how good is a piano tuner?

I just purchased a new piano and will need it have it tuned a few times this year. The dealer will send a tuner to my home for the first two tunes. I want to know 1) How do I know if he has done a good job? I am new to this and can tell if a piano is really out of tune, but that is about it. 2) Should I stay with the same tuner the dealer sent, since he now 'knows' the piano or does is it better to try a couple before settling on one I will use regularly.

I would talk to a piano teacher, or professional player you know and trust. The person being sent to you might be exceptional, but it's nice to hear it from a 3rd party.

cheers

Rick Hollett

Bruces,

It is really hard to know (other than by reputation) when the piano is so new. No matter who tunes it, a new piano is prone to slipping out of tune quickly. So when it does slip, it's impossible to know if the tuner is inexperienced or the piano is settling.

I wish I knew a hard and fast rule on how to pick a good tuner, but I don't. The Piano Technicians Guild would like people to believe that being a Registered Piano Tuner (registered with them, that is) is a guarantee. But I would say it's mostly a guarantee that they at least have good knowledge of the tuning basics.

To me, it's like with car mechanics. Sometimes you just have to try a couple and find out. I think when you find someone with good skills and professionality, you will know it. You won't be wondering. They will perform and communicate with you in a way that makes you feel confident. OTOH, if a tuner gets that deer-in-the-headlights look (or is a clam, or prattles nonsense) when you ask questions may be less than confident in his own abilities.

Regards,

Rick Clark

<< Dealers pay very little to the tuners who tune for them. >>

Not always true.

<< (there may be some exceptions >>

Yes.

<< but not many) >>

I wouldn't know how to quantify that, but I would guess in excess of 25-30% based on my experiences.

<< The only reasons I can think of for a tuner to affiliate with a dealer or: 1. he is a new tuner with little experience and less business. 2. he is new to the area and needs to establish contacts. 3. he owns a piece of the retail business. >>

Or the dealer sought out the best candidates for competent technical work and approached them. Money was not as much an issue as competence to me when I was a dealer.

Since my personal experiences differ from Rick's when it comes to the Piano Technician's Guild, I'm also more inclined to seek out an RTT. There may be some Micky Mouse PTG chapters, but speaking from my experience, there are generally very professionally conducted small groups comprising the entire organization. Any tech really serious about pursuing the craft would probably want to take advantage of every educational opportunity as well as a certification process showing basic competency. Hence, I usually recommend looking for the RTT designation. I have known a few excellent techs outside PTG ranks, and I've known some complete doofusses (or is that doofi?) within the ranks, but these are generally character issues more than capability issues.

As with all advice on the internet, do whatever the heck you want.

My dealer is in LA, but I'm in the SF bay area, so I asked a local Mason & Hamlin dealer for a recommendation for a technician. The PTG technician who came was disorganized, not interested in voicing, and his tuning was merely passable. I decided to go through the PTG list on the website and go through every person one by one until I found one I liked.

Well, I got lucky. This second guy was really good. He was very thorough and knowledgeable (and said nice things about my M&H AA). I'm going to have him back to voice (ran out of time last time) this autumn and I fully expect it to meet my expectations.

I don't know how to describe what a piano 'in tune' sounds like right now. The visual equivalent is when an out-of-focus TV screen suddenly becomes sharp. If you like what your tuner does, then stick with him/her. If not, you should shop around as you would a plumber or mechanic.

As long as it's not a cold draught or fireplace or sun or bathroom affecting your piano, it should settle down its tuning in a year or so. It takes time to know if you have the right tuner.

98% of tuners who have been in the trade a while are good at their job and so then it becomes a *chemistry* thing. You want a good job done and the tuner knows that you will only have your piano tuned every 12 years. Gary.

The best tuners I know jump through hoops to *avoid* having those kind of people as customers, for a number of reasons. Bottom line is most good techs reach a point in their careers where they must become a bit choosy, because they simply do not have the time available to schedule everyone who might call. Piano owners who are highly neglectful have a tendancy to be a problem on a few levels (though not all of them), as a vicious cycle is created where the tuner gets the blame for the owner's neglect or unwillingness to pay for more than a basic tuning. Bad word of mouth may be created, though the poor piano performance is not the tuner's fault. So these people tend to be the ones tuners will avoid, if they have enough business. Typically, they may referred off to a young or inexperienced tuner who needs the work.

Regards,

Rick Clark