Of course you remember that scene in Psycho when the lady gets attacked by that creepy guy and in comes those screeching violins: WREEET-WREEET-WREEET-WREET!!!!

Pretty scary, right? Well, so is my fear of your piano being completely out of tune. Here are some examples of what students say during their lessons:

"This song sounds different on my piano."
"There's a ringing in the high notes of my piano. It hurts my ears."
"I practiced this piece an octave higher at home because that D doesn't work on my piano."
"I'd practice more, but my piano is so out of tune, I don't like hearing myself play. I should probably call a tuner"

Yikes! It's like trying to run from those pecking beaks in The Birds. You can't hide an out of tune piano behind a closed door.

Each piano is a little different and every home climate is its own, so I cannot tell you exactly how many times a year you should tune your piano. My recommendation for most pianos would be twice annually. Think of it as getting an oil change in your car -- it's imperative to maintaining a clean engine and keeping you on the road.

A piano is an investment, so you must take care of it. Forget about Dialing M for Murder, Dial T for Tuner instead so we can keep the blood curdling to a minimum.

Even in Hitchcock movies, the piano's in tune.