The piano Technicians academy is an EXCELLENT resource. I completed it a couple years ago. I'm only 17 and I have been tuning for a couple years now. I would recommend it to anyone interested in Piano Tuning and Repair. They also just recently updated their course to make it even better from when I took it. I look forward to purchasing the upgrade and giving it a look!
The upgraded course is definitely worth it as I had taken the original course a year and a half ago. It is definitely more in depth with more materials.
@@CarlitoManchego most piano technician carry a tuning hammer, rubber muted, wide variety of screwdrivers, and all the regulation tools. Some bring strings and other parts in case of broken parts, so they can replace them right then and there. The more tools the better because it means potential for being able to fix all problems can come up during an appointment.
I'm 63, been tuning since 1986, and there's nothing like actually *tuning* 300-400 pianos for the skill; to get proficiently good at the trade. Repairs can be a royal pain, but this is a great way to make even supplemental income. I think I'm getting tired of tuning at this point, but we definitely need more of us.
I stumbled on this video cause I watch your shorts (btw I really enjoy them) and this really got my attention. Thanks for making this video! I’ll definitely be thinking about it!
What an inspiration ! My name is Charlotte, I'm from France and I've been playing the piano since I was a child. I've been watching your videos recently and find them fascinating. It really makes me want to train to tune or repair pianos. Thanks for the videos! 🤗
I'm Mauricio, I'm from Mexico and I'm like you Charlotte, I've been playing since I was a Child but in digital pianos. I bought my first acoustic piano 2 months ago wich has been my dream since many years and I'm fascinated with Josiah's videos
Bonjour Charlotte, si ça t'intéresse autant, pourquoi ne pas réaliser un stage d'observation dans un atelier/magasin, et éventuellement candidater à une école d'accordeur en France ? Je suis élève à l'ITEMM donc je pourrai t'en renseigner davantage
The faculty of music I graduated from has a piano technician training program. With hundreds of pianos in the building it’s really enlightened self interest to train more techs
This is really tempting to me just for the philanthropy. I’m in a small out of the way town and the nearest city with tuners is 100 miles away so there’s no way anyone could afford to hire on just the mileage alone. It’d be nice to be able to tune and revoice all the churches and the one little college just so everyone can have a proper sounding and playing instrument. Would also open up finally being able to get an upright for myself since I would be able to take care of it.
You are an amazing guy! Like for real ... the way you talk, what you share and why tells so much about your personality in the best way possible! You are a rare kind and the world needs more people like you. You pick passion over money 👌 one of my worries about the world is this: dissappearing craftmanships and fine art work. Dont get me wrong, I worry more about wars and wrong empowered people who don't care for starving humans or animals going extinct. But this is also something precious. You are a great guy for sharing this into detail. You learn and develop not just in your work, but as a person in a way most people seem to walk away from. You are smart and and caring. I can only imagine how darn proud your parents must be of who you are and who you are becoming. ❤
I'm a 22 yr old university dropout and I really need to find something to do before my parents start getting irritated from me playing Valorant all day 💀 I'm not sure how the tuning business is here in the UK, and even though I've been playing piano for 15 years I have no clue what goes on inside one BUT I shall do some research and at least try to learn. Thanks for the video bro! I know it won't get you views but personally I'd love to see more educational content :D
My experience has been VERY different when it comes to other piano tuners. I'm located in Central Michigan, and associated with the PTG. (Not a member yet, but am aiming at it) None of the technicians I am familiar with will give out any business or recommendations unless they are satisfied that you are not going to tarnish their good name with sub par quality. (there is a LOT of that here and in Eastern/Southern Michigan) Usually that means that if you haven't passed the PTG aural tuning exam, you don't get any business from them. My tunings using the TuneLab app are as pristine as can be hoped for with the machine, but hopefully I'll be taking and passing the aural exam sometime this year.
Hello fellow Michigander :) Yes, you do have to prove yourself to other technicians to reassure them that you aren't going to tarnish their reputation (and hey, I don't blame them... I would do the exact same thing If I were in their shoes.) I had a similar situation when I started... I just asked them to review my work and see If I was doing good. (you don't have to phrase this as a business opportunity to "have some of the clients that they don't want" yet. just build a relationship first) from there, if they say you need some work, go get some training. If they say you're doing well then maybe bring the "opportunity" up a week later. The Piano Technician academy was designed to help you get your Piano Technician Guild (PTG) certification. Aural Tuning, Splicing string, re-pinning hammers, regulation, etc are all covered in the Piano Technician Academy.
@@PianoDoctor I've looked into the PTA. I could definitely use specific regulation training. Everything I have is on job training fixing issues as they present. (They don't always present when my instructor is with me.) May actually do it after we do CMU and MSU in August. (helping at MSU is a new opportunity for me this year) I've been working w my instructor and his family for the past 4 or 5 years now. Because of this, my name is getting out there and I'm growing, just not nearly as fast as you are portraying. I have a lot to prove to live up to their name. I have also been learning certain things from watching your videos. That and posts I find in Facebook groups. I'll send the link to Mark and get his feed back and then I pretty much got it, so I'm definitely on the right track, just gotta figure out how to get busier.
lol. That is a lot of money when I started at $2.00 per hour in 1975. Great for you! I have a 1956 Baldwin acrosonic spinet of bought site unseen from eBay for $99.00. My piano tuner told me it’s in excellent condition and was worth $1,800.00. Yes I know I’ll never get that but fun to know. 👍🏻
Fantastic video I’ve been searching for days and just landed on your site. I shall search no more. I’m definitely going to take the online courses you recommended you’re a very impressive young man continued success, my friend and thank you so much for these videos
8:04 oh wait, that's me! lol. Booked almost 2 months out now at 2/3 clients a day, though with a 4 day work week ;). I post videos on the vintage electric pianos I repair on my channel here if you're interested!
