The Piano Technician

Throughout this book I've used the term piano technician rather than the better-known piano tuner. Technically speaking, a tuner is one who only tunes, and perhaps is capable of a few minor repairs, whereas a technician—sometimes called a tuner-technician—both tunes and does most kinds of on-site repair and regulating. It's much better to hire the latter, even if you believe your piano doesn't need any repair at a given time. One very pleasant fellow who tunes in another part of the state confessed to me that he always avoided raising the pitch of pianos that were flat for fear that he might break a string—he didn't know how to replace strings. If you hire people like this, they may have to cover up for their ignorance, and you may have to hire someone else to undo the damage. Even an experienced technician, though, may sometimes subcontract out work or refer you elsewhere for certain complicated or specialized jobs, such as key recovering, rebuilding, or refinishing.

The best way to find a piano technician is to ask for a referral from someone whose needs are similar to your own. If you are a piano teacher with a high-quality instrument, ask another teacher or professional musician who seems to take good care of his or her instrument, or inquire as to who tunes for the local symphony. If you own a spinet, the person who tunes for the symphony may decline the job, so you should ask someone else who owns a home piano, or ask your teacher (if you have one) for an appropriate referral. Of course, since very few pianists know much about their instrument there's no guarantee that the referral will get you someone who will do a god job, but at the very least it will get you the peace of mind that comes with not having to deal with a total stranger.

The worst way to find a technician is through the Yellow Pages. One doesn't have to have any certification to hang out a shingle as a piano technician, and all it takes to advertise in the Yellow Pages is the money to buy the business phone service. Some of the best technicians don't advertise because they don't want to pay for business service and because they prefer the rapport with customers who were referred to them by word of mouth. They also don't want to be bothered by people who call around just to find the lowest price. The better technicians usually don't charge the least, although they may not charge the most, either.

If in a total quandary about whom to hire, you might check to see if there is a chapter of the Piano Technicians Guild in your area. The Guild is an international organization of piano technicians devoted to promoting a high level of skill and business ethics among its members. To that end it sponsors regular technical meetings and seminars and produces a technical magazine. Extensive testing of tuning and repair skills and theoretical knowledge is required to attain the Guild's rating of Registered Piano Technician (RPT). The Guild is not a labor union and does not set rates. To find out if there are Guild members in your area, look in the Yellow Pages (here's one way the Yellow Pages can be helpful), which may have a list of Guild members, write to the Piano Technicians Guild at 3930 Washington Street, Kansas City, MO 64111; call (816) 753-7747; or see their web site at www.ptg.org. The Guild advises that you should allow someone to service your piano only if he or she can show a current, paid-up Guild membership card at the door. This is, in my opinion, a bit overzealous. For a variety of reasons, only about half the qualified technicians in the country choose to belong to the Guild. It would therefore be foolish to turn away someone who came otherwise well-recommended. Here are some specific pointers to help your piano service go smoothly.

Calling a technician. When you call a piano technician for the first time, be prepared to give the following information: who referred you or where you heard about his or hear service; whether your piano is a grand or a vertical, and, if a vertical, whether or not it is a spinet; the brand name and age of the piano, if known; when it was last tuned; if the piano has been moved from a radically different climate since the last tuning; and any special service requirements or needed repairs that you are aware of (be as specific as possible). Having this information will make it easier for the technician to bring along the proper tools and supplies and to budget an adequate amount of time for the job. Although binding price estimates can never be given over the phone because of the many variables involved, having information about the condition of the piano may allow the technician to give you in advance some rough idea of the kind of expense that may be involved.

Making an appointment. Technicians vary in their willingness to work at odd hours to suite their customers' schedules. It may be necessary for you to leave a key with a neighbor or make other arrangements to let the technician in. This is very commonly done, and if you have chosen someone reputable to service your piano, you need have no fear about doing this. I usually prefer that my customers be present at the first appointment so we can meet each other, talk about any special problems the piano may have, and agree on what work is to be done. Thereafter, the presence of the customer is not necessary, although, of course, it is often pleasant. If you won't be there, try to leave a number where you can be reached, in case there is a problem.

