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How to Replace Your Piano Strings

Owning a piano is a great accomplishment and something that a lot of people hope to achieve one day. It’s something to be excited about, especially if the instrument has belonged to your family for some time.

However, there is also a lot of responsibility that comes along with owning a piano. Without the proper care, a piano can become defective and not run at its proper speed.

Along with responsibility comes cost.

In order to keep a piano properly running, you need to have it frequently tuned and make sure that it is stored in the proper settings.

Do you have a broken string on your piano? This can be a costly repair if you outsource, but do not fear! Here is a DIY guide on how to replace your piano strings.

7 Steps for Replacing Piano Strings

Stringing Piano

To fix a broken piano string, you can follow the steps below to remedy the situation.

Pro tip: We recommend having a diagram of the inside of a piano before you start this process.

  1. Wear Gloves to Protect the Piano

First things first! Make sure that you are wearing gloves while you are doing this. 

Pianos are very delicate instruments and the oils on your hands can easily warp and ruin the quality.

  1. Remove the Broken Piano String

Cut the broken string down to the V bar that it is attached to. This will make it easier to completely remove the broken string.

It is important to measure the width of the string that you are replacing so it doesn’t alter the sound of your piano.

  1. Measure the New Piano String

You need to make sure that the new piano wire is the right size to wrap around each pin from the top to bottom and back again so that they can wrap around the pins on either side.

Over time and with playing, the new piano string will eventually thin out and not be as tight as when it starts.

Make sure that you give a couple of extra inches of coil for safe measure!

  1. Use a Dummy Pin

You will need to use a dummy pin that you can wrap the new piano wire around in order to form the coil (or more technically the “becket”).

  1. Feed the Piano Wire with a Stringing Crank

Using a stringing crank, you will feed one end of the wire on the side of the left tuning pin, under the V bar.

From there then you take the other end and feed it through the hole in the tuning pin. Use your stringing crank and turn the wire twice to make two tight coils around the pin.

  1. Insert Wire into the Pin Hole

Now you will remove the wire from around the dummy pin and insert it into the pin hole that you removed. Once you’ve done so, wrap the wire up and around both ends of the hitch pin and the V pin.

You need to take the excess wire and wrap it into the dummy pin, ensuring that it follows the curve of the wire around the other pins.

  1. Tighten Your New Piano String

From here you will tighten the pins as the wiring is in place. The pins need to be turned clockwise as many times as it takes for the wire to be wrapped around the pin three times.

Now your piano has a new string!

Once a new string has been attached, your piano might need to be tuned a couple of times so it can adjust to the new string. This is a great DIY option to help alleviate the cost of fixing the piano if need be.

Additionally, searching for instructional videos is a great option that will help give you a better visual for fixing the piano.

Contact a Piano Professional

While we appreciate the motivation to learn how to replace your piano strings on your own (and we hope our steps help you do so), we also understand the desire to ensure your piano is running in top condition. If worse comes to worse, you can always call a piano professional in to have the job done quickly and correctly!

Our expert team at Shackleford Pianos is well-versed in all aspects regarding piano care. If you’re planning on moving or storing your piano, we’ll make sure it’s protected. Reach out for more information on our services today!