| Welcome to the English language section of my site. Here you will find a guide to the services I provide as well as some information,
tips and advice about purchasing a secondhand piano and general maintenance of your instrument. |
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Buying advice
The first thing one notices is the outside of the piano. A shiny black case will
obviously make a greater impression than older casework with
dull areas here and there. However, all that glitters is not
gold. A new piano, complete with a German name on the front
can turn out to be an inferior import from the Far East, while
a piano that is clearly showing its wrinkles can in fact turn
out to be a better buy. Only an experienced piano technician
can help you separate the wheat from the chaff. Though tastes
differ, a good piano that doesn’t completely match your furniture
is better than an inferior one that does. |
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All matters concerning the technical side of
a piano must be left to an expert: knowledge and experience
being the keywords here. All manner of things could be
wanting on the inside, with expensive repairs as the
outcome! |
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Buying privately
Buying a piano from the neighbour across the street is a risky business. The seller is usually unaware of any potential technical problems and genuine in his/her attitude. You take their word for it and you only become aware that all is not well by the reaction of the tuner when he turns up at your house and tears out his hair on starting work on your new pride and joy! back to top
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Buying from a piano shop
Although it is possible to receive good advice from a dealer, it is obvious that
his priority will be to ensure that you buy from him. Third party advice is still
to be recommended. A good alternative is often your local piano tuner who may
have one or two reasonably priced pianos in his workshop and who is likely to
respond to ‘after sales service’ far quicker than a big shop. |
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Conclusion
Never buy a piano without first having it inspected
by an expert. Consider his charges as part of the investment
in your final purchase. It will be well worth it if he can
prevent you from buying a 'pig in a poke'. |
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Why do pianos need tuning?
The strings of a piano are under enormous tension. This tension will always try to find a way of being released, leading to the piano (as in all stringed instruments) going out of tune. This de-tuning process will continue even when the piano is not played. Another factor that must be considered is that a considerable part of the load - bearing structure of a piano is made from wood, a living material. The soundboard, bridges, rear bracings, wrestplank and case are all made from wood which reacts to changes in room temperature and humidity. Constant and high variations in room humidity and temperature lead to tuning instability. A period of heavy frost followed by a warmer spell can cause havoc to your instrument. back to faq back to top
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How regularly?
Twice a year according to the book. Some pianos are very stable but some are ready for a tuning after a few months. New pianos need more regular tuning, usually four times a year for the first few years until the ‘stretch’ is out of the strings. Should you transport your piano to another house, it will need a month to acclimatise to its new surroundings.
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What does the tuner actually do?
With the help of his tuning fork, the tuner first checks the general pitch of
the piano. If possible, he will tune the piano to concert pitch, A440 Hz (oscillations
per second). Every note must have the correct relationship to this first note
as well as to each other. The octave around Middle C is tuned first, great care
being taken to achieve the right relationship between the intervals. Once this
first octave, the temperament, is set then the tuner will tune the octaves of
the piano to this. Sometimes the pitch of a piano will be so far under A440 Hz
that the tuner will not be able to tune it in one go. The tuner will then do
a pitch raise, pulling up the pitch and rough tuning. Once the piano has settled,
then a further appointment must be made in order to lay a fine tuning over this
basis. Sometimes structural damage or rusty strings will prevent a piano from
achieving the correct pitch. The total string tension of a piano is close to
20,000 kg!
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How long does it take to tune a piano?
Usually one to one and a half hours is sufficient, depending on the state and particular difficulty of the instrument. The tuner must unpack and re-pack his tools and materials used, give advice or suggestions to the customer, write out a bill etc. If faults are found which cannot be immediately corrected, then another appointment can be arranged.
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But the piano is hardly used at the moment. It can miss a tuning.
Although a musician's piano that may be played for five hours a day will need more regular tuning than a piano in a domestic situation, it is not advisable to stop with maintenance altogether during a period when it is not played.
As explained above, changes in room temperature and humidity are the main factors when it comes to tuning stability. The possibility of vermin infestation must not be forgotten. I have seen dreadful damage caused by moths that seem to have a taste for piano felt, not to mention mice whose favourite place for a nest is under the keys, a ready supply of nest material in the form of felt being at hand! Mice can damage felt, nibble away wooden components but their party trick is to urinate against the strings! The effects of which can be just as drastic for your wallet as for your musical enjoyment. All of this could have been prevented if someone (your local piano tuner) had stuck his nose inside your piano on a regular basis and had spotted the danger in time.back to faq back to top
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Tuning charges
How much is it to have my piano tuned? It’s difficult to give a fixed charge over the telephone when you don’t quite know the extent of the work needed. Tuning charges vary with the condition of the existing tuning and the time needed to achieve a good result. A regular customer whose piano is tuned twice a year pays a fixed fee but different rules apply for someone calling whose piano has not been tuned in years. If I think extra time will be needed then the customer will be informed beforehand. Should the work take considerably longer than 1 hour, then an amount will be charged for the extra time worked. Sometimes it is not possible to achieve the desired result in one tuning, a second appointment needing to be made for later. My tuning charges begin at € 63.00.
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Repairs and Reconditioning
Because a piano contains thousands of components, there is much that can and
does go wrong. Hammers that reach the strings and stay there! Keys that don’t
return after being depressed, dampers that don’t damp, moth infestation, loose
tuning pins, buzzing soundboards, and squeaky pedals; the list is almost endless.
An experienced technician can often diagnose a problem by recognising the particular
clicking, squeaking or rattling sound a given malfunction will make.
When an upright or grand piano undergoes a full reconditioning, any or all of
the following jobs could be undertakenback to faq back to top |
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- Action:- new hammer heads, damper felt, leathers etc
- Soundboard:- repair and varnish
- Re-string and replace all the tuning pins
- Keyboard :- restore damaged ivory, replace felt bushings
- Casework:- repair veneer, re-polish
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| Such a thorough restoration job may appear costly due to the many hours or days needed to complete the work, not to mention the high cost of top quality parts. However, a full reconditioning of a good instrument can result in such an improvement in the quality of the touch and tone that music making becomes a joy and a pleasure once again. The value of the piano is hugely increased and the instrument itself enjoys a new lease of life. Because of the high costs of such a thorough overhaul, it is usually advisable to reserve such treatment for top quality instruments. |
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| Sometimes a piano has great sentimental value for the owner. “It was our family piano,” is often heard. In such a case a sympathetic reconditioning of the instrument may be considered appropriate. back
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