How can I tell if my piano is at concert pitch? Advice from a piano tuner near you

In piano tuning, we talk about intervals a hundred times smaller than a semi-tone. These are called cents, and are helpfully the same as percentages. So a piano that is 15 cents flat is 15% flat.

You might not think that 15% of a semi-tone can make a big difference, but take a listen below and you'll hear it!

A piano that is in a stable environment, and tuning regularly will typically shift up to 5 cents a year (or 5%). It might surprise you to hear that pianos sometimes go sharp, rather than flat. If your piano is more than 5 cents away from concert pitch, then it may need a pitch raise to get it back up to concert pitch. You can use a basic tuning app (like Cleartune, used below) to get a rough sense of where your piano's pitch is. Even this rough estimate can help give your tuner a sense of what might be needed before your tuning appointment. Contact a piano tuner near you for more information.