A SIMPLE, CAREFUL APPROACH
Bradfield Piano provides professional in home piano tuning throughout Dallas and the surrounding area for homeowners, musicians, schools, and institutions. Our approach is simple: careful listening and respect for each individual instrument, whether it is a family upright or a finely built grand.
Our dedicated piano tuner is a Juilliard trained musician, a member of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, and the current president of the Piano Technicians Guild Dallas Chapter
To maintain quality, we limit our tuning service area to about 40 miles from our location so each piano receives proper attention. If you are unsure whether you are within our service area, we are happy to help.
OUR PIANO TUNING SERVICE
If you have never had your piano tuned or are curious what our process looks like, it is straightforward. When our tuner arrives, the first step is to look over the piano and walk you through its condition before any work begins, showing you what we see so you can see it too. This allows you to understand the condition of the piano and any issues that may need attention.
Once that initial discussion is complete, the tuning begins. Most tunings take about 1.5 hours for pianos serviced within the past few years, and longer for instruments that have gone five years or more without tuning. While we are in your home, we can also address sticking keys, light cleaning under the strings, and other minor service items.
If more in depth work is needed, our in house piano moving team can pick up the piano and bring it to our shop for deep cleaning or polishing, or minor and major restoration work.
Our dedicated piano tuner is a Juilliard trained musician, a member of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, and the current president of the Piano Technicians Guild Dallas Chapter. His musical ear and training work together to produce excellent results. Beyond his ear and credentials, Joe is a tenacious, hardworking technician who stays with the instrument until it is truly in tune.
If you have ever hired a tuner who arrived, spent 45 minutes on the piano, and then left, you understand the difference. Proper tuning is not just about showing up, it is about working the piano carefully until it is stable on pitch and genuinely in tune.
Piano tuning is the process of adjusting string tension so the instrument is at correct pitch. A tuning addresses only the strings and their tension. Unlike the automotive term “tune up,” piano tuning does not involve mechanical adjustment of the piano’s action or internal parts. Mechanical issues can be addressed during a tuning visit, ranging from a simple sticking key to action regulation, which brings the keyboard mechanism back into proper alignment and response. Because pianos are built largely of wood and steel, changes in temperature, humidity, and normal use naturally cause them to drift out of tune over time. Regular tuning helps maintain stable pitch and a consistent playing and listening experience.
If a piano has gone a long time without tuning, the overall pitch may fall below the standard A440 pitch. In this situation, the strings often will not hold their final pitch during a single pass tuning. In this case the piano tuner will need to tune the piano twice on the same visit to get it on pitch first, and then finely in tune.
A pitch raise is a preliminary step that gently brings the piano closer to standard pitch before the final tuning. This allows the strings to settle more evenly and results in a more stable tuning.
Not every piano requires a pitch raise. When it is recommended, we explain why and what it involves before any work begins.
A piano tuning focuses on adjusting the tension of the strings so the instrument plays at proper pitch and sounds balanced across the keyboard. This work is limited to tuning only and does not involve mechanical adjustment of the piano’s action or internal parts.
During a tuning visit, we also take note of the piano’s general condition and will point out anything that may benefit from attention. If additional work is recommended, such as a pitch raise or mechanical service, we’ll explain what it involves and discuss options before proceeding.
Our goal is to be clear, conservative, and respectful of both the instrument and the owner. No work is done without discussion, and there is never an expectation to move beyond tuning unless it genuinely makes sense for your piano.
Often, yes. You may notice that certain notes sound uneven, chords don’t blend smoothly, or octaves feel unstable. These are common signs that a piano has drifted out of tune.
That said, not all pitch changes are obvious, especially when the overall tuning has shifted gradually. Even when a piano still sounds “okay,” regular tuning helps prevent larger adjustments from becoming necessary later.
If you’re unsure whether your piano needs service, we’re happy to help you decide based on how the instrument is used and how long it’s been since the last tuning.
In everyday language, “tune-up” is often used to mean general maintenance. With pianos, however, tuning has a very specific meaning.
A piano tuning refers only to adjusting string tension so the instrument plays at the correct pitch and sounds balanced. It does not include mechanical adjustment, regulation, or repair of the piano’s internal parts.
If additional service is needed beyond tuning, we’ll point it out clearly and explain the difference so you can decide how you’d like to proceed.
The action is the internal mechanism that turns a key press into a hammer striking the strings. It includes thousands of moving parts, and over time those parts can wear, shift, or lose consistency.
If keys are sticking, notes are slow to return, or the piano feels heavy, uneven, or sluggish, the action may need service. Many manufacturers recommend periodic action service as part of long term care.
Action work is separate from tuning. A tuning focuses only on string tension and pitch. If we notice an action related issue during your visit, we’ll point it out and explain the options. If a simple fix is appropriate and can be handled quickly, we may take care of it as a courtesy, but larger action work is quoted separately and only done with your approval.
Our Dallas piano tuning fee is $250 plus tax. On every piano we tune, we include a minor pitch raise and fine tuning. Meaning if the piano is about 1/3 of a half step flat (or roughly 30c from A440) we will tune your piano twice on the same visit for no additional charge. For pianos further from pitch we implement our hourly rate of $150 per hour, so a piano that hasn’t been tuned in 10 years let’s say, might be $400 plus tax. If you are on the edge of our 40 mile radius (from 75 and 635), the fee is more like $350 plus tax – some places in between are $295 plus tax.
We work with musicians at every level, from beginners to professionals, and approach each piano with the same care. We provide in-home piano tuning for a wide range of clients throughout Dallas and nearby communities. Our work includes private homes, schools, studios, and community spaces, and each visit is approached with the same care and attention regardless of setting.
Whether your piano is played daily or only occasionally, regularly maintained or overdue for service, we’ll meet it where it is and give you clear, honest guidance about what it needs. Our goal is not to oversell services, but to help your piano sound and feel its best within the reality of its condition.
A well maintained piano is simply more enjoyable to play. It responds more predictably, sounds more balanced, and supports consistent practice and enjoyment over time. Regular tuning helps preserve that experience and reduces long term wear on the instrument.
Beyond tuning, we can also assist with general piano repair, from broken strings and minor issues to complete piano restoration. Our in house piano moving team can help with relocation, storage, or even moving the piano from one room to another within your home.
If you are unsure what your piano needs or how often it should be serviced, we are always happy to offer straightforward guidance based on the instrument and how it is used.