I am part of a family of what could've been four generations of piano tuners. I had received training for tuning, and often dreamed of going out on my own to become a self-employed piano technician. However, I am not mechanically inclined, so the repair side of the work felt intimidating to me, so I didn't pursue it as a full-time career. I have a bit of tuning experience under my belt and still do tune occasionally but am terrified at the thought of a string breaking during tuning or what to do about sticky or broken keys. This video gives me some hope though that maybe I'm looking at it wrong and that I could learn the repair aspects of it. I would love to tune full time and would definitely do it if I could only gain the confidence in myself to be a great tuner who could be counted on for repairs as well.
Correct, but I'm not a real tuner in the sense that I'm not out there tuning pianos as a job. It isn't my career and I'm not currently doing any piano work. I learned how to tune 20 years ago and have tuned many pianos, but, never got into the repair side of it. Today I only tune for family once in a great while. When I do, give a disclaimer that if a string breaks during tuning they have to call a real piano tech to replace it. 😆
@@SteveOostdyk Oh I see. Thats good that you have that disclaimer and to be clearly since the beginning. Well, and have you broke a string tuning pianos?
@@mcervantes I have broken several strings. At the time I had an RPT to refer them to to fix it. But one time I broke a string and actually did replace it myself. Rather uncomfortable doing it though, haha.
If you want to learn to tune pianos but are unsure if you want to do it full-time and spend the money on the Piano Technician Academy's course, I would check out Howard piano on TH-cam. He has a whole heap of videos on piano tuning and repair on his channel.
Thank you for this. I've been teetering on PTA and just have been self-learning with Pianos Inside Out. It's been a slow and slightly difficult progression. Your advice has helped me move forward with PTA in my education.
I’ve been thinking about becoming a piano technician for a while now, coming across your videos has inspired me to give it a go! I enrolled in Piano Technician Academy and can’t wait to get started! I didn’t see an area to put your promo code in:/ might have been because they ran a deal where you get a discount when getting the upgraded kit along with the course. Either way I’ll email them and let them know you were the reason why I sign up. Wish me luck, can’t wait to start working and growing my own business. Thanks again!!
Hey just wanted to share this, but came across your videos and they're GREAT! I've tuned my Wurlitzer Upright Piano a couple of times on my own! The experience was cool since I never knew that tuning a piano was extensive and required a lot of patience. And I bought a kit off of Amazon and it did the job, but I'm currently looking at another kit I want to buy. Watching your videos inspired me to fix up my piano! Currently I have an issue where my Damper spring is gone, but I was doing research and I disassembled my piano to where I can see the issue! I will fix it soon but I just wanted to share my inspiration from watching your videos. Wish me luck on the repair!
Interesting videos you have. The fellow who originally tuned my piano 25 years ago is also the touring tuner for John Mayer before every performance. He is no longer available to tune my piano. He shows up with an A440 tuning fork, a strip of foam to mute out all the outside strings, and a hammer. He did a better job than the subsequent people with all the digital aids. I would love to hear your thoughts! Thank you.
My tuning mentor took the PTA’s course starting out and did not like it, she did not recommend I take it, and told me to go to either the Butler School or Randy Potter School if I’m looking for remote classes, as they have been around much longer. She said their classes are too basic and she had a hard time getting ahold of the teachers for questions. Another tuner who is the most qualified in my area also recommended those two. Although he did compliment their aprons.
I'm sorry your mentor didn't like the Piano Technician Academy... The PTA rebuilds their course every few years, and they recently made a HUGE update and remade all of their educational material to address concerns like this. The new course was launched the day of writing this (and the day that this video was published.) I've had a chance to check it out and it is TOP NOTCH. The owner spent tens of thousands of dollars on hiring the best instructors, editors, lighting guys, education professionals etc. as far as the other schools go, I cannot vouch for the Butler school of piano technology as I haven't had experience with the school, but I can say the Randy Potter school is no longer running... (not sure why or when, but they just shut down over night) EDIT: check the top comment
@@PianoDoctor I appreciate your reply. Obviously I don’t have first hand experience, just what people have told me. I don’t know how long ago she took PTA but I understand how much things can change over the course of a few years. Do you know when the Randy Potter school shut down? Their website is still running.
@sambennett9769 Although the website is still up, the Randy Potter school is definitely a no-go. They've had many complaints to the Better Business Bureau in recent years, giving them a "F" rating. Not sure what's going on there.
