The P.T.G. is an international, non-profit organization of piano tuner / technicians, who meet regularly to learn more about their craft from each other. Here is a list of S ervices you can expect from Radford Piano Services, inc. Of course, if you just bought a piano from a store, the technician who first serviced your piano after delivery hopes to keep your business for many years to come so if you are happy with him / her, you need look no further. The other way is to seek out a registered member of the Piano Technician's Guild (explained in more detail below). The best way to find a qualified technician is by referral from a piano store, pianist, teacher or friend. Anyone can say they're a tuner, and hang out a shingle. There is no licensing for piano technicians. Many people do not realize the level of skill involved in doing a fine piano tuning, which is why many consider piano tuners "unseen artists". It can take three years or more to become adept at piano tuning and maintenance, and several years beyond that to build up enough clientele for a business. Whereas a few tuners are hobbyists, most are professionals and support themselves and their families solely as piano technicians. The difference is that the technician not only tunes, but also understands the maintenance, repair, regulation and voicing of pianos and is able to carry out these services, as well as tuning. It is usually best to use a piano technician, as opposed to a piano tuner. In any case, the technician would rather talk to you and/or make another appointment to rectify the problem, than lose you as a customer. A "wobbly note" to the pianist may be "insufficient aftertouch" or an "out of tune unison" to the technician. Usually complaints revolve around failed communication between technician and customer, as they sometimes have different ways of saying the same thing. He will probably want to know about it, rather than wonder why he never heard from you again. If there is a complaint or question about the work that was done on a piano, the best thing to do is go to the source call the technician and consult him. If even that is not possible, it should be expected that there will be a minimum service call fee, even if there was a good reason to cancel. If a cancellation or postponement of an appointment is unavoidable, it is a good idea to give at least twenty-four hours notice. Missed appointments can be very exasperating for technicians, because they schedule their appointments very tightly together and often drive large distances only to find no one home. He/she will then know exactly which key to look at during the next service call. Also, note the problem with each key, and put the paper in the piano bench until the technician arrives. The best thing to do when there is a problem key, is to write down the number of the particular key(s) in question on a piece of paper. It's a law of nature just like the squeaky brakes that don't squeak once you finally get the car into the shop for service. Identifying problem notes can be a problem, because that sticky key that had been sticking for months isn't sticking when the technician arrives (of course!). Each time the technician returns, he will be able to achieve a more detailed, higher quality, more stable tuning, because the piano will not have fluctuated as much. Not only does this save time, but technicians are always fearful that they may break some knickknack of importance if they have to move them.Ĭonsistent humidity about 35 to 45%, as discussed earlier, will make the piano more stable and it will not go as far out of tune between tunings. The top must be cleared so the tuner can open the lid and get into the piano to tune. The technician can still tune a piano through all of this, but it will take longer and be a poorer quality tuning.Īdequate Light in the area of the piano is greatly appreciated, as it can be difficult to make proper repairs without good lighting.Ĭlearing off the top of the piano before the tuner's visit is also greatly appreciated. Anything else that produces these high frequencies, such as music, television, running water, vacuum cleaners, clanking dishes, yelling children and loud talking, makes it much more difficult to tune accurately. When a tuner tunes, he listens to very high frequencies, most untrained ears are not even aware of, called overtones. Noise is by far the worst enemy of piano tuners. There are several things you can do to make the technician's visit faster, easier and in the process receive a higher quality tuning:
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