I’ve got two pianos that need some love: in my teaching studio is a 1919 juggernaut of an upright that is a full half step flat (and surprisingly in tune to itself), that has wonderful tone, and a much smaller upright at home that is creeping out of tune. Entropy as measured by intonation (or lack thereof).

You can do anything, but not everything.

Enter  Entropy, the free piano-tuning software. According to one well-conducted study, decade-seasoned pros can tell the difference between Entropy-based tuning and a high-end piano tuner (and software), but semi-pro and advanced students can’t tell the difference. Sold me. I just need my pianos to be better in tune at low cost.

This guide over at Instructables will show you (and me!) how to tune your piano using just a couple of tools and a free program called Entropy. Looking around for alternatives to expensive software, this one seems like a good fit and was recommended to me, so I’m giving it a try.

Here are the tools I have: Piano tuning kit (amazon link).

My main challenge, I beleive, will be making time to do it. Estimates of 4-5 hours for first-timers like me seem likely. I’ll let you know how it goes.