Because this video is significantly longer than most of your videos, I don't expect it to get very many views. Generally, it's a lot easier for people to watch a 1 minute video of something that barely interests them than it is to watch a 20 minute video about the same thing, so only the people who are genuinely interested in piano tuning will watch this video, sadly. This video is REALLY well done though, and it deserves more views than it will end up getting. It's not just some random piano expert giving a monologue; it was clearly well planned, organized, and presented. The animations and transitions are done so well in this video, that I would have thought you were a professional streamer or TH-camr or something, not a piano tuner!
I don't think views is the point of this video. I think it does exactly what its trying to very well. If people want to know this information, they'll find themselves here.
there is this public piano in my university that has seen generations before me. I am currently trying to get it to a bare minimum working condition (focusing mainly on strings, bridle straps, and the hammers) in a university with no specialization in, or music courses/majors, I, as a student that grew up learning the piano, will not let the art of music die. in that light, your videos have been a huge inspiration for me and I continue to wish you all the best!
I've have been interested in this career for a while (really ever since you started posting your shorts here on TH-cam). I am a mid to high level pianist, and I would love to work a job this strongly correlated with music. Preferably I would go into performance, but I see no way for that to be sustainable enough for what I will likely need. I would like to get married and have a family some day, and be able to provide for them as completely as I can. You said people can make 100k tuning pianos like you do. I've talked a lot about career stuff with my parents, and there are some concerns with this. Yes 100k is a lot, but inflation is going crazy lately and I'm not sure that will be enough in the long term. Another issue we've come to is that this is likely a pretty stable job (which can be good or bad). For the bad, that means I can't really 'work my way up the ranks' and increase my income over time. I will likely plateau, and depending non where that happens, it will be fine or not. So my question is: how accurate is this 100k figure you're giving me? Is it what is made on average? Is it what is made at max? It is what can easily be made? How much do you think is possible to work up to over the years doing this full time? (I understand region may vary this answer; I live in central Florida)
Good to see you comment! I keep seeing your comments on my shorts... you always have some of the top-liked comments haha! as far as inflation goes... yes, I strongly believe inflation will really ramp up over the next 10 years or so. We're already seeing so many things get more and more expensive. The nice part about owning your own business is that YOU control your prices (not your boss) so if the price of everything is inflated... you raise your prices along with it. for "not being able to work your way up the ranks" There is plenty of opportunity to become a great technician and work up the ranks... maybe not as much as a typical corporate ladder, but some of the best technicians do concert work and get paid VERY handsomely. (Some even get to travel around with the artist to concerts I sourced "$100K" from the Piano Technicians Guild (PTG) who say: Average full time piano technician salary = $80k - $150k a year It's definitely possible to make 100k and more. sometimes it takes a few years... other times, people are booked out a month in advance as soon as they announce that they are tuning pianos and they start making that much in their first year. Like you mentioned, it varies per location. Here's a good way to look at it... It WILL be worth it. Even if you just spend 2-3 hours a day tuning a single piano as a part time job... that's an extra $130-$250 a day in your pocket! Especially with A.I., robots, and computers taking over everyones jobs it's always good to have a technical skill to fall back on. (A.I. won't be tuning pianos any time soon)
@@PianoDoctor exactly correct, the more your skills improve the more money you can make. For example some piano technicians make tons of money tuning for high level concert halls and concert pianists. Also, i believe in the next few years all services careers are going to be in desperate need of more people to do the services. Im not letting A.I. take my piano tuning career. Also, i have heard of a self tuning mechanism for pianos, not sure how accurate it is probably not very.
That's amazing! I had no idea there were that many pianos out there tbh Edit: I love that your added "And I know some of you may be skeptical, like, "come on, not another TH-camr selling a course." Because it's honestly true 🙃🤣 Oddly not in this case, but in general the amount of promotional videos masquerading as informational is exhausting lol
Hey Josiah! Just a note that I had trouble finding how to comment. The maximize button just filled the screen. I had to click "more" in the description. Great video!
Greetings, my name is Dlan. I’ve been thinking of Piano tuning for a couple months, and today without searching your video just came to me. I’m blind since birth, I do play music since young age, but I started to play piano couple years ago, not professional, but acceptable. If there is a way for me to reach out to you, or any piano tuners if they see my comment, I would really appreciate it. I have some questions to ask about piano tuning. If anyone is close by me, I will be more than happy to meet them, I live in San Diego California. Thank you so much for making this fantastic video, I hope to get a respond from you or any piano tuners soon ✌️❤️
If it's that out of tune, it usually will take multiple tunings before it'll stay in tune. You do have to be careful however if the strings are rusty that you won't just break a bunch of strings. If the piano is super old and or has rusty strings you may not want to tune it due to the fact of damaging it. Some old rusty pianos aren't worth tuning and repairing, not saying that's you I'm just giving some advice.
@@emojijoyio spinets are usually harder to tune due to them being smaller and made cheaper. They were made as a cheaper and smaller option to other pianos. Also, spinets haven't been manufactured since the 80s so most of them are pretty old. Spinets are hard to learn to tune on but will get you good at tuning difficult pianos which is very helpful
Do you need to know how to play piano to learn to be a piano technician? I've always enjoyed working on guitars despite not being very good at playing. Fixing and maintaining them was the only thing that really kept me in the hobby, so this seems very interesting to me
Excellent informative video! I would imagine with 500k + TH-cam subscribers you make more from TH-cam than piano tuning..lol But that is awesome having the luxury of making your own schedule doing something you enjoy! I've been thinking about doing something like this... thank you for the inspiration!