Unless the technician specifically agrees otherwise, assume that the time agreed upon for the appointment is very approximate. The pianos being serviced before yours may require extra tuning work or unexpected repairs, and traffic conditions are highly variable.

Payment. So as not to be caught sort, find out in advance whether the techncian will be sending a bill or wants to be paid at the time the work is done, and whether cash or check is preferred.

Remember that if no work can be performed, through no fault of the the technician (such as if the piano turns out to be un-tunable or un-repairable), you will be expected to pay a minimum service fee, usually a little less than the regular tuning fee. Also, if you live outside the technician's regular area, an additional travel charge may apply. 

Cancellations. Without a doubt, the most exasperating situation technicians encounter is when a customer fails to be home at the appointed time or cancels the appointment with less than twenty-four hours' notice. Some people can be incredibly rude, or seem not to realize that we do this for a living, not as a hobby. Once I drove forty miles to do a repair, only to find the customer gone, the door locked, and no note of explanation. My phone calls to him were never returned. It's nearly impossible to fill holes in one's schedule at such short notice, so I spend the day twiddling my thumbs, with no income, and paying for gas besides. You should expect to pay the technician's minimum service fee for appointments missed or cancelled at short notice, even if you had to cancel for good reason.

Working conditions. Noise and poor lighting are technicians' two biggest enemies on the job, the first much more than the second. Remember that when we tune, we are not just listening to notes being played, but also to very faint vibrations related to those notes' higher harmonics, sound which you are probably unaware of. Noises that bother us are those with high-pitched vibrations, such as electric fans, vacuum cleaners, garbage disposals, egg beaters, and running water; sounds that capture our attention, such as talking, music, and television; and general chatter, such as setting up chairs in an auditorium or stage set-up before a concert. Your walking around the room also gets in our way, not because of the noise (tiptoeing doesn't help), but rather because sound waves reflecting off a moving object cause irregularities in the vibrations we listen to.

Poor lighting is more of a problem when doing repair work than when tuning. Clubs and bars are the very worst places for both noise and lighting. If you're the manager of such an establishment, do your very best to minimize these distractions when having your piano serviced.

Be sure the technician has enough time to do a thorough job. Teachers should have their pianos tuned on days when their teaching schedule is less crowded or more flexible. Concert producers should give the technician enough time, when possible, to complete the work before the musicians start to set up, not just before the audience arrives.

If you store the Harvard University library, museum, and arboretum on your piano, please clear them off before the technician arrives. You know best where to put them and how to handle them to avoid breakage, and it only wastes our time or have to deal with them. (You wouldn't believe how much stuff some people pile on their pianos!)

Blind technicians, of whom there are many, should be warned about hazards, such as standing lamps and stage microphones.

Complaints. Complaints should be registered first with the person who can do something about it—this means with the technician, not with friends, relatives, and future technicians. (However, we don't mind an occasional word of praise, which you are welcome to spread everywhere.)

The Long-Range Outlook

As the piano gets on in years, it will need more extensive service, such as replacement of hammer heads, key bushings, dampers, and occasional broken strings or action parts. Read about some of these items in Chapter 5, "Buying a Used Piano." Ultimately, there will come a time when the piano will either have to be completely rebuilt or (sniffle, sniffle) disposed of. Since pianos do not usually abruptly die, it's hard to say just what their lifetime is, but a figure of forty or fifty years is often given. Strings are said to lose their resiliency and thus their potential for good tone after about twenty-five years, though certainly many pianos and their owners have not yet figured this out and are quite happy with their forty-, sixty-, or eighty-year-old strings. Suffice it to say that if you choose your pianos carefully, give it good care, and use the services of a competent piano technician, your piano will enjoy a long life and enrich yours as well.

To schedule a tuning or have a technician inspect your piano, please call 1-800-241-0001 or use our contact form.

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