Posts
Can you think of ANY manufactured item that gets better over
time? When you buy a car, you are advised by the car manufacturer to set
up a maintenance schedule because your car will require yearly servicing.
That's because over time, parts will start to deteriorate. Using the
car analogy again, if you drive your car constantly, the tires will
eventually go bald and lose the tread to grip the road surface. In a
piano hammer, the surface must be very smooth to produce a high quality
sound. Over time, from constant use, the hammer becomes heavily grooved
and the sound produced becomes very strident, loud and difficult to
listen to. Only by re-shaping the hammer, can the surface
be brought back to a smooth oval shape to produce the best sound
possible. So far, I've only talked about the piano hammer. What about
the thousands of other parts of the piano action that require yearly
maintenance? Sadly, most piano owners almost never keep their pianos
maintained. They usually call to have their pianos tuned (not realizing
that they are actually calling the tuner to fix something!).
https://www.paulbrown.org Email: paulbrn@telus.net
Tel: 604-324-7013 (no texting)
Wednesday, October 21, 2015
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Piano Tuning Fixes Everything - No it doesn't!
Incredibly, most customers believe that tuning a piano will fix all of the problems.
Piano tuning only relates to adjusting the pitch of piano wire - nothing else.
99 times out of 100 when I get called to tune a piano, there is more work than I thought. Typically, a call was made to tune the piano but the actual complaint was about sticking keys, squeaking pedals, buzzes, or other problems. When an unqualified tuner tunes the piano for the customer and leaves problems that still exist, the customer assumes that the piano was not tuned.
When you take your car in for servicing, do you specify only to put in gas and check the oil or do you ask for general service and maintenance, in case something else is wrong?
The same problems exist in a piano. You must always specify tuning and maintenance when you call a piano tuner for regular piano servicing. If you don't it is just a matter of time before the piano action starts breaking down and becomes unplayable.
https://www.paulbrown.org Email: paulbrn@telus.net
Tel: 604-324-7013 (no texting)
Piano tuning only relates to adjusting the pitch of piano wire - nothing else.
99 times out of 100 when I get called to tune a piano, there is more work than I thought. Typically, a call was made to tune the piano but the actual complaint was about sticking keys, squeaking pedals, buzzes, or other problems. When an unqualified tuner tunes the piano for the customer and leaves problems that still exist, the customer assumes that the piano was not tuned.
When you take your car in for servicing, do you specify only to put in gas and check the oil or do you ask for general service and maintenance, in case something else is wrong?
The same problems exist in a piano. You must always specify tuning and maintenance when you call a piano tuner for regular piano servicing. If you don't it is just a matter of time before the piano action starts breaking down and becomes unplayable.
https://www.paulbrown.org Email: paulbrn@telus.net
Tel: 604-324-7013 (no texting)
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
How Often Must Pianos Be Tuned?
Almost all manufacturers say that pianos should be tuned 2 times per year.
What about piano maintenance? A piano requires regular maintenance to perform optimally. Sadly, almost nobody follows up on a regular maintenance procedure.
When you buy a car, do you follow a maintenance procedure or do you just put gas in it? Believe it or not, that's all most people do until the car experiences horrendous mechanical problems.
The same is true of the piano. I get numerous calls from people who have had their pianos tuned once per year but complain about sticking notes, buzzing sounds, notes that have no sound, hammer voicing problems, "sharp sounding notes" (caused by worn out hammers), squeaking pedals, broken pedals, coins stuck between keys, pencils falling into the piano action, hammer alignment (hammers not centered on the strings), dampers not working, etc., etc.
Customers assume that "TUNING" is a cure-all for everything. Unfortunately, that's not the case. They assume that when the piano is tuned, the pedal will stop squeaking and the buzzing sounds will disappear. Please be aware that piano tuning is NOT A REGULATED FIELD of work. Anyone can purchase a tuning device, a tuning hammer with mutes and go out into the public and start work.
Customers are always concerned about "Moving the Piano". They will use that wording above all else when looking at piano maintenance. One customer might say: "I tuned the piano 20 years ago but then moved, then we moved again three more times so I didn't want to get it tuned until it stabilized.
What about the 20 years of no servicing?
Most customers are amazed when they see proper servicing of a piano, even though they have had the piano tuned many times in the past.
The response I get all the time: "Wow - was that ever educational! When can we set up the next appointment?"
https://www.paulbrown.org Email: paulbrn@telus.net
Tel: 604-324-7013 (no texting)
What about piano maintenance? A piano requires regular maintenance to perform optimally. Sadly, almost nobody follows up on a regular maintenance procedure.