Thank you for sharing this! Do you wear earplugs when turning piano to protect the longevity of your hearing? My piano tuner has a pair customer made and he wears them when he is tuning the piano.
I'd just like to tune my own piano, that's all, I don't need the work and at 69 its not practical for me to go back to work, sadly I might not have good enough hearing. however more than that I want to re-tone my piano, its tone too "bright" and I want to make it more softer, but my last tuner said that would cost more than its worth, said something about softening the felt on all the hammers 😞 !!!
I just saw a video about this (sorry I can't remember who or how to find it again). He worked in a piano at a care home for seniors which sounded unpleasantly "bright". They didn't have the money to do anything major, so the guy took a simple rasp, which is like a file, and he used it on the hammers to rough them up a bit. The result was a softer, more mellow tone, but he mentioned that it wouldn't last like a more extensive repair. But it was something, and it was cheap. You have to be careful about the rasp you pick.
That is a awesome way of learning. I find learning in person is the best option if you have the opportunity. Some like me dont have someone in the area they can learn from.
As someone who can't see perhaps I can try to tune it to 440 then deside how to stretch the tuning by ear. Of cors this will take a lot of practice. Yes I know this will not be easy, however I should at least try. Only thingI need is a device that will help me make sure it's at 440 🎹🎶
There’s an app called the Montal Tuner specifically made for blind piano technicians. It’s a bit pricey at around $150, but I’ve been using myself and it’s completely accessible with screen readers, at least for IOS.
Can’t wait for the next video. Would love to know the basics, as it does sound like a very interesting career but I need to know what’s the best way to have a taster before I invest in it
For the basics I would check out. Howard Piano on TH-cam. He has a lot of videos about tuning, repair and regulation of pianos. Great place to start if you don't really want to invest the money into a piano tuning and repair course yet
I'm commenting here just because its the latest video. love your content, but would love to see you play more when testing the pianos and also see more videos not just shorts.
Im just to cautious about it, what if it fails? What if im not good at it? This is definitely a career I would want to pursue I just dont have the financial means for it, or the equipment, the closest thing I got to a piano with an action is an electrical piano
Thanks for the inspiring video! A quick question for you. If you enrolled on the PTA as, say, a full time job (8 hours a day studying) how long would it take to get to a standard you could actually start tuning / repairing people's pianos semi-decently?
if you can't afford to do the PTA academy, how can you ask someone that's already doing this job to join and learn from them? I mean, they won't say the master's secrets (sorry for my english, I'm italian)
Getting a mentor can be pretty difficult. On top of that, personal mentorship can be quite expensive because they have to spend 100's of hours teaching you. The beauty of the piano technician academy is that they essentially recorded their training so it takes no time off their hands... this allows them to spend $100,000 creating the training videos and then sell them for much much cheaper to a large audience. If you're set on getting a mentor, the best way to find one is to pick up the phone and start cold calling some piano tuners in your area and hope that they are willing to teach you. Good luck!
Great video! I've never been interested in piano tuning until seeing some of your videos. Hope I can learn basic tuning to fix some of the pianos lying around in my school that are super out-of-tune. Also a question - At what point is a piano not worth saving? Maybe some strings are broken or some hammers are missing? Thanks!
Really cool video, thanks for sharing your story and being an inspiration for a new generation of piano technicians :) As someone looking into starting out tuning pianos, what are your concerns with keeping the piano in the garage for tunings / repairs? I can easily find pianos for free in my area and don't have space inside the house for another piano (current one is too nice for me to "try" on). How bad can the piano get if left in the garage for an extended period of time while I use it as my practice piano?
I started tuning over 2 years ago and have been tuning pianos every once in a while. I don't know how to repair them, which really limits my potential customer base, and since I'm not a "professional" I don't charge as much as the average tuner. I'm still in high school, so I don't have a ton of time, which is why I don't tune full-time. The other reason I don't tune full-time is that I'm living in Brazil, a country where very few people own pianos. Anyway, I bought a basic tuning kit which includes a tuning hammer, felt strips and various wedges. Are there any tools you recommend that I buy? Also, when I tune, I usually take between 2 - 3 hours. Any tips on reducing that time?
Hey John, My best piece of advice is on buying tools is to purchase the tool when you NEED it. It's really easy to be overwhelmed with the amount of tools out there, and get discouraged because it costs so much to buy all of them. eventually, I would get a good set of "regulation" tools from either 1. the Piano Technician Academy (they have pre-built kits), 2. Schaff piano supply 3. a retired piano technician who is selling their tool kit on eBay. (as a general rule, don't buy anything on eBay (unless it's used by a previous technician) or amazon, etc. generally these are cheap knock offs) as far as getting your time faster, It just takes a ton of practice and muscle memory. Tune 100-200 pianos, and you should have your time down to 2 hours or less.
I know you said that there are definentally enough pianos to tune, but I live in a baby town with only a population of only 10,000 people and am still slightly worried that there wouldn't be enough pianos to tune. Also I am only a Junior in High school and was wondering if there is another way to learn piano tuning without the course?
