More and more pianos need care and attention:

It's been quite awhile since my last post.  I'm not ordinarily inclined to type on my keyboard everyday.  So thank you for your patience.

This next post is more or less a call to anyone who owns a piano to consider some important facts about the maintenance needs of their pianos that are often neglected because of the lack of technical advice from technicians who tune pianos, and from the fear of putting too much money into their pianos.  For many years, I often just did what the customer asked me to do; just tune the piano.  But at times, there would be a piano that could hardly be played because the action and keyboard were so hard to play responsively.  I would point the problem out to the customer and they would quickly agree that they did notice this problem.  So they would next ask me simply how much it would cost to repair it.  I give them a detailed list of things that should be done and the price.  Then after performing the service, they would notice a huge difference in how easy it is to play the piano again.  The process I had performed was a process called, action regulation.

Action regulation in its complete function and process involves many of the following steps:

1. the keyboard adjustment.  This involves making sure the whole keyboard frame in a grand piano is completely stable and fits in the piano like a glove.  When it is not, there would be a knocking sound when tapping on the frame's adjustable mounts.  The mounts are also a glide post so that the keyboard can shift during left pedal (soft or unacorda) operation.  The upright piano doesn't have that function.

2. The key height adjustment.  Keys are brought to proper height and leveled evenly.  When keys are low and high, the overall key level is like a roller coaster.  Keys must be set high enough to have the full leverage it takes for the action components to fully engage and trigger a note being played.

3. Action regulation:  Many steps are involved in this process.  But to summarize, it involves adjusting the hammers, tightening action screws, aligning many parts, adjusting when a hammer releases and when it drops, adjusting the repetition spring, adjusting key dip.

4. Voicing:  the process of adjusting tone quality produced by the hammer felts.  Hammer felts have a certain density that governs how bright a tone or mellow a tone will be heard.  It's density is adjusted by sanding and needling.  It is the most artistic aspect of piano repair that require a good ear and a good touch.

5. Damper adjustments;  The part of the piano that stops the string vibrations for each note.

When a complete regulation has been accomplished, the experienced pianist can then detect the following qualities of their piano.

1. Improved tone projection and sustainability and resonance.
2. Improved ability to play notes repeatedly and rapidly without missing a hit.
3. Improved ability to play very, very softly without missing a note strike.
4. Evenness of tone throughout the whole keyboard scale.

The piano with such care will begin to have a personality that comes alive and speaks  and connects with the pianist and therefore a more enjoyable journey in music.

My tuning experience at Seattle Pacific University

It was a busy week for me between March 19th And March 22nd.  I woke up each morning at 5 am so I could arrive in Seattle by 8 am.  The piano sale at Seattle Pacific University was to start on March 22nd.  There were about 80 acoustic pianos to be on display and it was my job, along with other tuners who could help, to tune and prep the pianos.

On Monday, I made good time getting there.  But when I tried to enter the building, it was still locked.  The person who usually opens it was late due to snow preventing her from coming.  When the building was opened, I still had to wait around for a few hours, because the drivers moving the pianos from Portland, Oregon had not arrived.  They left Portland at 7 am and didn't arrive til 11 am.

Finally, the first truck arrived and it was moving time; not for me of course.  Still waited another hour while movers were being told where each piano will be set up.  Well, by the time I started my first piano, it was about 12:30 pm.  For Monday, I had tuned a total of 8 pianos.

I know the movers were tired by the end of the day; but I worked all day and all night and finally got home at 9 pm.  The movers made very good time setting up the pianos.

The next day, I tuned another 8 pianos and went home early because the doors were locked up 6 pm.  I got home by 7 pm.  Wednesday, I did 10 pianos and got home around 10 pm.  Thursday was the start of the sales event; but I still tuned three more pianos.  One of those pianos was a Yamaha grand piano that was sounding so bright and shrill that it was obnoxious. So I softened the hammers and voiced the piano and tuned it.  It sounded much better.

When do I "dump" my old upright piano?

Piano tuning can be a challenge at times, not because it's a difficult task in general, but because a piano can have many problems that hinder a tuner from pressing the keys to produce a tone because the mechanical parts are badly worn out.  There are a lot of badly worn out pianos out there in many homes.  I enjoy working on many of them because I
can usually fix them.

The question of "Should I get rid of this old piano?" comes quite often and I usually make an assessment based on several factors:

1. Is the amount of money required to do the repairs well worth the value the piano will have after the job is completed?

2. Is the owner of the piano willing to pay that amount required to finish the job?

3. Is a new piano a better option or a newer used a better option?

The answer is very dependent on the quality and condition of the piano and the goals of the piano owner.  Some of the most common problems that usually end the discussion is when the piano has a cracked pin plank.  It is the part of the piano that holds all those tuning pins which hold the tension of each and every string to its proper pitch.  Another problem is found in the bridges that strings are stretched across containing cracks in the wooden bridge causing bridge pins to be loose and vibrating buzzes.  The third most common problem is badly worn out hammers, (felt strikers) old and badly grooved from years of playing the piano.

There are many old upright pianos that should never be disposed of because they are of such high quality tone and beauty.  Patience and care should be considered for such pianos because there are many people who want to restore that piano.  When a person decides they don't want to keep such piano because they are not prepared to put the necessary funds toward repair or restoration, someone else could end up with it and also not realize the value of it.

