McClure's Piano Shop

1)  What makes my piano go out of tune?

Answer:  As a piano just sits, even without being played, it goes out of tune, little by little, lower and lower each year.  Therefore, when a piano hasn't been tuned for many years, a considerable pitch raise is required just to get it back to the pitch standard A-440, which Mr. McClure always strives to achieve, even if two tunings are required.  If a piano is relatively close to pitch but out of tune, it probably went out because someone played it exceptionally hard and long and knocked it out, the tuning pins aren't tight enough to hold the tune, or the soundboard has either flexed upward due to excessive humidity or flexed downward due to excessive dryness.  Because the soundboard is most "active" in the tenor area of the piano, this is where you will notice your piano out of tune most:  when you play one note that is on the bass bridge and the octave note above it that is actually on the tenor end of the treble bridge.  When you hear way out of tune octaves in that area, it's because the soundboard has flexed.  There are some products on the market designed specifically for pianos to help combat this constant problem of changing humidity.  If you hear some individual notes that sound like chords, then you most likely have individual tuning pins that are slipping or perhaps a new string was replaced on the piano in the recent past and has not stretched to its permanent pitch yet.

2)  Does my piano have to be tuned after I move it in the room?

Answer:  If you're going to gingerly move the piano across the room for redecorating purposes or to make way for a Christmas tree, etc., there will probably be no noticeable change unless you would move it over or closeby to a heat register or window where sunlight would warm the piano up.  A word of caution is in order, however.  If you do move the piano, make SURE the legs are secure.  Just this past December 2009 a family here in Hagerstown went to move their baby grand to set up their Christmas tree and the left leg caught on a floor board, the cast iron leg plate cracked, and the piano dropped and crashed into the wall.  When Mr. McClure went to assess the situation, the piano was balanced on its pedal lyre, the front leg, and the wall.  What a dreadful sight!  Luckily none of them got hurt and Mr. McClure was able to fix the piano.

3)  Should I keep my piano away from an outside wall?

Answer:  Mr. McClure would say if your home was built more than 30 years ago there probably isn't much insulation in the walls or a vapor barrier so it would be a good idea to place the piano on an inside wall.  However, considering how well modern homes are insulated and covered with house wraps (essentially vapor barriers) you can place a piano on just about any wall.  But DON'T put the piano in front of or on top of a heat register, or near a window where the sun's rays will shine in causing not only the piano to heat up and dry out in a very detrimental way, but also bleach out the cabinet.

4)  I went to look at a piano to purchase/acquire and found it outside in their unattached garage.  Is there anything I should be concerned about since it looks just fine?

Answer:  YES, YES, YES, be very careful with that one.  Every piano in such a similar situation (including unheated storage units) will become a safe haven for every mouse and moth within 100 yards.  You bring a piano like that into your house and they're coming in with it!  You might trap the mice quickly, but the moths will show up in your oriental rugs and closets in the years to come.  You'll wonder how they got in the house and it will probably have been from the contaminated piano.  Pianos like this should be picked up by a person like Mr. McClure, brought to his shop, thoroughly cleaned and decontaminated, and then and only then placed in your home.  Auction pianos, where you don't know the source, can also be troublesome in this regard.  Call an expert, call Mr. McClure.

5)  My piano has a cracked plate.  Can I find another piano just like it and transfer the plate?

Answer:  No.  It simply is not feasible.  When a piano plate cracks, just kiss it goodbye and get another piano.  It would be far easier to recondition another piano that has a good plate, then try to transfer the plate.  Even if the piano has strong sentimental value, forget it.

6)  I have a piano that needs some work and since I like to fix things can I just get the parts from a person like Mr. McClure?

Answer:  Yes, you probably can get the parts.  Putting them in will be the real challenge.  Although Mr. McClure has sold parts to some people in the past, it is not his practice to provide the instructions as well.  Piano repairs involve a craftsman level of skill to do it right.  If you get the parts and put them in incorrectly, you'll still have to call a competent technician like Mr. McClure to fix it again and in most cases, correcting YOUR mistakes is even more time consuming and expensive.  Mr. McClure frequently finds that he has to correct the work and mistakes of other "tooners" who work on pianos but don't really have the skill or knowledge like Mr. McClure , thereby creating the same kinds of problems and in some instances they show their incompetence with the same level of skill as if the piano owner could have done on their own!

7)  I'm very upset.  Someone came to tune my piano this morning and he/she said there's nothing they could do for the piano and that I need to just buy another piano or digital piano.  What should I do?

Answer:  GO TO YOUR PHONE AND CALL MR. MCCLURE AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE if you live in his service area.  There's a local tuner/piano dealer who uses his tuning calls to condemn pianos and switch people over to his new digital pianos.  Mr. McClure, fortunately, has been given numerous opportunities to reexamine those pianos and provide the piano owners with other viable and ethically correct options.  It's always a good idea to get a second opinion.  Even if Mr. McClure were to condemn your piano, it might be worth your while to get a second opinion.  The only thing Mr. McClure requests in cases such as these, is that you keep HIS evaluation confidential and let the others give you their own opinion.  That way Mr. McClure's knowledge and expertise remains with you and doesn't actually help to educate those of lesser skill and knowledge than he has.  Besides, why should they be privileged to base their estimate on his evaluation when they would probably miss more than half of the pianos problems?

8)  I have a piano to move and after getting a quote on having it professionally moved, I've decided to get a few friends together and we'll move it ourselves on my pickup truck.  Is this a good idea?

Answer:  NO, NO, NO.  Even small pianos weigh almost 400 pounds and the older uprights over 750 pounds.  The price you would pay a professional like Mr. McClure would be small in comparison to the medical bills and lawsuits, let alone the price to fix a damaged piano, should you have an accident.  And as Mr. McClure always says, the lessons that need to be learned in properly moving a piano are always learned too late.  After an accident there's plenty of conversation centering around  "we should have......".  Call Mr. McClure to provide this service.  It will be well worth it and he makes it look 'deceptively easy'.   Besides, at least one or two of your "friends" will come to their senses about the risks and call you the night before to tell you that they have other plans.  In addition to that, moving a piano on a pickup truck is basically the kiss of death because it increases the risks by about 1000%.  IT'S JUST NOT WORTH THE RISK TO DO IT YOURSELF!

9)  I want to get a piano but just don't know if my child will stick with it.  Is there anything I can do to make sure they do? 

Answer:  Yes there is.  Come to McClure's Piano Shop.  If you purchase a piano from Mr. McClure you will get a complimentary copy of his award winning brochure entitled "10 WAYS TO HELP ASSURE SUCCESS WITH PIANO LESSONS".  Inside you will find ten in- depth topics that will amaze you at what you need to do to keep your pianist on track.  McClure's Piano Shop is the ONLY place where you can get this, so be sure to stop by.

10)  I've been reading this material in this website now for about a half hour and it seems like Mr. McClure is bragging just a bit.  How can I tell if he's really sincere?

Answer:  Let your conscience be your guide.  Mr. McClure has no reason to lie and after 30 years in this business, he's seen it all from the technical side to the performance side and everything in between.  Meet him in person and you will quickly be at ease by realizing you're dealing with a very unique piano specialist who is genuinely interested in getting everyone he meets to play and enjoy the piano as much as he does!!!