When you buy a car, do you follow a maintenance procedure or do you just put gas in it? Believe it or not, that's all most people do until the car experiences horrendous mechanical problems.
The same is true of the piano. I get numerous calls from people who have had their pianos tuned once per year but complain about sticking notes, buzzing sounds, notes that have no sound, hammer voicing problems, "sharp sounding notes" (caused by worn out hammers), squeaking pedals, broken pedals, coins stuck between keys, pencils falling into the piano action, hammer alignment (hammers not centered on the strings), dampers not working, etc., etc.
Customers assume that "TUNING" is a cure-all for everything. Unfortunately, that's not the case. They assume that when the piano is tuned, the pedal will stop squeaking and the buzzing sounds will disappear. Please be aware that piano tuning is NOT A REGULATED FIELD of work. Anyone can purchase a tuning device, a tuning hammer with mutes and go out into the public and start work.
Customers are always concerned about "Moving the Piano". They will use that wording above all else when looking at piano maintenance. One customer might say: "I tuned the piano 20 years ago but then moved, then we moved again three more times so I didn't want to get it tuned until it stabilized.
What about the 20 years of no servicing?
Most customers are amazed when they see proper servicing of a piano, even though they have had the piano tuned many times in the past.
The response I get all the time: "Wow - was that ever educational! When can we set up the next appointment?"
https://www.paulbrown.org Email: paulbrn@telus.net
Tel: 604-324-7013 (no texting)
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Piano Tuning Discounts
Many times, I get asked if I can give a discount on a piano I have never seen before. Let me give you some examples of piano tunings that I have given discounts on.
1. One customer informed me that they had the piano tuned within the last 2 years. When I got to the residence, I had trouble trying to get the keys to play - most of them were stuck. I removed some case parts so I could get a good look inside.
There were hundreds of dead cockroaches 'glued' to the keybed and in between the keys. After ONE HOUR of removing the dead insects and lubricating the action, I tuned the piano. *Remember, I gave a discount on this job and it should have cost much more than my normal fee. How the previous tuner was able to tune this piano is a complete mystery to me.
2. Another customer just wanted the piano tuned. When I removed the case parts and the keys, I noticed an old mouse nest in the middle of the keybed. I removed all the keys, vacuumed out the action, and then tuned the piano much later than I originally intended.
3. A customer only wanted one wire replaced. Although the service call fee wouldn't cover me driving 30 miles away, I decided to go anyway. The client had already paid someone else to tune the piano (that tuner couldn't replace wires). Inspecting the piano before deciding to put on the wire, I told them that the piano had severe structural problems and that it needed to be repaired and shouldn't have been tuned in the first place!
Nine times out of ten, there's always about 1/2 hour of extra work to do. Sticking notes, hammers that are not hitting the strings, damping problems, squeaking pedals, squeaking benches, squeaking keys, buzzing sounds, loose screws, actions that are out of regulation, etc, etc,.
Think of it this way. When you buy a car, do you just put gas in it and leave everything else alone, or do you constantly have it looked after by a mechanic? A piano deserves exactly the same attention to function properly.
I generally give small discounts to customers whose pianos I HAVE TUNED PREVIOUSLY if tuned again in the SAME YEAR.
https://www.paulbrown.org Email: paulbrn@telus.net
Tel: 604-324-7013 (no texting)
1. One customer informed me that they had the piano tuned within the last 2 years. When I got to the residence, I had trouble trying to get the keys to play - most of them were stuck. I removed some case parts so I could get a good look inside.
There were hundreds of dead cockroaches 'glued' to the keybed and in between the keys. After ONE HOUR of removing the dead insects and lubricating the action, I tuned the piano. *Remember, I gave a discount on this job and it should have cost much more than my normal fee. How the previous tuner was able to tune this piano is a complete mystery to me.
2. Another customer just wanted the piano tuned. When I removed the case parts and the keys, I noticed an old mouse nest in the middle of the keybed. I removed all the keys, vacuumed out the action, and then tuned the piano much later than I originally intended.
3. A customer only wanted one wire replaced. Although the service call fee wouldn't cover me driving 30 miles away, I decided to go anyway. The client had already paid someone else to tune the piano (that tuner couldn't replace wires). Inspecting the piano before deciding to put on the wire, I told them that the piano had severe structural problems and that it needed to be repaired and shouldn't have been tuned in the first place!
