Serving Lansdale and surrounding areas since 1977
215-527-7485
215-527-7485
My clients vary from first-time used piano buyers who want lessons for their children to professional players looking for precision tuning and adjustments. Schools, churches and other institutions use my services regularly. As a professional musician and music teacher I've spent a lifetime in the field of music performing, teaching, composing and arranging. As a piano technician I have found it rewarding to work with piano owners who cherish their instruments. I would be happy to speak to you about your piano and it's condition and I will guarantee that you will be satisfied with my work.
Tuning Methods - I'm often asked "Do you tune a piano by ear, or do you use a tuning device?" - The truth is that until a few years ago all pianos were tuned by ear. When you think about it there were no electronic tuners or software applications available. Tuning is an art. One learned to tune a piano by striking a tone on a tuning fork to get started and then "tempering" certain intervals from there. It was all done aurally (by ear) and took years to master. This is how I learned to tune and in 1977 I received my degree. The human ear in it's desire to seek harmony will discern a small amount of variation as correct and pleasing. Pianists can hear this in the higher registers of the instrument. A few years ago I began using a software application in my work. While some clients insist that I tune this way, my preference is to combine the two. The result is a piano that is clear, resonant and pleasing to
the ear.
Repairs, Adjustments, and Rebuilding - Over time, piano parts wear out or need adjustment (regulating), repair or replacement. Minor repairs and some strings can be serviced in your home. For larger repairs or rebuilding I usually recommend that the action (which is removable) be taken to my Lansdale shop. An out of tune piano will discourage anyone from playing! For the developing musician an in-tune piano trains young ears properly. Regular tuning also prevents expensive future maintenance. According to Steinway & Sons….“Your Steinway piano was tuned many times before it left our factory. It was tuned to and should be maintained at A440 pitch. This is the internationally accepted standard and the standard for which all Steinway pianos are engineered. Unfortunately, no matter how expertly a piano is tuned, atmospheric variations and the nature of the piano's construction constantly conspire to bring it off pitch. Your Steinway has been designed and built so that in normal use and under normal conditions it should need only periodic tuning. We recommend that your technician be called at least three or four times a year.”
Tuning Method - Pianos can be tuned in basically two ways - by "ear", which has always been the traditional way or by using tuning software. I use both methods. Piano tuning keeps your piano up to pitch (a “C” on your piano sounds like a “C” on other well-tuned pianos ). This standard is called A-440. There are about 20 tons of pressure on the cast iron harp of your piano and this pressure tends to lesson over time, thus lowering the pitch of your instrument. Keeping your piano STABILIZED means your piano will sound almost the same from tuning to tuning.