Dave Clark Piano Instruction and Tuning is a premier piano care service company located in Brandon, Florida that was established in 1975. He has decades of experience, and he has formally trained under master technicians Robert White and J. Cree Fisher. His company provides many services to the community including professional tuning, pitch correction, regulating, voicing, and professional piano lessons.
Don Korb & Sons New Life Piano Service, INC. is a family-owned piano service provider located in Petersburg, Florida that has more than 35 years of experience in the piano technician industry. They firmly believe that pianos can be a lifetime investment, and they have a real commitment to doing everything within their power to ensure that their customers pianos stay in brand new condition. There are many services provided by Don Korb & Sons New Life Piano Service, Inc. such as tuning, voicing, regulating, humidity control system installation, pitch raising, string de-rusting, pedal polishing and adjustment, interior cleaning, string repair and replacement, and sound board washing.
Farrell Piano is a premier piano service provider located in Brandon, Florida that was established by piano technician and craftsman, Terry Farrell. He has an international client base, and is proud to serve the Tampa area of Florida. His company provides many services that includes tuning at multiple temperaments, safe and efficient pitch adjustments, action regulation and voicing, and professional repairs on all make and models of pianos. Farrell Piano’s services are utilized by many big clients including recording studios, cruise lines, performance halls, and for individual musicians.
Ierna Piano Tuning is a longstanding piano tuning and repair company that was established in Petersburg, Florida more than 70 years ago. Since their founding, they have striven to provide the highest quality services, and a level of customer care that is unseen in their competitors. There are many services provided by Ierna Piano Tuning such as professional piano tuning, rebuilding and refinishing, and repairs including squeaky pedals, cracked harps, fire damaged pianos, sticky keys, and virtually every other major repair imaginable.
John Ragusa Piano Service is a full-service piano repair and tuning company located in Tampa, Florida that was founded by Piano Technicians Guild member John Ragusa. He has more than 20 years of industry experience, and he regularly attends new courses and seminars to stay abreast of the newest technologies and techniques within the industry. John Ragusa Piano Service provides many services to their customers that includes professional piano tuning, accurate voicing and regulating, string replacement, screw tightening, and pedal adjustments. There are also many high-quality humidity control products, caster cups, and cleaning materials available for purchase in-store.
Magnum Opus Piano Works is a piano service provider located in Tampa, Florida that has a genuine dedication to providing their customers with unsurpassed services and superior customer care. There are many services that they provide including 19th century piano restoration; installation, upgrade, and maintenance of PianoDisc, QRS, and Disklavier player systems; professional tuning; humidity control system installation; purchase consulting; estimates and appraisals; expert moving referrals; and regulating. There are many important piano maintenance tips on Magnum Opus Piano Works' website about how to properly clean and polish the casing, how to clean keys and the interior, and tips for humidity control.
Marty Korb Piano Tuning is a precision piano tuning and repair company located in Petersburg, Florida that was established by Marty Korb back in 1987. Since his company’s founding, it has grown to be one of the most respected and relied upon piano service providers in the community, and has maintained a level of quality standards unmatched by his competitors. Marty Korb Piano Tuning provides many services to the community such as professional tuning, voicing, and regulating. They have provided their services for many big venues including the Raymond James Stadium, the Tampa Theater, Mahaffey Theater, and Ruth Eckerd Hall.
McKaig Piano Service is a premier piano care service provider located in Tampa, Florida that was established back in 1984 by registered piano technician, Bill McKaig. He is a proud member of the Piano Technicians Guild who has many years of industry experience, and he has trained under Joe Congelio and Ed Woods. There are many services that his company provides to their customers including professional piano tuning, restorations, action geometry analysis, action regulating, dehumidifier installation, dolly installation, key and keytop repairs and replacements, refinishing, soundboard replacement, and tonal voicing. McKaig Piano Services has a lot of useful information on their website pertaining to how often a piano should be tuned, concert pitch, piano moving, and cleaning.
Michael Riffle is a professional piano technician located in Tampa, Florida that has provided his skills for customers in more than 42 countries. He provides a variety of services to his customers including professional tuning, voicing, tone regulating, and action regulation. Michael Riffle has worked for many famous clients including Elton John, The Academy Awards, The Eagles, The Tonight Show, Robert Levin, Claude Frank, and Michael Jackson. Michael also has many years of experience as the head piano technician for multiple colleges including The University of Tampa, The University of South Florida, and the University of Georgia.
Soundcraft Piano is a premier piano service provider located in Tarpon Springs, Florida that was founded by head technician Don Kulak. He has many years of industry experience, and is a proud member of various organizations including the Independent Music Association, and the International Trade Association of Record Labels/CD Manufactures. There are many services provided by his company such as professional tuning, rebuilding, tone enhancement, sound design, and music marketing. Soundcraft Piano also has many high-quality piano accessories available for purchase including piano benches, music cabinets, piano covers, metronomes, piano dollies, dual trucks, caster cups, and piano polish.
St. Piano Rebuilders was founded in Tampa, Florida by Starr Taylor. He is a registered member of the Piano Technicians Guild, and he has more than 30 years of industry experience. Starr’s career has granted him many professional affiliations with organizations including The Music Gallery: Steinway, Boston, and Kohler & Campbell Clearwater. St Piano Rebuilders provides many services to the community including fine aural tuning, custom action regulation, voicing, soundboard replacement, and the complete rebuilding of any Steinway, Mason & Hamlin’s, and Baldwin pianos. There are many frequently asked questions on their website that has various important information pertaining to how often a piano should be tuned, regulating, voicing, and pitch.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
To tune an upright piano:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
This is a popular joke:
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.
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.
