Welcome to LivingPianos.com, I’m Robert Estrin. The subject today is about how you can get the most out of your piano technician. First of all, did you know that not all piano tuners are piano technicians? Most tuners are technicians. But some people just tune, and that’s about it. They might do very minor work, but a full-fledged piano technician may be able to work out a myriad of issues on your piano. Whether you have a sluggish key, a squeaking pedal, regulation issues, or maybe your voicing is harsh and you want something that sounds warmer, a master piano technician can do wonders with your piano. So how do you get the most out of your technician?
First of all, make a checklist.
Any time you have an issue with your piano, write it down or put it in a document on your computer that you can reference. When you set up the appointment with your piano technician, tell them everything.
Make sure the piano is on pitch.
You can check the pitch with an app. There are many tuning apps available for your phone. If your piano has dropped in pitch, it’s going to take two tunings to get it back. First, a rough tuning just to get it in the zone, which is called a pitch raise. And then the second one is a fine tuning. Your technician will have to be prepared to spend the time to do that. So check the tuning on your piano. Make sure A is indeed 440 cycles per second. If you find that it’s dropped to 435 or something like that, it’s probably going to take a couple of passes of tuning to get it back up to pitch. And incidentally, that tuning won’t hold as long because once a piano goes out that far, it takes longer to get stable again with more periodic tunings.
Tell your technician ahead of time about anything that you want them to address with the instrument.
There might be issues with the pedals, or maybe the action is making noise. Whatever the issues may be, tell them before they arrive. The reason for this is that they usually set their appointments back to back all day. If you bring up any issues while they are tuning your piano, they may not have the time to address them. It is likely they will have another appointment to get to. So tell the technician before the appointment so they’re prepared to spend the appropriate amount of time with you. And once they arrive, remind them of all the things you want them to address.
Try the piano before they leave!
It is incredibly important that you play the piano while your technician is still there. You want to make sure that the issues have been fixed. Piano technicians are very busy. We sell pianos all around the country, and there seems to be a backlog trying to get tuners out. The fine tuners can have waiting lists for weeks! The last thing in the world you want is to have your piano tuned, and as soon as they leave, you discover an issue is still there. So you must try the piano and make sure everything has been fixed.
Have your piano technician as an ally.
Make sure you get the right technician who is more than just a tuner. You want a full-fledged technician who can resolve any issues you have with your piano. Tell them what to expect when you make the appointment, remind them when they get there, and try the piano before they leave. These tips will help you get the most out of your piano technician! Thanks again for joining me, Robert Estrin, here at LivingPianos.com, Your Online Piano Resource.
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One thought on “How to Get the Most Out of Your Piano Technician”
There are technicians and TECHNICIANS. Simple membership in the RPT (registered piano technician is no measure of the technician’s quality because any tuner can pass the RPT test. . .I’ve been there, don’t ask about the results).
Among the best have attended 2 years training at any of these schools: North Benet Street School, Oberlin College, Berklee College. All have a 2 years course and require an additional year as practicum. Next in importance is factory training. If you have a Kawai, Steinway, Bosendorf, Yamaha or any fine piano a technician with additional factory training will be better equipped to do a fine job. If one is keen to learn more about their piano, read the piano ‘bible’ : Pianos Inside Out by Mario Igrec. Learning the fundamentals and the technician’s language will allow you to communicate effectively with your qualified technicians.
Last, there is a controversy about pitch raise and then a second tune. In my experience with RPT and tuners, this is a common statement. However, my experience with 2 year college and factory trained top flight technicians, the pitch raise as needed is incorporated in the tuning and no additional tuning (i.e. in 2 weeks) is required, BUT my piano is tuned 3-4 times a year.