Hi. Junior high is a young age to start learning, but I've heard of so many great tuners that started learning when they were really young too. If you don't have the money for the course, I would recommend buying and reading the 3 books I showed on screen. Arthur Reblitz - Piano servicing, Tuning, and rebuilding. Mario Igrec - Piano's inside and out. (can't remember the author) - how to make $200,000 a year tuning pianos those should get you a very good head start
Hey I really enjoyed your video and as a young person I was really impressed with what you've been able to accomplish at your age. I was hoping to get a little bit of advice though on my set of circumstances. I would love to learn to tune and repair pianos, but I don't really wish to do it as a career or anything like that. I just want it as a hobby that could make me some money every once in a while. With that in mind and since I don't have the money to, I'm not sure the piano academy is an investment I wish to make (at least not right now). Do you have any advice for someone like me to learn and be proficient at piano tuning/repair as a hobby to help friends out and maybe make some money along the way?
You mentioned in one of your shorts that you had a mentor. Is this feasible for a complete noobie? I want to shadow a piano tech but being a complete novice I doubt anyone would be interested in that, there would have to be some prior knowledge going in I guess. That would be my ideal way to learn, just watch a master and learn from them. And I like these longer videos, keep ‘em coming
good question! I did have a "mentor" (I basically watched him work in his shop and he let me go to a couple jobs every once in a while) Getting a mentor is VERY difficult. Most of them are too busy, or they want you to have the basics mastered before coming to them (to save time). What I recommend to people that have questions like this is to combine both the piano technician academy and getting a mentor. (if you can afford both... often, personal mentorship can be quite expensive!) This method will allow you to master the basics through the PTA and then you will be more likely to find a mentor. of course, if you are completely set on getting a mentor, the best way to find one is to pick of the phone and cold call some piano tuners in your area and hope that they are willing to teach you Speaking of mentors... The PTA has a way to contact instructors via phone and email if you ever get stuck or need help with a section. Best of luck!
Have you done any research into hybrid pianos? because apparently in New Zealand (which is where I live) there is only one tuner that can tune the Steinway and Sons hybrid pianos? also thanks so much for your youtube channel it has been a inspiration for me and countless others. the best side of YT
Hi, I appreciate your transparence about tuning pianos. What I don't get is : So I have to open my own company and have stuff like taxes ? If no, customers are not asking for an invoice document ?
I watched this video and got kind of excited about the prospect of tuning pianos. Then I thought of question #4. Do I need to be able to play a piano to be able to tune them? There are a lot of other roadblocks that would need to be overcome to get there, too. Currently, I'm exploring the possibility of starting a Master's degree in addiction counseling at Central Michigan University.
Hello again Hahn! You don’t have to be able to play, but it is nice to learn a couple songs that way you can play for the customer when you’re finished tuning. I know a tuner who plays somewhere over the rainbow after every single tuning and his customers have adopted it as their tradition. I’d hate to take you away from a degree in addiction counseling though! Of course the decision is up to you… just don’t make money your first priority. I’m not saying you are interested in this only for the money, but If you would be learning just for that, you’ll probably get burnt out or bored fast.
@@PianoDoctor Thanks for your reply, Josiah! This is definitely something to thoughtfully ponder. I woudln't be doing it solely for the money. I've always been a person who likes to help people out if they've got a problem This would fit well with that. Somewhere Over the Rainbow is a good choice. It''s beautiful on the piano. I play a version of it on the soprano saxophone. Anyway, I appreciated the depth of your reply. Thank you, again!
Hello Josiah, I love your videos and am so grateful for your work as I am very interested in being a tuner myself. I am 17 and not sure what to do as a career path. This seems to be a great opportunity with low stress and low cost of entry (especially considering the cost of college). Also, I love playing piano :) . I have a question, how do apprenticeships work and how can I get an apprenticeship? Thank you so much!
apprentice ships can be tough to find (and some mentors can charge a lot) . Generally the best way to find someone is to pick up the phone and call piano tuners near you... you just have to hope that one of them are willing to teach you. Most of the time, to get an apprenticeship, the mentor likes you to have a basic understanding of how to tune and do repairs. the piano technician academy is a great place to get all of the basics mastered, then you can pursue a mentorship for rare/odd repairs.
Yes there is several different piano tuning softwares that help piano tuners tune pianos. The best is a combination of using your ear and the tuner software.
you can start with just a tuning hammer and some mutes, which will cost anywhere from $100-$300, but realistically if you want to do this full time you are going to need some more tools... There are an infinite amount of tools that you can buy, but generally if you get a nice "regulation" tool set and basic woodworking tools (clamps, glue, etc.) then you should be able to cover 95% of the repairs out there. Those tools will cost around $1,000 - $2,000, but they can make your money back in a month or two!
Hii! Im 13 years old and im trying to get customers but everyone is declaining me because of my age. And I even go to music school for 6 years and I play piano very good. Piano tunners please help!❤
Question: is this something a 50’s plus woman can do alone, is there anything physically challenging about it? How heavy is the key “board” when you pull it out? Thx
My current situation: A year later, business drops off. I learned a lot in the first year, in fact I’m able to do 3 pianos in a day. It may be due to my region, as WV is spread out.
