Best Piano Tuners 2022
Golka Piano Services
Golka Piano Services in Houston offers piano tuning and repairs, restoration and revitalization, and maintenance services. The business’s piano technician is a member of the Piano Technicians Guild with over 20 years of experience in the piano service industry. The company’s website explains that the optimal environment in which to keep a piano is around 68 degrees Fahrenheit with around 42 percent relative humidity, and that because these conditions are difficult to maintain in Houston, pianos should be tuned annually at the very least to prevent irreparable damage.
Hardy Piano Warehouse
Hardy Piano Warehouse of Houston sells, rents and repairs pianos. The business specializes in piano tuning, restoration, and refinishing. Hardy Piano Warehouse has a 7,200-square-foot facility, well-suited for any size repair. The business offers over-the-phone estimates at no charge and onsite estimates for a small fee. If the customer ends up having his or her piano serviced by Hardy Piano Warehouse, that fee is deducted from the total cost or repairs. At an average cost of $150, typical turnaround time for repairs is about two weeks. Hardy Piano Warehouse has photos of pianos that are for sale on its website, along with information about current specials.
Ivery Piano Service
Ivey Piano Service in Sugar Land specializes in piano cleaning, inspection, moving, tuning, and repairs. Ivey Piano Service is an authorized Dampp Chaser dehumidifier dealer and installer. The business’s piano technician tunes mostly by ear, using an electronic device to double-check his work. The business also offers piano-buying advice and has special discounted tuning prices for schools, churches, and nursing homes.
Harding Piano Service
Harding Piano Service is a member of the Piano Technicians Guild and offers tuning, action regulation, voicing, and other repairs, along with the installation of humidity control systems and partial or complete rebuilds. Harding Piano Service has been serving Dayton and the surrounding communities since 1979. The business’s website has at least 30 articles that offer descriptions and instructions regarding common problems and repair procedures. These guides inform customers about the parts of their pianos, what purposes they serve, and what happens when they break.
Ello Piano Service
Ello Piano Service in Richmond is a team of registered piano technicians under the Piano Technicians Guild. The business has over 25 years of experience in tuning, repairs, appraising, and rebuilding pianos. Repair and restoration services the business offers include action regulation, touch rail installation, hammer voicing, finish touch-up, the installation of dehumidifying systems, and more. Ello Piano Service also specializes in the assessment and repair of water damaged pianos.
Jim Cannon
Jim Cannon is a registered piano technician of the Piano Technicians Guild who has over 30 years of experience in servicing the piano repair and tuning needs of customers in the Houston area. Jim has worked on the pianos of professional musicians, local churches, and schools. In addition to tuning, Jim offers piano cleaning, action regulation, voicing, humidity control, reconditioning, and consulting services to help buyers get the best value for their money.
Houston Piano Care
Houston Piano Care is a business in Houston that offers piano tuning, regulation, and repairs, with special discounts for schools, churches, music studios, and nursing homes. Houston Piano Care also offers piano cleaning and inspection, and piano-buying advice. The business’s piano technician is a member of the Piano Technicians Guild and a certified Dampp-Chaser system installer. One customer review said, “Two weeks ago I performed a solo recital on a 1983 Hamburg Steinway Model B that Saun Lee had prepared at The Buckingham Retirement Community in Houston, Texas. The concert tuning she did was superb. The piano sounded marvelous and held its tune solidly throughout the performance.”
Todd Piano Works
Todd Piano Works in Allen is a piano tuning and repair business that offers services such as hammer voicing, action regulations, reconditioning, humidity control, and appraisals. The company also offers routine maintenance plans. The business’s website has information about general piano care and pages with diagrams depicting the different parts of specific piano systems.
Glenn's Piano Service
Glenn’s Piano Service in Katy is that of a registered piano technician of the Piano Technicians Guild. Glenn tunes pianos by ear and then checks his work with a modern, electronic tuning device. The business also offers services like regulation and voicing. Glenn charges $125 plus tax for a standard tuning.
Your Piano Service
Your Piano Service in Houston specializes in minor piano repairs like sticky keys and soundboard cleaning, standard tuning services, and double tuning for pianos that haven’t been tuned in a while, or ever. One client testimonial said, “Excellent and patient work getting this piano sounding just right! It's never sounded better!... [The technician] spent extra time doubling back on the keys after the first round and kept adjusting them until they sounded perfect. He's also willing to work flexible hours… and was reasonably priced too.”
Houston Piano Company
Houston Piano Company is a music store that sells and rents new and used instruments, offers lessons through its music school programs, and offers piano care services like piano repair, restoration, maintenance, and tuning. Houston Piano Company comprises a five-building campus of over 20,000 square feet. The business also offers professional moving services for pianos. The company rents out and hosts piano recitals in its newly remodeled Grand Recital Hall.
Expert Answers To Common Questions:
- Introduction
- What does a piano tuner do?
- How do you know if your piano is out of tune?
- How does someone tune a piano?
- How often do you tune a piano?
- How long does it take to tune a piano?
- What makes a piano go out of tune?
- Is it hard to tune a piano?
- How can you tune a piano yourself?
- Can you tune an electric piano?
- How does someone tune an upright piano?
- How does someone tune a piano with a tuning fork?
- How much does it cost to tune a piano?
- How much does it cost to tune a grand piano?
- Do you tip a piano tuner?
- Why is it impossible to tune a piano?
- What is the difference between a piano, a tuna, and a pot of glue?
