<p>My son’s college encourages a non-academic project, with limited funding support. He studies engineering but is an avid musician. He’s considering learning to tune pianos. I didn’t realize this, but there are online courses available. </p>
<p>Any recommendations?</p>
<p>I don’t have any recommendations, but I think your son’s choice is fascinating and useful. I hope you will share what you find out, including which training course he goes for.</p>
<p>I also think it is a great idea, since I don’t tune my piano as frequently as recommended since it is expensive. Might be a good side or back up employment.</p>
<p>My cousin learned to tune pianos when he worked part time in a music store. He was trained by the person who tuned the stores pianos.
Now this was many years ago and I’m not sure if there are piano stores near your son, but he might try asking at a local music store.<br>
Thirty years later, my cousin still makes extra money tuning pianos in his spare time.
Good luck to your son, it sounds like a fun project.</p>
<p>Thanks for the encouragement. Even with son away at college 2000 miles away, we’ve continued keeping our piano twice a year (before the holiday & before summer). It costs $96 per tuning, so son’s idea is nice on many levels. </p>
<p>I’m not sure which courses my son is considering. So far he has just warned, “it’s expensive” and would take some extra funds from home. (The schoolfunding max is $250). </p>
<p>So far I found this “American School of Piano Tuning” link - $1290, including tools
[Piano</a> Tuning Lessons American School of Piano Tuning](<a href=“http://www.piano-tuning.com/]Piano”>http://www.piano-tuning.com/)</p>
<p>Interesting…that website says that 2/3 of piano tuners are self-trained / online courses. (My guess is that most are pianists using the skills for their own piano, not a business).</p>
<p>My experience with several piano tuners over my life are that they learned from another tuner who taught them. All of them that we have had were trained in this way, were musicians doing piano tuning on the side. Some use tuners, and we’ve had one with perfect pitch who did it all on his own, and another who was blind who did it entirely be ear. </p>
<p>Obviously, there are things someone needs to learn, but so much of tuning an instrument is an art or a feel for the instrument. I could sit down with a tuner and probably get our piano to sound fine, but it took an experienced (self-trained) tuner to know what we needed to do when it was not holding its tune because of great variations in humidity.</p>
<p>I actually taught myself and bought my tools on EBAY. I knew the concept of piano tuning because I worked for a few years on Electronic Organs then decided in the past 5 years to do piano tuning thinking it would be a great job when I retire which is anytime I want. I is difficult to do at the beginning but once you catch on it is not that bad unless you need to start stringing them or changing the pads and such. Tuning privately is OK but having a store backing you for parts and supplies really helps. I practiced on the pianno at home and must say that for the first 2 or 3 times the pianno sounded pretty horrible. I now have it down pretty good and enjoy the challenge.
This is a great idea for your son to take because again this is another one of those disappearing trades. My daughter wants to take a course at her college on equipment repair, again this is very worthwhile in the long run. Good Luck to him.</p>
<p>“but it took an experienced (self-trained) tuner to know what we needed to do when it was not holding its tune because of great variations in humidity.” - True. If son does this tuning training, he could only do run of the mill stuff. Probably mostly for self. He would not be able to do repairs. </p>
<p>He has a hope that he could practice on some sadly out-of-tune pianos on campus. When I warned they might not let him touch them, his thought was they were far gone enough that it would be allowed.</p>
<p>Thanks for the feedback percussiondad! DS has switched schools. If he had done it last year, there might have been resources at the nearby music colleges.</p>
<p>Today I remembered that we once had a blind piano tuner. He was a friendly fellow, driven to appointments by a church friend. As he entered through the back porch into the kitchen, he said - “I think I’ve been here before. Do you have the green piano?” </p>
<p>We had only been in the house a few year. But we were painfully aware of the prior owner’s love of green. We learned that she once had a baby grand piano in our home and had painted it green. Even the strings - it could no longer be played or tuned correctly after that.</p>
<p>What a cool skill to learn. I’d never thought about how one went about becoming a piano tuner. I realize that I’ve never seen a female piano tuner, though I’m sure they must be out there.</p>
<p>Hi coloradomom,</p>
<p>Since your son is studying engineering and likes music, learning to tune pianos will surely benefit him in every aspect.</p>
<p>The piano is a very sophisticated engineering music tool!</p>
<p>The designers who work at designing the best piano possible are also artists because this tool (the piano) is meant for expressing minute emotions of the soul. It is the duty of the piano tuner-tech to enable the pianist to express all levels of emotions. Not an easy task.</p>
<p>Learning piano tuning is fascinating. Like I wrote before, there is a lot of scientific knowledge needed to become a good piano tuner and since your son is in engineering, this part wont be a problem for him.</p>
<p>Another part is the physical aspect of the piano tuning procedure.</p>
<p>It takes a lot of strength to move the tuning pins. They are stretched at a 175 pounds pressure and there are 235 strings total in a piano. So you are basically moving 20 tons of pressure! So a piano tuner needs to be very strong and at the same time very delicate and precise.</p>
<p>There are some ressources available on line but be carefull about the tools you buy. </p>
<p>Don’t ever buy a cheap tuning lever at below $50. Go for the regular professionnal piano tuning lever/hammer ($50 and over) You don’t need the extension lever at this point just the equivalent model but without the extension.</p>
<p>If the college is smart, it will check the tuning hammer your son is using before giving the permission to practice on their pianos. A bad tuning lever can ruin a piano.</p>
<p>I strongly suggest your son get a book or two first to get access to the “scientific” knowledge of the piano tuning. The Arthur A. Reblitz is a good start. Do a Google search “Atrhur A. Reblitz piano tuning”</p>
<p>Good luck
Mario Bruneau
[How</a> to tune pianos, learn piano tuning, tune your own piano online](<a href=“http://howtotunepianos.com%5DHow”>http://howtotunepianos.com)</p>
<p>Even the strings - it could no longer be played or tuned correctly after that.</p>
<p>:confused:</p>
<p>Check out the Piano Technicians Guild: ptg.org
Lots of information there.</p>
<p>THANKS FOR ALL OF THE EXCELLENT INFORMATION! When my son is home for holiday breaks, I’ll have him check out the references.</p>
<p>PS - Mario’s site above is excellent!</p>