A piano technician can evaluate a piano and determine whether the condition of a piano is worth the investment; but he cannot determine how much sentimental value there is in the piano owner's view of the piano.  I have come across many pianos that were in the family for  long time and it is hard for the owners to part with old pianos.  So the decision should be made only after all things have been considered, especially after a qualified technician has made the proper determination of the condition of the piano.

A tuned piano will keep America sounding beautiful.
http://frankspianotuning.com/

Top Ten Reasons You Should Have Your Piano Tuned:

A piano tuner with years of aural and computer tuning abilities and expertise
with a huge and a very satisfied clientele seeks to expand service to more
customers looking for professional and quality service in piano tuning and repair
of used or new pianos.  Frank's Piano Tuning & Repair is committed to gaining
your trust in providing the finest quality service and workmanship to all your
piano needs. 

Here are ten top reasons you should choose service with
Frank's Piano tuning and repair:

10. Your piano is your valuable investment  and asset for music.
9.   Your child has great hearing and needs a well tuned piano.
8.   You want your future performer to remember that you cared
       about his or her instrument to keep it tuned.
7.    Piano maintenance is a necessity in a bad economy because
       you or your child still loves music played in tune.
6.    If you want to sell your piano, a tuned piano will sell quicker than
       an out of tune piano will.
5.   Your piano teacher wants your child's ear to hear the proper pitch
       in learning to play.
4.   Your piano tuner takes pride in his work in making any piano sound
       its best and performing well.
3.   The price is cheaper than a car tuneup and cheaper than what most
       piano tuners charge.
2.   You only need one tuning a year.

1.  The number one reason you should choose Frank's Piano tuning & Repair is -

      You will not find another tuner who is more honest and more caring than
       Frank R. Acosta Jr. because he has proven over the years to many many
       customers that he can communicate well to his customers about the needs
       of their pianos and most importantly the needs of his customers.

If you want to finally change the way your piano sounds and make it sound its best,
then why not pick up the phone and set up an appointment now so that we can bring
happiness to your home with a well tuned piano and better sounding music.

Frank R. Acosta Jr

Piano Tuner / Technician

Frank's Piano Tuning & Repair

Phone: 253-222-3496

Email: frankspianotuning@gmail.com

Wilhelm Kempff plays Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata mvt. 3

A piano played like this man plays it must recieve proper and constant care for the best possible keyboard response.

When Life Returns to a Piano!

In a recent piano tuning service call, my customer related to me about how her Yamaha piano had been in need of a tuning for a long time. Her daughter knew it needed tuning and the thing that I detected was that they really did not realize the type of piano that was sitting there in their living room. It was a Yamaha console that to them was just an old piano that was simply an okay piano.

The first thing I explained to her was that since it had not been tuned for many years, that it was going to need at least two tunings to get the piano back in proper tune and stability. She was prepared for that bit of news. The thing she was not prepared for was what happened after the first tuning.

After the first tuning, the piano in her words were, "Wow, what a difference!"
"It sounds a whole lot better."

It was not only in tune, but there seemed to be what I call, "life" coming back to it. There was more tone than it had. There was more clarity than the family was use to hearing. But still, there was even more clarity to expect once the second tuning was completed two weeks later.

So after the second tuning, my customer realized how much potential was in her piano to becoming a very enjoyable instrument of music.

There are a lot of old pianos with a lot of life all locked up just ready to be released if only the chance for a long overdue tuning could be applied. What kind of treasures of music is sitting in your home?

Buying Used Pianos

Buying a used Piano requires doing a little homework to study and consider a few factors into this somewhat major decision to purchase either a new or used piano for most people, especially in this weak economy.

Some of the desired brands, just to name a few, are Yamaha, Kawai, Baldwin, Wurlitzer, and Cable.

So many other name brands are out there that are also good as well.  Depending on the type of buyer you are, you have many options to consider.  For example, if price is not an issue in so far as available funds but still want a good piano with a lot of value for your dollar, a good used steinway could be an excellant investment.  For less money, there are still many other brands that are good quality brands such as Yamaha grand pianos, Kawai grand pianos and uprights as well.  Good tone quality and good touch response are a common benefit with these two brands.

If you're the type of buyer who is really trying to look for a good deal on a piano because money is tight, then you are the type of individual  that needs to use caution when coming upon pianos that are a "real steal".
Because if it is a real steal, it could steal your money instead, especially if the piano being considered is a badly neglected piano.  Some of the signs of neglect or wear and tear that cannot be evident, at times, until it is investigated by an experienced piano technician, are inside the piano.  Piano technicians know how to discover hidden cracks in the soundboard and in the bridges.  They can detect loose tuning pins or loose keys.  Rusty strings can be detected visually by technician or buyer.  Worn out felt hammers are common items of neglect.  If those type of defects are not detected, you run into the chance later on after the purchase is made that you must have those repairs done in order for the piano to stay in tune or to get the piano to play with better response.

If you're going to buy a used piano, whether from a piano store or from a friend or relative, the best form of insurance for you is to call a piano technician and schedule a time to look at the piano for inspection and evaluation.  He can tell you if the price being asked is reasonable or not.  He can inform you of many things about the piano so that you are prepared to reject a bad deal and save the moving cost to you home.