Tuning

Quite simply, I will tune any piano (grand, upright or square grand), anytime (within reason), anywhere (to which you are willing to pay me to go).

Stabilizing the “untunable” piano

Reseating, stabilizing or replacing tuning pins until they will hold at pitch.

Pitch adjustments

Whatever your piano's current pitch, I will raise or lower it to standard pitch.  This will require two visits, one for the pitch adjustment and one for the actual tuning.

Voicing

Voicing is the process of building up or rounding out the tone of your piano so that, across the keyboard, your piano has even, strong sustain and the brightness or warmth that you desire.  Though there is much more to it, voicing most commonly refers to work done directly on the hammers, using needles, steam, and/or “voice grips” to produce warmer, more rounded tones and lacquer to produce brighter, more assertive tones.

Repairs

I repair or replace any parts or materials which are worn out or broken, from repairing a broken string to replacing a piano's soundboard.

Regulation

Like your car, your piano needs periodic mechanical tune-ups.  Your piano has over 1,000 moving parts and nearly as many stationary ones, all of which are subject to wear.  For your piano to have the smooth, even touch which allows you to play music, rather than produce noise, all of these parts must be in good condition, and those that move must move evenly and in coordination with each other.  There are four basic types of regulation:  Action, damper, pedal, and touchweight.

Action regulation

The action is the assembly containing the keys, the hammers, and everything connecting them.  Action regulation is the process of adjusting all of the over 500 moving pieces which make up the action, so that the same amount of pressure on each key will produce the appropriate volume of sound for each key.  A well-regulated action will feel very even and fluid to the pianist. It is this evenness and fluidity of touch (feel) which allows the pianist to produce music, as opposed to noise.

Damper regulation

Dampers are the felt pads which are lifted off of the strings when a note is played and which stop the strings from vibrating when the note is released.  Regulation involves adjusting the position of all of the individual damper assemblies so that they lift simultaneously when the damper (right hand) pedal is depressed, and so that each individual damper begins lifting half way through the key stroke.

Sostenuto assembly regulation

A properly regulated sostenuto assembly will hold up the dampers of any keys which are being played when the sostenuto (left hand) pedal is depressed.

Pedal regulation

A properly regulated sustain pedal should engage (begin lifting) the dampers when depressed approximately 1/4”.  Soft pedals and sostenuto pedals should engage their assemblies immediately.

Touchweight regulation

At a given volume, each key should require the same amount of pressure to depress it (downweight).  When released, each key should return to rest with the same amount of force (upweight).  This gives the piano a smooth, even touch.  Adjusting the down- and upweights is called touchweight regulation.

Restoration

Restoration is the extensive process of bringing a piano back into original factory condition.  Everything--and I do mean everything--about the piano that is not in perfect condition is repaired, replaced, refinished and/or replated.  The piano is then thoroughly regulated and tuned before it is delivered to your home.  Over the next six months, the piano is tuned several more times.  At the end of this “settling in” period, the piano is tuned one more time, and all elements of regulation are tweaked to bring them back to specs.

Rebuilding

Generally speaking, rebuilding involves extensive parts repair/replacement and regulation but stops short of complete restoration.

Cabinet repair & refinishing

Though I do not do cabinet repair or refinishing, I arrange to have it done by local craftsmen.

Square grands

Anything I do to modern pianos, I will do to square grands. However, rebuilding / restoring square grands which have many parts broken beyond repair often does not make sense economically as most replacement parts have to be hand made.

Evaluations and appraisals

I offer a full range of services, from “Is it worth keeping?” evaluations to written appraisals.

Piano moving

As my technical skills have increased, so has my age.  As a result, I, myself, no longer move pianos.  However, I will arrange moves from anywhere, to anywhere.

sustain

The length of time, and power with which, a given note continues to sound.  A note with good sustain will decrease in volume slowly and evenly.

much more

Voicing is actually the sum of several operations.  Before the hammers are manipulated: they must be resurfaced to remove string groves and regain a rounded striking surface; the action must be regulated, which includes leveling the strings and fitting each newly resurfaced hammer to its strings so that they will be struck simultaneously and with equal force; the piano must be thoroughly tuned.

Any remaining inconsistencies in tone and sustain will be due to problems within the hammers, needles, steam, and/or “voice grips” - Over time, the felt hammers become compacted and grooved from striking the strings.  This makes them less “springy” and results in more high-pitched, whiny, metallic sounds.  (Think of the difference between striking a metal surface with a rubber mallet and a ball peen hammer.)  Three methods are commonly used to release tension in the felt, thus giving a hammer back its “spring”:

• needles:  Sewing machine needles are inserted in specific spots, to specific depths to loosen up the felt.
• steam:  Steam is applied to specific places for specific periods of time; steam causes the compacted felt fibers to loosen up.
• voice grips:  The gripping surfaces of a pair of Vice-Grips® are ground smooth, and the modified “voice grips” are used to squeeze the hammers, thus loosening up the compacted felt.
• key stroke:  The vertical distance the key travels when depressed.

sostenuto assembly - On many grand pianos, the left hand pedal engages the sostenuto assembly.  This assembly acts like a pair of extra hands.  The pianist plays anywhere from one to ten notes and, before releasing them, depresses the sostenuto (left hand) pedal.  These notes will continue to sound until the pedal is released.  Meanwhile, the pianist can continue to play the entire piano and to use the normal sustain pedal.

Adjusting the down- and upweights - Each key has a balance point, dividing the key in half (think teeter-totter).  To adjust the down- and upweights, weight is added to, or subtracted from, the front half of the key or from the hammer, itself.  (Interesting fact:  A 1 oz. change in weight at the hammer produces a 5 oz. change in weight at the front of the key!)