But what does it do to the piano? That is the question. I was away visiting my daughter for one week. My piano wasn't played during that week and now it sounds "funny."....like the damper pedal is pressed when its not. Is this a normal thing to happen in just one week of non use of a piano that has been tuned in the last 3 months?

I posted this on the piano tuners forum but wondered if any of you have seen this happen with your pianos.

Maybe the change from summer to winter has an effect? Has it just started freezing ? That causes the air to dry up drastically.

Or maybe your ears took a break :-) A break of a week can really help in hearing new things, both in the piece you're playing and in your piano sound

This certainly can happen as humidity and temperature changes, and also, as wouter suggested, it could be also your ears grew accustomed to the sound and now after a break you're hearing some of the flaws.

It sounds like these issues have nothing to do with tuning - the pedal is completely separate from what a routine tuning would cover. Call in a piano tech to check it out.

It could be an easy and inexpensive adjustment. If your tech happens to be in the neighborhood for another job, he or she might do a quick look-in for a very modest charge.

Don't discount your own clarity of vision--- maybe the education of your ear has taken on more momentum than you realize. I say it's a good thing in a pianist.