People train to be piano technicians through formal school programs, correspondence or self-study courses, and apprenticeships. “Those music stores that are growing-and there are some even in today’s environment-are often looking for technicians.” “Many technicians, RPTs in particular, have more work that they can perform,” Gilreath said via e-mail. There’s a definite need for a new, younger wave of technicians to step into the business, said Allan Gilreath, president of the board of the Piano Technicians Guild. I can call up any of them and ask them something.” We’ve got some guys who have been tuning 40, 50 years. “With the guild, our philosophy is if I tune a piano and somebody from the guild walks in afterward and checks it, it’s a good job. “If I walk into somebody’s house and I tune the piano and I walk out, how do they know I did a good job?” Huggins said. Huggins sees guild membership as a way to bring accountability into the field. The guild’s Springs chapter has a dozen or so members. You can’t duplicate the sound and the feel of a real piano.” You cannot replace the sound that comes off the vibrating strings. “And it didn’t at all.”Įlectronic keyboards have their benefits, Huggins said-they’re easily transportable, for example. “When the electronic keyboards came out, I think a lot of us old piano tuners were wondering if it was going to hurt our business,” said Larry Lohnes, who has been tuning pianos for more than three decades. In this age of iTunes, iPods and electronic keyboards, there’s still a place for the old-fashioned acoustic piano-and thus still a need for piano tuners. Before long, he was at work tuning the piano, wielding a tool called a tuning hammer to adjust the tension of the piano’s strings- and relying on a tuning fork and his ear to get the sound of each key just so. He studied the movements of the keys and the pedals, and exposed the top and bottom of the upright piano to study its guts. Many other schools, churches, and piano teachers also provide me with steady, rewarding opportunities.Digital Replica Edition Home Page Close MenuĬOLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.-David Huggins hit a key on the piano and winced. My fondest relationships have been with the Colorado Springs Philharmonic, Colorado Piano Warehouse, PPCC, and UCCS. Hundreds of pianos each year in homes and concert venues receive my diligent care through tuning, regulation, repair, keybalancing, and humidifier service. I cut my teeth at the local Colorado Piano Warehouse, and I continue to enjoy working on everything from beginner pianos in homes to Steinways and Bösendorfers in concert venues. Only a few hundred tuners have passed the testing procedures nationwide, and I have successfully installed over 125 systems.ĮXPERIENCE-I believe that working on pianos is as important as learning about them, and I’ve done this since 2001. HUMIDIFIERS-Tested and certified as an Expert Field Installer by the Dampp-Chaser Corporation. These opportunities keep the occupation fresh and allow me to stay in the loop. National, regional, and local seminars disseminate the latest information about tuning, keybalancing, regulation, and repairs. PTG CONTINUING EDUCATION-As a current participating member of the Piano Technicians Guild, I upgrade my knowledge and skills at regular educational meetings and conferences. Currently, fewer than 3,500 tuners have successfully passed the exams worldwide. The testing is so detailed that the PTG allows its testees 4 years to complete it. The PTG has set up a rigorous testing procedure to ensure that tuners can properly tune, regulate, and repair. The Piano Technicians Guild (PTG) is our national regulating organization dedicated to advancing skills and abilities of piano tuners. RPT-Tested and certified as Registered Piano Technician. More details are available under “Tuning Rates.” My prices are no higher than other RPT-certified tuners in town, and I try to help folks any way I can. But I will travel to other areas for special circumstances. I work mainly in Colorado Springs and its surrounding areas.
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