A digital piano doesn’t produce sound from hammers and strings. Instead, this modern instrument utilizes sampled sounds, speakers, and amplifiers to deliver an exclusive sound experience.
As a result, a digital piano doesn’t require much tuning because its sounds are digitally recorded and stored within the piano’s hardware.
Can You Tune a Digital Piano?
Yes, you can tune a digital piano, but only if you have to. This is mainly because unlike an acoustic piano, it is rare for a digital piano to go out of tune. Digital piano sounds are recorded for playback in the piano, which means there is the possibility of tuning the digital piano. The good news is that most digital pianos have this feature.
The feature prevents digital pianos from going out tune, and that means you need to consider adjusting the tune of your piano, in case you’re not satisfied with the sound that it’s producing.
Since a digital piano is difficult to go out of tune, this not only saves you time and money, but also makes it suitable to use – especially for beginners. You won’t have to go through so much hassle of fixing issues like tuning and the likes.
ALSO READ: Can I Store a Digital Piano Vertically?
How to Tune a Digital Piano – Best Tips
If unaware, inadequate power supply is one of the most common causes of an out-of-tune digital piano. This is because the instrument needs sufficient power to ensure that all the piano’s sound capabilities are well attained.
Therefore, you need to ascertain whether you are using a proper power cord and one that is supplying enough power to your instrument.
If you have a broken key, troubleshooting might be the best idea before doing anything else. With this approach, you’ll need to refer to your owner’s manual for the best and effective help depending on your piano’s brand.
You can also find the manual online if you don’t have it with you, which again, depends on the type and brand of the instrument that you have.
Headphones can as well help you hear the issue well. So, you can plug them in and listen clearly to the issue. Besides that, a chromatic tuner can help you check your digital piano’s pitch to ascertain whether it’s up to par.
Lastly, you can make use of the spectrum analyzer on the Audacity. This approach allows you to see how the overtones may vary compared to other notes played on the instrument.
You can do this by recording the note that you have a problem with alongside several others above it. Afterward, you can use Tunelab to check the tuning and unharmonious measurements to find the right tuning. To learn more, check out our guide on how to tune a pinao.
Piano Tuning Kits
You can choose an all in one solution to tune your digital piano using a piano tuning kit like the ones below:
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Do Digital Pianos Wear Out?
Digital pianos are designed to provide an accurate and clean sound. But this can be disrupted by the build-up of dust in certain areas.
However, a digital piano should not go out of tune unless it is exposed to extreme temperatures or humidity which causes expansion and contraction.
Does a Piano Go Out of Tune if You Don’t Play It?
A piano doesn’t go out of tune if you don’t play it. This means that a digital piano will not need tuning unless its sound changes significantly. Or the keys get stuck and no longer produce any noise when struck. If these things happen, you should see an expert to fix the problem as soon as possible so your instrument sounds great again!
Can a Piano Be Tuned After 20 Years?
Many people believe that pianos will go out of tune over time, but this is not always true. Most digital pianos are designed to keep their tuning stable for at least 20 years when properly serviced and maintained by a professional.
However, the stability of an instrument’s pitch depends on many factors beyond its build quality or age.
These include how it is tuned in relation to other instruments, humidity levels in the room where it is located, the intensity of vibrations from nearby sources such as traffic, heating ducts blowing air near the piano surface (even if far away), etc.
These elements can cause slight fluctuations in pitch throughout any given year. Even though they may be imperceptible to most musicians.
What Does an Out-of-Tune Piano Sound Like?
A digital piano can go out of tune in several ways. For example, if you drop the keyboard and it lands on its side, the strings inside will probably bend or break.
That means there’s no way to fix them without replacing at least some parts. On top of that, this kind of accident is very likely to damage other components as well.
Including those which contribute most to how your instrument sounds when playing notes from low bass through high treble octaves! In short, it’s not a great idea to try and play music with an otherwise perfectly functional digital piano either!
It’ll sound awful until you get whatever part broke replaced by a specialist technician who knows what they’re doing.
When you play one note for a long time, the string inside your digital piano may lose its tension. If this happens with enough regularity, it can cause all kinds of problems.
Ranging from uncomfortable playing to slightly sharp or flat notes in every octave on the instrument. The good news is that it’s not something that’ll happen overnight either.
But if you’re practicing scales and arpeggios (broken chords) for hours daily, then it might be worth getting some earplugs ready!
Otherwise, what could have been dealt with over months or years will end up taking weeks. That’s because even when you think everything sounds fine, it probably isn’t anymore.
Final Words
Digital pianos are low-maintenance instruments and their multiple effective features make them more desirable compared to traditional pianos. However, if they do get out of tune then understand that it’s not that much of a big issue.
You can fix some of the problems yourself using some of our tips. But, if any or all of the tips don’t solve your problems, your digital piano might be in need of repairing services.