Hi. I have a question. I run a landscaping business that's been very successful for me, but I'm looking for something to fill the time between December and March. Do you think it would be viable to be a piano tuner 3 months out of the year in the winter (obviously with proper training via this program), but only taking either yearly piano tuning jobs or one-time jobs? I would basically be shifting out of the business and unavailable to tune once spring hit as I am very busy as a landscaper.
I'm about to take the PTA course. I've heard many technicians say it takes several years to become good at this. Do you think it's acceptable to start a business as soon as I complete the course, or do you recommend practicing for a year or so? Michael Stilwell at PTA told me students usually go right into business.
It depends on how comfortable you are, but yes, most students that graduate go straight into business. you can always charge cheaper pricing and raise your rates as you gain experience and speed (that's what I did)
You don't mention this in the video, but I guess it's obvious, you do need to own and acoustic piano, right? I would like to become a piano tuner, but I don't have an acoustic, and I don't know If I ever will, I just don't have the space, not even for an upright. I could learn all of the theory, but where would I practice? I guess I would have to do it for free at first lol, but I don't know how would that go.
Talk to highschool band and choir teachers, there are usually pianos in practice rooms that are never tuned due to cost. Or, what I did was talk to people I knew who had a piano at home that nobody played and had never been tuned. They were happy to let me practice on them. I had a piano at home, but it was high end, in tune, and not one to practice on.
@@keerthanab07 had mine replaced because of ants. That fixed it, however a few months later ants attacked it again. I use a different digital now. Found it weerd ants attacked my digital after 3 years of age🎹🎶
generally I recommend hiring a professional for things like this because there is always risk when taking on a project yourself, but I totally understand if that isn't doable for financial reasons or if there is just no one in your area.
I don't think there is a specific age... as long as you are mature, disciplined, and patient any age can learn! I've heard of some technicians that started training as young as 15 years old
Pinao tunning is definitely one of my bucket list of instruments to repair and tune, but what happened when a sting breaks like how do i get replacement strings?
Hi! great question. If you start tuning pianos, it's inevitable that you'll break a string eventually. The piano technician academy teaches you everything you need to get started as a "technician" (someone who can do all of the basic repairs and replace strings) In order to replace it, you'll either have to order replacements from a supply house, splice the string, or use spare wire to create a new one. Hope that helps!
What age do you reccomend starting? Because i feel like no one would want to pay me if im young, im almost 16 and thats the minimum age to start working for me but it will make me seem not professional
My oldest son has perfect pitch and plays many instruments. He started on piano andd favors it, playing it every single day. I am in tears from excitement to show him this... He has been thinking about persuing music as a career, and he wants to find more trades involving music to be able to do throughout his life, no matter what he ends up doing. Wee have done a lot of research, and then i stumbled on this randomly. I don't know how I didn't think of it before! For that, I appreciate this video so much. I cannot thank you enough. I hope you have a beautiful day.
How about making a discord community for aspiring piano technicians who watch your videos? I get the feeling that many are young, inexerienced, and could get lots of value from having a community of like-minded people around them
I've been watching your videos and I am looking for career change. I have a manual labor job and its rough on my body and hands. I was wondering if you could speak about the physical side of your work to help me decide if my hands are up to the task. Thanks for the videos.
The piano Technicians academy is an EXCELLENT resource. I completed it a couple years ago. I'm only 17 and I have been tuning for a couple years now. I would recommend it to anyone interested in Piano Tuning and Repair. They also just recently updated their course to make it even better from when I took it. I look forward to purchasing the upgrade and giving it a look!
The upgraded course is definitely worth it as I had taken the original course a year and a half ago. It is definitely more in depth with more materials.
I want to know the contents of a Piano tuners Tool Box
@@CarlitoManchego most piano technician carry a tuning hammer, rubber muted, wide variety of screwdrivers, and all the regulation tools. Some bring strings and other parts in case of broken parts, so they can replace them right then and there. The more tools the better because it means potential for being able to fix all problems can come up during an appointment.
@@CarlitoManchego No bad feeling but I ordered my stuff from Aliexpress. And saved a lot of money.
@@SamuelMcgrealPianoServiceso😊😊😊]78⁸87F
I'm 63, been tuning since 1986, and there's nothing like actually *tuning* 300-400 pianos for the skill; to get proficiently good at the trade. Repairs can be a royal pain, but this is a great way to make even supplemental income. I think I'm getting tired of tuning at this point, but we definitely need more of us.
I didn't have interest in doing it myself, I just don't want all these old Pianos to be destroyed.
@@sundaybrunch7097 - Fair enough.
I stumbled on this video cause I watch your shorts (btw I really enjoy them) and this really got my attention. Thanks for making this video! I’ll definitely be thinking about it!
What an inspiration ! My name is Charlotte, I'm from France and I've been playing the piano since I was a child. I've been watching your videos recently and find them fascinating. It really makes me want to train to tune or repair pianos. Thanks for the videos! 🤗
I'm Mauricio, I'm from Mexico and I'm like you Charlotte, I've been playing since I was a Child but in digital pianos. I bought my first acoustic piano 2 months ago wich has been my dream since many years and I'm fascinated with Josiah's videos
Also it makes me want to be a tuner and to know deeply beyond hiting the keys of the keyboard.