- How do I become a piano tuner?
- How much does a piano tuner make a year?
- Q: Introduction
- A: All pianos require tuning periodically. The strings of a piano are under very high tension and over time, they begin to stretch. A professional piano tuner can tighten the strings, so the piano plays well. Scheduling this type of maintenance regularly will also extend the life of your piano.If you’re going to trust someone to tune your piano, you want to ensure you hire a qualified professional who knows what they’re doing. After all, your piano is an investment piece, and you don’t want anything to harm it. Keep reading for answers to all the commonly asked questions about piano tuners so you can make an informed hiring decision.
- Q: What does a piano tuner do?
- A: Piano tuners make minor adjustments to the tension on a piano’s strings. These adjustments help ensure the piano’s musical intervals between the strings are in tune. A piano tuner isn't the same as a piano technician, who can do more extensive repairs on the instrument.
- Q: How do you know if your piano is out of tune?
- A:
- Q: How does someone tune a piano?
- A: Tuning a piano is a very delicate process that takes a slow hand and a careful ear. Piano tuners use a tuning lever tool to slowly adjust the piano pins. The pins are turned to loosen or tighten the strings until the piano plays notes clearly.
- Q: How often do you tune a piano?
- A: Generally speaking, it’s best to have a piano tuned twice a year as part of regular maintenance. However, if you live in a climate with extreme temperatures or high humidity, you may need to have your piano tuned as many as four to six times a year.
- Q: How long does it take to tune a piano?
- A: Most piano tuners will schedule your appointment for two hours, although the actual work should only take around an hour and a half. If your piano is extremely out of tune or hasn’t been tuned in a while, it might take two and a half hours.
- Q: What makes a piano go out of tune?
- A:
- Age: With age, a piano's steel wires tend to soften and stretch. Manual tuning can retighten the wires.
- Humidity: High humidity can make the wood of your piano expand, causing the strings to tighten, so it produces high-pitched notes.
- Regular use: With use, piano strings vibrate more and loosen.
- Q: Is it hard to tune a piano?
- A: Yes, tuning a piano is hard. The tuner has to test every string and listen if the sound produced is off-note. Piano tuning requires a good ear, a steady hand, and patience. If done incorrectly, the piano can continue to pay off-note. Or, even worse, the strings may snap.
- Q: How can you tune a piano yourself?
- A: You'll need to buy specialized tools to tune your piano. It’s not impossible to do it yourself, but it will take considerable time and patience. If it takes a professional two hours to tune your piano, you can expect it’ll take you twice as long. You can watch some online tutorials to get started.
- Q: Can you tune an electric piano?
- A: Electric pianos don't usually require tuning the way an acoustic piano does. However, electric pianos do require other types of maintenance work, usually around the mechanical aspects of the instrument. An electric piano can go out of tune, but it’s rare. If this happens, tuning will be necessary.
- Q: How does someone tune an upright piano?
- A: To tune an upright piano:
- Remove the instrument's external panel.
- Start with the middle C string. Turn the pin until the string plays the correct note.
- Set the pin.
- Continue to tune the rest of the strings, working in octaves.
- Play the piano to test whether it's in tune.
- Q: How does someone tune a piano with a tuning fork?
- A: Start by playing the piano key while ringing the same key on the tuning fork. If the piano is out of tune, there'll be a warble between the two sounds. Keep tightening or loosening the string until the piano plays the same note as the tuning fork.
- Q: How much does it cost to tune a piano?
- A: A piano tuning can cost between $65 and $225. The final price will depend on how out of tune your piano is and, therefore, how much work it needs. Additionally, prices can vary based on your location, whether the piano also needs repairs, and if it’s regularly maintained.
- Q: How much does it cost to tune a grand piano?
- A: A grand piano is much larger than a regular piano, so it naturally costs more to tune. On average, a grand piano costs $200 an hour to tune. Since piano tuning can take 1.5-2.5 hours, the total cost may be between $300 and $500.
- Q: Do you tip a piano tuner?
- A: No, it’s not common or expected that you tip your piano tuner. If you use the same piano tuner repeatedly, you may consider giving them a tip or a gift around the holidays. Or, if you ask your piano tuner to do something extra, such as moving the piano, you might consider tipping them.
- Q: Why is it impossible to tune a piano?
- A: Tuning a piano perfectly is technically impossible because no one has a perfect ear. So, even after a tuning, a piano may still be slightly off note. Additionally, a piano’s strings are so sensitive that immediately after a tuning, something may change the string positioning again, such as a sudden spike in humidity.
- Q: What is the difference between a piano, a tuna, and a pot of glue?
- A: This is a popular joke:
- John: What is the difference between a piano, a tuna, and a pot of glue?
- Jane: No clue.
- John: You can tuna piano, but you can’t piano a tune.
- Jane: And the glue?
- John: I knew you’d get stuck there.
- Q: How do I become a piano tuner?
- A: Individuals who want to be a piano tuner will need to complete a training course, usually followed by an apprenticeship. Piano tuners have to practice on thousands of pianos before becoming an expert in their field. It also helps to have a basic understanding of how to play the piano.
- Q: How much does a piano tuner make a year?
- A: The average annual salary of a piano tuner in the United States is $48,796. Of course, this can vary greatly depending on the person’s experience, location, and hours worked. Most piano tuners work for themselves as freelancers, so ultimately, they dictate how much they earn by how much work they take on.