PIANO TUNING
I get numerous calls from customers to TUNE their pianos. Some customers have their pianos tuned regularly, and tuning these pianos is usually a matter of very little movement of the tuning pins. More often than not when a customer calls to have their piano TUNED they are really calling because something broke. (See “PIANO REPAIRS” below) In this case I have to repair or replace the broken parts before tuning can be accomplished. Another situation is a call to TUNE a piano that hasn’t been tuned in a number of years. In this case several "coarse" tunings must be done before a "fine" tuning can be accomplished.
PIANO REPAIRS
Piano Repairs may be only cosmetic, such as chipped ivory repair or repairing dings and scratches on the cabinet. Usually a call for repairs is when one or more notes do not work correctly. Broken strings, broken keys and broken action parts are the usual culprits. I travel in a full-size van and carry numerous tools and spare parts. I can often make repairs on site. I have a well equipped shop that allows me to make complex repairs off-site. The keys and action can be removed from the piano and relocated to the shop for these services.
PLAYER PIANO CONVERSIONS
Thanks to modern digital technology we have kits available that allow us to convert nearly any modern piano to a self player. I have received training by PianoDisc® as well as PianoMation ® (QRS). The piano has to be relocated to my shop for this conversion. There are several options for user control of the player including a CD player, Computer, iPod, or USB drive. Wireless control is available when using a laptop computer as well a when using a wi-fi equipped iPod. Yes, the piano can still be played normally after the player conversion is installed.
HUMIDITY CONTROL
In my opinion the number one reason that pianos get out of tune is the change of humidity in the environment. When the humidity is high, the crown of the sound board swells and the piano goes sharp in certain areas. When winter heating occurs the crown shrinks and the piano goes flat in certain areas. Several systems are available to counteract this change of soundboard crown. I recommend and install systems by Damp Chaser® and Moisture King®. In my service area I find that excess humidity is most troublesome. If the humidity in and around the piano can be kept under 50% the tunings will last longer.
VOICING
Voicing is best accomplished after the piano is tuned. Voicing and tuning are two separate operations. I like to think of voicing as tone control, much the same as adjusting the treble and bass controls on an audio system. It is not practical to try to voice a piano with badly worn hammers. With a finely tuned piano and hammers free of string grooves, I can adjust the tone of the piano by either hardening the hammers to make it brighter or needling to make the piano tone more mellow.
REGULATION
Regulation is the process of turning individual adjustments within the action as well as bending wires. Usually the object of regulation is to put the “timing” of the action movement back to original factory specifications. Believe it of not, some piano manufactures did not seem to have a clue how their piano should be regulated. I won’t mention names, but today’s American and Japanese manufacturers ship finely regulated pianos. In the case of poorly regulated new pianos, we strive to improve on the original manufacturers’ regulation.