Bonjour Charlotte, si ça t'intéresse autant, pourquoi ne pas réaliser un stage d'observation dans un atelier/magasin, et éventuellement candidater à une école d'accordeur en France ?
Je suis élève à l'ITEMM donc je pourrai t'en renseigner davantage
The faculty of music I graduated from has a piano technician training program. With hundreds of pianos in the building it’s really enlightened self interest to train more techs
This is really tempting to me just for the philanthropy. I’m in a small out of the way town and the nearest city with tuners is 100 miles away so there’s no way anyone could afford to hire on just the mileage alone. It’d be nice to be able to tune and revoice all the churches and the one little college just so everyone can have a proper sounding and playing instrument. Would also open up finally being able to get an upright for myself since I would be able to take care of it.
You are an amazing guy! Like for real ... the way you talk, what you share and why tells so much about your personality in the best way possible! You are a rare kind and the world needs more people like you. You pick passion over money 👌 one of my worries about the world is this: dissappearing craftmanships and fine art work. Dont get me wrong, I worry more about wars and wrong empowered people who don't care for starving humans or animals going extinct. But this is also something precious. You are a great guy for sharing this into detail. You learn and develop not just in your work, but as a person in a way most people seem to walk away from. You are smart and and caring. I can only imagine how darn proud your parents must be of who you are and who you are becoming. ❤
I'm a 22 yr old university dropout and I really need to find something to do before my parents start getting irritated from me playing Valorant all day 💀 I'm not sure how the tuning business is here in the UK, and even though I've been playing piano for 15 years I have no clue what goes on inside one BUT I shall do some research and at least try to learn. Thanks for the video bro! I know it won't get you views but personally I'd love to see more educational content :D
Do it! I believe in you.
Go for it! I belive in you too
what subject was you studied in university??
update?
My experience has been VERY different when it comes to other piano tuners. I'm located in Central Michigan, and associated with the PTG. (Not a member yet, but am aiming at it) None of the technicians I am familiar with will give out any business or recommendations unless they are satisfied that you are not going to tarnish their good name with sub par quality. (there is a LOT of that here and in Eastern/Southern Michigan) Usually that means that if you haven't passed the PTG aural tuning exam, you don't get any business from them. My tunings using the TuneLab app are as pristine as can be hoped for with the machine, but hopefully I'll be taking and passing the aural exam sometime this year.
Hello fellow Michigander :)
Yes, you do have to prove yourself to other technicians to reassure them that you aren't going to tarnish their reputation (and hey, I don't blame them... I would do the exact same thing If I were in their shoes.)
I had a similar situation when I started... I just asked them to review my work and see If I was doing good. (you don't have to phrase this as a business opportunity to "have some of the clients that they don't want" yet. just build a relationship first) from there, if they say you need some work, go get some training. If they say you're doing well then maybe bring the "opportunity" up a week later.
The Piano Technician academy was designed to help you get your Piano Technician Guild (PTG) certification. Aural Tuning, Splicing string, re-pinning hammers, regulation, etc are all covered in the Piano Technician Academy.
@@PianoDoctor I've looked into the PTA. I could definitely use specific regulation training. Everything I have is on job training fixing issues as they present. (They don't always present when my instructor is with me.) May actually do it after we do CMU and MSU in August. (helping at MSU is a new opportunity for me this year) I've been working w my instructor and his family for the past 4 or 5 years now. Because of this, my name is getting out there and I'm growing, just not nearly as fast as you are portraying. I have a lot to prove to live up to their name.
I have also been learning certain things from watching your videos. That and posts I find in Facebook groups. I'll send the link to Mark and get his feed back and then I pretty much got it, so I'm definitely on the right track, just gotta figure out how to get busier.
lol. That is a lot of money when I started at $2.00 per hour in 1975.
Great for you!
I have a 1956 Baldwin acrosonic spinet of bought site unseen from eBay for $99.00. My piano tuner told me it’s in excellent condition and was worth $1,800.00. Yes I know I’ll never get that but fun to know. 👍🏻
Your tuner does not know what pianos are worth.
Tuner lied to you
Fantastic video I’ve been searching for days and just landed on your site. I shall search no more.
I’m definitely going to take the online courses you recommended you’re a very impressive young man continued success, my friend and thank you so much for these videos
8:04 oh wait, that's me! lol. Booked almost 2 months out now at 2/3 clients a day, though with a 4 day work week ;). I post videos on the vintage electric pianos I repair on my channel here if you're interested!
I am part of a family of what could've been four generations of piano tuners. I had received training for tuning, and often dreamed of going out on my own to become a self-employed piano technician. However, I am not mechanically inclined, so the repair side of the work felt intimidating to me, so I didn't pursue it as a full-time career. I have a bit of tuning experience under my belt and still do tune occasionally but am terrified at the thought of a string breaking during tuning or what to do about sticky or broken keys. This video gives me some hope though that maybe I'm looking at it wrong and that I could learn the repair aspects of it. I would love to tune full time and would definitely do it if I could only gain the confidence in myself to be a great tuner who could be counted on for repairs as well.
So you don't repair, you only tune the strings?