Nine times out of ten, there's always about 1/2 hour of extra work to do. Sticking notes, hammers that are not hitting the strings, damping problems, squeaking pedals, squeaking benches, squeaking keys, buzzing sounds, loose screws, actions that are out of regulation, etc, etc,.
Think of it this way. When you buy a car, do you just put gas in it and leave everything else alone, or do you constantly have it looked after by a mechanic? A piano deserves exactly the same attention to function properly.
I generally give small discounts to customers whose pianos I HAVE TUNED PREVIOUSLY if tuned again in the SAME YEAR.
https://www.paulbrown.org Email: paulbrn@telus.net
Tel: 604-324-7013 (no texting)
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
How to Clean a Piano Comprehensively - What about the dirt and grime inside?
When most customers ask me ask me if their piano is clean, they are almost never referring to what lurks underneath the keys or deep inside the piano.
Many only want their pianos to look good and be free of any scratches.
When I remove the action (because of troubleshooting sticking notes) and keys, most customers are absolutely horrified at the dust, dirt, grime and lost items hiding in plain sight just underneath the shiny keys.
These last two weeks, I have found a mouse nest (underneath the middle of the keyboard of a piano that was only ever just tuned), lots of spider webs, spiders, dead cockroaches, mouse droppings (pianos are a favorite place for mice to breed), bobby pins, guitar pics, and many other items.
I could write a book on the items I have found during all of the years I have been tuning.
While I do understand the expense of getting a piano tuned, I don't understand why all customers don't have their pianos cleaned THOROUGHLY INSIDE at least once every 5 years or so - especially noting the cleanliness aspect.
Yes, I actually will include cleaning on every SECOND TUNING that I do for a customer. That's easy to do because the piano would require only a normal tuning with the extra time being devoted to the other "stuff" hiding in plain sight under the keys or underneath the bottom board of an upright piano. If you need general cleaning (not soundboard cleaning - that would take more time) during the first tuning, the cost is $50. extra and the results are spectacular!
So please do the following:
1. Get your piano tuned at least once per year.
2. Have your technician clean the inside of the piano.
3. Have your technician suggest the best options of cleaning the outside of your piano.
Many only want their pianos to look good and be free of any scratches.
When I remove the action (because of troubleshooting sticking notes) and keys, most customers are absolutely horrified at the dust, dirt, grime and lost items hiding in plain sight just underneath the shiny keys.
These last two weeks, I have found a mouse nest (underneath the middle of the keyboard of a piano that was only ever just tuned), lots of spider webs, spiders, dead cockroaches, mouse droppings (pianos are a favorite place for mice to breed), bobby pins, guitar pics, and many other items.
I could write a book on the items I have found during all of the years I have been tuning.
While I do understand the expense of getting a piano tuned, I don't understand why all customers don't have their pianos cleaned THOROUGHLY INSIDE at least once every 5 years or so - especially noting the cleanliness aspect.
Yes, I actually will include cleaning on every SECOND TUNING that I do for a customer. That's easy to do because the piano would require only a normal tuning with the extra time being devoted to the other "stuff" hiding in plain sight under the keys or underneath the bottom board of an upright piano. If you need general cleaning (not soundboard cleaning - that would take more time) during the first tuning, the cost is $50. extra and the results are spectacular!
So please do the following:
1. Get your piano tuned at least once per year.
2. Have your technician clean the inside of the piano.
3. Have your technician suggest the best options of cleaning the outside of your piano.
Friday, January 7, 2011
Piano Tuning Quotes - "Please Give Me a Quote"
Continue reading below, but I no longer give quotes. I cannot quote on something I've never seen.
Fine-tuning (2 HOUR APPOINTMENTS that include minor adjustments and vacuuming UNDERNEATH KEYS), my fee is $185 GST included. That price is for Vancouver, North, and West Vancouver. For Richmond and Burnaby, the fee is $195.
Pitch raising or lowering IS INCLUDED, but you must understand that if your piano has not been tuned regularly, 2 times per year, every year, you should schedule another appointment in about 1-3 months. There is no way a piano can stay in tune after many years of neglect. When you attend a piano concert, you'll notice that the piano tuner comes on stage during intermission to make minor adjustments. So, if a piano goes slightly out of tune during the first part of a performance, imagine how far out of tune it will be in 6 months!
I always ask the customer to give me the general location of where the piano will be, the name of the piano and if possible, when it was last tuned.
At least this way, I have some information to help me assist the customer with general pricing guidelines.
