Piano Tuning
The most important procedure after acquiring a piano is to have it tuned by a professional. Piano tuning requires specialist training and experience to achieve a high standard.
It is also worth baring in mind the large investment you have already made. Regardless of the quality of your instrument it will, over time be affected by changes in temperature and humidity, not to mention the use of the instrument.
Concert Preparation
Unlike a piano in domestic circumstances a concert instrument is required to be at its best all the time. It is therefore essential that it should be prepared and tuned each time it is to be used.
I will of course tune the instrument but I will also ensure the regulation and tone is even, before ensuring that the pedal function is correct and silent. Once the piano is prepared I then make sure that there are no unsightly hand and finger marks on the casework.
If the pianist can attend the piano tuning, then I will be happy to work with them to tailor the instrument to their individual preferences.
In this capacity I have, since its conception prepared pianos for the Norah Sande Piano Competition in Eastbourne, the Rye Arts Festival and more recently The Hastings International Piano Concerto Competition.
I have had the pleasure of working with concert pianists including Nikolai Demidenko, Robert Docker, Benjamin Grosvenor,Tadashi Imai, Dr Peter Katin, Robert Milnes and Frances Rayner.
Two Piano Preparation
This follows much the same procedure as above, but not only are the two pianos tuned and prepared but the tunings of both instruments are compared and matched note by note so that when they are played together the instruments will sound identical.
Toning and Voicing
It is generally accepted that when a piano is first built its tone will be what could be described as bright or hard.
The process of "toning" is begun in the factory to give the instrument an acceptable quality of tone.
Once the piano is delivered to its new home and had a period of use, I will discuss with you what sort of tone suits you, the piano and indeed the room the piano is housed in. Since the quality of any sound produced will be directly affected by the acoustics of the room, for example, the size of the room, whether there are wooden or carpeted floors and the amount of soft furnishings.
For these reasons it is best for the final toning to be undertaken once the instrument is heard in situe.
Regulation
Regulation is the process of adjusting the many parts of the piano mechanism to enable each of the 88 notes to feel and work identically.
The factory begins these adjustments, however over a period of time, as the piano is played and acclimatises to its new home, the felts and leathers will bed in, and the touch may change. To correct these inconsistencies I will check all the mechanisms of the piano and correct and compensate for these through a wide number of adjustments returning your piano to its original factory condition.
This is especially useful if you are planning to acquire a neglected or poorly maintained instrument. Since it may be possible to considerably improve the performance and value of your investment.
There after I will maintain the status quo, which is best achieved through regular six monthly visits.
Piano Finding Service
If you require help finding a piano.
Following your initial approach, I recommend that I visit your home to discuss your requirements and suggest suitable options, given the possible location of the piano, the tone and touch required, the size, colour and of course your budget.
However if this is not possible, I am able to offer an over the telephone consultation, to ensure that your requirements are met.
After this visit, I will conduct a thorough search of all instruments currently available, which meet your requirements. Once I have found a selection that suit your requirements I will email or post you full details of these including pictures, history and the tonal characteristics. Once you have viewed these we can discuss which meets your needs most closely and then I will put you in direct contact with the retailer to arrange a viewing and from then on you will deal directly with the dealer until delivery.
All Instruments are offered with assurance of satisfaction and money back guarantee, delivery (to the ground floor) and the first tuning is free of charge.
I am able to source new or pre-owned top quality instruments from the worlds leading piano houses, including Steinway, Blüthner, Bechstein, Grotrian Steinweg, Yamaha and Kawai.