast. Nudge, listen, nudge again.
- Bending the pin. Push the lever around the pin, not sideways against it.
- Using a chromatic tuner for the whole keyboard. The middle will be fine; the octaves won't. Use a piano app.
- Hammering the keys. Firm test blows help, but excessively hard ones aren't good for the piano or your ears.
- Tuning in a changing room. If the heating just came on, wait.
- Ignoring other problems. Sticking keys, buzzes or a broken string need repair, not tuning. My DIY piano repair guide covers the small fixes you can do safely.
Tuning is also a good moment to clean the inside of the piano gently. Here's my guide on how to clean and maintain your piano.
Piano tuning FAQ
Is it possible to tune a piano yourself?
Yes. With a tuning lever, mutes and a piano tuning app, a patient beginner can tune an upright that's only slightly out of tune. Leave pianos that are far below pitch, valuable, or have loose pins to a professional.
Is it hard to tune a piano?
It's slow rather than hard. Turning the pin takes very small, controlled movements, and hearing beats takes practice. Expect your first tuning to take 3 to 4 hours and to be “good” rather than perfect.
How much does it cost to tune a piano?
A professional tuning in the US usually costs around $100 to $200, more for grands and pitch raises, and it varies by area. Tuning it yourself costs about $50 to $100 for a lever and mutes, plus an app.
Can you tune a piano without a tuner?
Yes. Experienced tuners use a 440 Hz tuning fork for A4 and tune everything else by ear, counting the beats between intervals. It's much harder for a beginner than using an app.
Can I use a guitar tuner or chromatic tuner to tune a piano?
Only roughly, in the middle of the keyboard. Chromatic tuners don't account for the stretch that pianos need, so octaves in the treble and bass will sound off. Use a piano tuning app such as PianoMeter or TuneLab.
What is the best piano tuning app?
PianoMeter is the easiest for beginners and works on iOS and Android, with a free evaluation and a one-time $30 Plus version. TuneLab is a long-standing choice for professionals on iOS, Android and Windows.
What tools do I need to tune a piano?
A tuning lever with a star tip (usually #2), at least two rubber or felt wedge mutes, and a piano tuning app or 440 Hz tuning fork. A felt temperament strip is optional.
Can a 50-year-old piano be tuned?
Usually, yes. Many old pianos tune well. If it hasn't been tuned for years it will probably need a pitch raise, and a technician should check that the tuning pins still hold tightly in the pin block.
Why does my piano go out of tune so quickly?
Usually because of humidity changes, which move the soundboard. New strings also stretch during a piano's first year, and a piano that was far below pitch may need a second tuning soon after a pitch raise.
How often should a piano be tuned?
Twice a year for most pianos, and about four times in the first year for a new piano.
Do digital pianos need tuning?
No. Digital pianos use recorded or modelled sounds, so they never go out of tune. If you want to skip tuning altogether, see my guide to the best digital pianos.
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