For more information, check out my piano tuning fees: http://paulbrownrpt.blogspot.com/search/label/Piano Tuning Fees.
https://www.paulbrown.org Email: paulbrn@telus.net
Tel: 604-324-7013 (no texting)
Fine-tuning (2 HOUR APPOINTMENTS that include minor adjustments and vacuuming UNDERNEATH KEYS), my fee is $185 GST included. That price is for Vancouver, North, and West Vancouver. For Richmond and Burnaby, the fee is $195.
Pitch raising or lowering IS INCLUDED, but you must understand that if your piano has not been tuned regularly, 2 times per year, every year, you should schedule another appointment in about 1-3 months. There is no way a piano can stay in tune after many years of neglect. When you attend a piano concert, you'll notice that the piano tuner comes on stage during intermission to make minor adjustments. So, if a piano goes slightly out of tune during the first part of a performance, imagine how far out of tune it will be in 6 months!
I always ask the customer to give me the general location of where the piano will be, the name of the piano and if possible, when it was last tuned.
At least this way, I have some information to help me assist the customer with general pricing guidelines.
For more information, check out my piano tuning fees: http://paulbrownrpt.blogspot.com/search/label/Piano Tuning Fees.
https://www.paulbrown.org Email: paulbrn@telus.net
Tel: 604-324-7013 (no texting)
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Free Pianos
Do NOT buy a piano without consulting a Registered Piano Technician. The used piano business is FAR WORSE than the used car business!
With the economy the way it is, many parents are looking for real bargain pianos. They search the classified ads, Craig's List, Buy & Sell Online, and other piano resource pages.
Piano seller ads (I should say: "Run as fast as you can" if you see some of the wording for ads below.)
1. Leaving the country - must sell now!
2. House just sold - piano free!
3. 80 year old piano in perfect condition. A few notes don't work and pedal needs adjusting. Perfect for the beginner.
4. Old piano. Selling as furniture.
Thinking that cheaper is better (because nobody wants to spend money if their children may lose interest in playing the piano), parents sometimes look for the cheapest piano.
I get calls all the time from customers who have been given (or found) a free piano. Immediately, my heart sinks because I am all too aware of the dangers of "caveat emptor" - Let the buyer beware.
Here is a list of the questions I ask:
1. What is the name of the piano? From the name, I can tell where the piano was made. Hopefully it was produced for the North American market.
2. I ask what the serial number is so I can find out the age of the instrument.
3. When was the piano last tuned? There should be a business card in the piano (just under the top lid) or the seller (giving away the piano for free) may know who the tuner was.
4. I ask the customer to play all the notes chromatically (from the lowest bass note to the highest treble note), and I listen over the phone as they play. I can immediately deduce most problems (but not all) just by listening to the notes (some notes may not work).
5. I ask the customer to take camera phone photos behind the piano, looking down inside the piano from the top and a photo of the front of the piano.
If I get good feedback from answers to the above questions, I will probably set up a time to do a piano appraisal.
The BEST book of information on how to buy a piano: http://www.pianobuyer.com
It is free to view online!
With the economy the way it is, many parents are looking for real bargain pianos. They search the classified ads, Craig's List, Buy & Sell Online, and other piano resource pages.
Piano seller ads (I should say: "Run as fast as you can" if you see some of the wording for ads below.)
1. Leaving the country - must sell now!
2. House just sold - piano free!
3. 80 year old piano in perfect condition. A few notes don't work and pedal needs adjusting. Perfect for the beginner.
4. Old piano. Selling as furniture.
Thinking that cheaper is better (because nobody wants to spend money if their children may lose interest in playing the piano), parents sometimes look for the cheapest piano.
I get calls all the time from customers who have been given (or found) a free piano. Immediately, my heart sinks because I am all too aware of the dangers of "caveat emptor" - Let the buyer beware.
Here is a list of the questions I ask:
1. What is the name of the piano? From the name, I can tell where the piano was made. Hopefully it was produced for the North American market.
2. I ask what the serial number is so I can find out the age of the instrument.
3. When was the piano last tuned? There should be a business card in the piano (just under the top lid) or the seller (giving away the piano for free) may know who the tuner was.
4. I ask the customer to play all the notes chromatically (from the lowest bass note to the highest treble note), and I listen over the phone as they play. I can immediately deduce most problems (but not all) just by listening to the notes (some notes may not work).
5. I ask the customer to take camera phone photos behind the piano, looking down inside the piano from the top and a photo of the front of the piano.
If I get good feedback from answers to the above questions, I will probably set up a time to do a piano appraisal.
The BEST book of information on how to buy a piano: http://www.pianobuyer.com
It is free to view online!
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