Straight answers, from the people who tune it.
99 plain-English guides on tuning, care, buying, and fixing pianos across Toronto and the GTA. Each one ends in what to do next — and says when a tuning visit is the smarter first step.
- What applies to you
- What it costs
- What to do next
What Is Piano Tuning? A Plain-English Explanation
Piano tuning is adjusting the tension of ~230 strings so every note sits at its correct pitch. What that means, why pianos drift, what a tuner actually does, and what it isn't (repair, voicing, regulation).
Tuning & ServiceHow Much Does Piano Tuning Cost in Canada?
Across Canada a standard tuning runs about $120–$250, with big cities at the top. What's included, why a first visit often costs more (pitch raise), what makes a quote too cheap, and how to budget by year.
Buying & SellingHow Much Does a Piano Cost? New and Used Prices in Canada
From free uprights to $200,000 concert grands: realistic 2026 Canadian prices for new and used uprights, baby grands, and grands — plus the costs that come with the piano (moving, tuning, bench).
Tuning & ServicePiano Tuner vs Piano Technician: What's the Difference?
A tuner sets pitch; a technician also regulates, voices, and repairs. Which one you need, what each costs, the "RPT" credential, and why most tuning visits already include technician work.
Tuning & ServiceIs Piano Tuning Worth It? The Honest Answer
$160 a year for a piano that sounds right, holds its value, and gets played — or skip it and let the instrument quietly decline. What tuning actually buys, when it isn't worth it, and the one case where skipping is right.
Piano Care & ClimateHow Much Does a Piano Weigh?
Spinet 135 kg, upright 180–300 kg, baby grand 250–350 kg, concert grand 450–600 kg — with pounds, common models, and what the weight means for moving, floors, and stairs.
Piano Care & ClimateHow to Make a Piano Quieter: What Actually Works
Too loud for the room, the neighbours, or the baby's nap? Every real option ranked — room treatment, lid and placement, the practice mute, voicing, silent systems, and a digital for late nights.
Buying & SellingKawai vs Yamaha Upright Pianos: A Technician's Honest Take
The two brands teachers recommend, compared from the bench: tone, action, durability, used prices in the GTA, and which suits which household. Spoiler: condition beats brand every time.
Tuning & ServiceGetting Your Piano Ready for the Holidays
The piano's busiest three weeks are coming: guests, carols, a cousin who plays. When to tune (late November, not Christmas week), what to fix, the party-proofing rules, and the gift-certificate idea.
Tuning & ServiceDo Silent and Hybrid Pianos Need Tuning?
A silent-system piano is a real acoustic with a mute rail and sensors — it needs tuning like any piano, plus care the digital side asks for. What "silent" means, what drifts, and what a tuner does differently.
Problems & RepairsA Water-Damaged Piano: What to Do in the First 48 Hours
Basement flood, burst pipe, or a spilled vase: the first 48 hours decide what's salvageable. What to do immediately, what a technician assesses, insurance-claim documentation, and honest odds.
Piano Care & ClimateHow to Clean and Polish a Piano's Finish Without Ruining It
Polyester vs lacquer vs satin — each cleans differently, and furniture polish damages all of them. Dusting, fingerprints, scratches, water rings, and whether to cover the piano. A technician's guide.
Tuning & ServiceNeed a Piano Tuner Fast? What "Urgent" Really Means
Recital tomorrow, guests this weekend, a piano that just arrived: the honest guide to urgent tuning in the GTA — what can be done at short notice, what shouldn't be rushed, and how to book a same-week visit.
Piano Care & ClimateWhy Your Piano Smells Musty — and How to Fix It
That old-piano smell is damp history: mould in felt, mildew on wood, dust in the action. What causes it, what actually clears it (and what doesn't), and when a musty piano is a warning sign.
Tuning & ServicePiano Tuning for Venues, Events, and Restaurants in Toronto
Wedding venues, hotel lobbies, restaurants, and event spaces: a tuning plan for pianos that perform on demand — timing before events, the "day-of touch-up," and what a venue piano needs between them.
Problems & RepairsRust on Piano Strings: How Serious Is It?
Light surface rust is common and mostly cosmetic; heavy corrosion means string breakage, dull tone, and a damp history. How to tell them apart, what to do, and what restringing costs.
Tuning & ServiceField NotesField Notes: The Teaching Studio Piano in Thornhill
Thornhill's home studios put 30+ hours a week on one piano. What a teaching instrument needs — termly tuning, tight regulation, honest voicing — and how teachers and technicians work together.
Tuning & ServiceField NotesField Notes: Coming Back to the Piano in Aurora
A wave of Aurora adults are returning to the piano after decades away. What a returning player's instrument needs — lighter touch, warm tone, a bench that fits — and how to make the first month stick.
Buying & SellingField NotesField Notes: The Estate Piano — What Executors in Newmarket Ask Us
Settling an estate with a piano in it: how to value it fairly, what to do first, the family-heirloom conversation, and the realistic exits. A technician's notes from Newmarket's estate visits.
Piano Care & ClimateField NotesField Notes: Planning a Piano Room in a Seaton or Audley New Build
Building or finishing a home in Pickering or Ajax? Decide the piano's spot before the drywall: vents, glass, electrical for a humidifier, flooring. What to tell the builder — from tuning the pianos that arrived after.
Buying & SellingField NotesField Notes: The Player Pianos of Whitby and Oshawa
Durham's heritage homes hold a surprising number of 1910s–20s player pianos. What they are, whether the mechanism can be revived, what they're worth, and why the piano underneath is usually the good news.
Tuning & ServiceHow to Find a Good Piano Teacher in Toronto and the GTA
Where GTA families actually find teachers (RCM directories, ORMTA, studios, word of mouth), what to ask at a trial lesson, fair 2026 rates, and the piano-at-home question teachers wish parents asked first.
Tuning & ServicePiano Delivery Day: The Checklist Before It Arrives
Where it goes, what to measure, what to tell the movers, what to check before they leave, and why you should NOT tune it that week. A technician's delivery-day checklist for new and used pianos.
Problems & RepairsWhy Does My Piano Sound Harsh, Tinny, or Dull?
In tune but sounds wrong? Harsh, tinny, bright, thin, or muffled tone is a hammer, unison, or room problem — not a tuning one. A technician's symptom guide and what fixes cost.
No guides match — try ‘humidity’ or ‘pitch raise’.