Absolute Vs Relative Tuning

Piano owners fall into two categories: those who tune regularly… and those who don’t.

If you’re in the second group, you’re in good company. I’ve been there myself. I play often, have a decent ear, and most days my piano sounds fine. Fine-ish. The notes are friendly with each other. No one’s fighting.

But here’s the catch: there are two kinds of “in tune.”

The first kind is absolute tuning — how your piano stacks up against the real-world frequencies of sound. The second is relative tuning — how your piano sounds with itself. And that’s where things get interesting.

A tiny bit of science

At some point in music history, we realized we’d need a universal agreement if we were ever going to make music together. Otherwise, a trumpet’s “A” might sound more like a confused “A♭” to a violinist, and the oboe section would start unionizing.

So, we picked a standard: A = 440 Hz.

That means the note A vibrates 440 times per second. It’s our musical yardstick — the same way we have inches, degrees, and pounds. Without it, everyone’s playing their own truth, and chaos reigns.

The lonely piano

Now, imagine your home piano. It’s been sitting there quietly for years, playing the first half of Piano Man every time your friend Karl hits his third glass of wine.

If we measure its pitch, odds are it’s sitting a few hertz below A440. Maybe A433, maybe A435. The entire piano is flat. But — and here’s the twist — it still sounds in tune with itself. Every note agrees with the others. So, to your ear, it sounds pleasant.

Technically, that piano is “in tune.”

But only within its own little micro-universe.

If you tried to play along with a trumpet, a recording, or even a tuning app, you’d notice the disconnect — your notes are literally dragging behind everyone else.

The choice

When I come across a piano like that, the owner and I make a decision:

• Do we tune it to itself, keeping the internal harmony but leaving it flat?

• Or do we bring it up to A440, so it matches the rest of the musical world?

Both are valid. It just depends on your goals and your piano’s health.

Tuning to itself is like stretching before yoga — easy, low stress, keeps things aligned. The relationships between notes stay perfect, and it won’t put extra strain on an older instrument.

Bringing it up to 440, on the other hand, is a workout. You’re tightening over 200 strings, each at roughly 150–200 pounds of tension. That’s roughly 20 tons of pressure inside the frame. For an older piano with rusty strings or a compromised pinblock, it’s a big jump — like asking your grandpa to run sprints. He might be fine… or you might break a string.

That’s why good tuners often take it in stages — multiple sessions where we slowly raise the pitch over time, letting the instrument adjust. Think of it like physical therapy: if you go from sitting on the couch to doing the splits in one afternoon, something’s going to pop.

What to do…. What to do…

If your piano hasn’t been tuned in years, start by letting it breathe.

A gentle tuning “to itself” brings the instrument back into internal harmony without forcing it.

If you’re playing with other instruments, recording, or performing — bring it up to A440. That’s the standard across the musical world.

Neither choice is wrong. It just depends whether your piano’s a social butterfly or a homebody.

Final thought

Pianos aren’t static objects — they expand, contract, and age just like us. The goal isn’t perfection; it’s balance. A good tuner can help you find the sweet spot between stability and resonance, so the next time Karl sits down after his third glass, the piano sings.