Correct, but I'm not a real tuner in the sense that I'm not out there tuning pianos as a job. It isn't my career and I'm not currently doing any piano work. I learned how to tune 20 years ago and have tuned many pianos, but, never got into the repair side of it. Today I only tune for family once in a great while. When I do, give a disclaimer that if a string breaks during tuning they have to call a real piano tech to replace it. 😆
@@SteveOostdyk Oh I see. Thats good that you have that disclaimer and to be clearly since the beginning. Well, and have you broke a string tuning pianos?
@@mcervantes I have broken several strings. At the time I had an RPT to refer them to to fix it. But one time I broke a string and actually did replace it myself. Rather uncomfortable doing it though, haha.
@@SteveOostdyk Nice story haha but why was that uncomfortable? You did it yourself, you fixed
If you want to learn to tune pianos but are unsure if you want to do it full-time and spend the money on the Piano Technician Academy's course, I would check out Howard piano on TH-cam. He has a whole heap of videos on piano tuning and repair on his channel.
Thank you for this. I've been teetering on PTA and just have been self-learning with Pianos Inside Out. It's been a slow and slightly difficult progression. Your advice has helped me move forward with PTA in my education.
I always loved these videos, but I really never thought about trying it myself until this video, and I actually kind of really want to now, so thanks!
I’ve been thinking about becoming a piano technician for a while now, coming across your videos has inspired me to give it a go! I enrolled in Piano Technician Academy and can’t wait to get started! I didn’t see an area to put your promo code in:/ might have been because they ran a deal where you get a discount when getting the upgraded kit along with the course. Either way I’ll email them and let them know you were the reason why I sign up. Wish me luck, can’t wait to start working and growing my own business. Thanks again!!
awesome! thank you so much for letting me know Corey. best of luck!
@@PianoDoctor thanks!
Hey just wanted to share this, but came across your videos and they're GREAT! I've tuned my Wurlitzer Upright Piano a couple of times on my own! The experience was cool since I never knew that tuning a piano was extensive and required a lot of patience. And I bought a kit off of Amazon and it did the job, but I'm currently looking at another kit I want to buy.
Watching your videos inspired me to fix up my piano! Currently I have an issue where my Damper spring is gone, but I was doing research and I disassembled my piano to where I can see the issue! I will fix it soon but I just wanted to share my inspiration from watching your videos. Wish me luck on the repair!
Inspiring! Thank you for doing this video. I've already shared this with two musical darlings in my extended family. Blessings to you!
Interesting videos you have. The fellow who originally tuned my piano 25 years ago is also the touring tuner for John Mayer before every performance. He is no longer available to tune my piano. He shows up with an A440 tuning fork, a strip of foam to mute out all the outside strings, and a hammer. He did a better job than the subsequent people with all the digital aids. I would love to hear your thoughts! Thank you.
My tuning mentor took the PTA’s course starting out and did not like it, she did not recommend I take it, and told me to go to either the Butler School or Randy Potter School if I’m looking for remote classes, as they have been around much longer. She said their classes are too basic and she had a hard time getting ahold of the teachers for questions. Another tuner who is the most qualified in my area also recommended those two. Although he did compliment their aprons.
I'm sorry your mentor didn't like the Piano Technician Academy...
The PTA rebuilds their course every few years, and they recently made a HUGE update and remade all of their educational material to address concerns like this. The new course was launched the day of writing this (and the day that this video was published.) I've had a chance to check it out and it is TOP NOTCH.
The owner spent tens of thousands of dollars on hiring the best instructors, editors, lighting guys, education professionals etc.
as far as the other schools go, I cannot vouch for the Butler school of piano technology as I haven't had experience with the school, but I can say the Randy Potter school is no longer running... (not sure why or when, but they just shut down over night)
EDIT: check the top comment
I second the Butler School recommendation as a current blind student.
@@PianoDoctor I appreciate your reply. Obviously I don’t have first hand experience, just what people have told me. I don’t know how long ago she took PTA but I understand how much things can change over the course of a few years.
Do you know when the Randy Potter school shut down? Their website is still running.
@sambennett9769 Although the website is still up, the Randy Potter school is definitely a no-go. They've had many complaints to the Better Business Bureau in recent years, giving them a "F" rating. Not sure what's going on there.
^
You are really good at explaining things.. I'm a bit of a pianist myself, this makes me also want to become a piano technician.
Really great video! Proud of how far you’ve come!
Well thanks buddy
Because this video is significantly longer than most of your videos, I don't expect it to get very many views. Generally, it's a lot easier for people to watch a 1 minute video of something that barely interests them than it is to watch a 20 minute video about the same thing, so only the people who are genuinely interested in piano tuning will watch this video, sadly.
This video is REALLY well done though, and it deserves more views than it will end up getting. It's not just some random piano expert giving a monologue; it was clearly well planned, organized, and presented. The animations and transitions are done so well in this video, that I would have thought you were a professional streamer or TH-camr or something, not a piano tuner!
I don't think views is the point of this video. I think it does exactly what its trying to very well. If people want to know this information, they'll find themselves here.
Thanks a lot for the info, kid. This is exactly what I need at the exact right time.
there is this public piano in my university that has seen generations before me.
I am currently trying to get it to a bare minimum working condition (focusing mainly on strings, bridle straps, and the hammers)
in a university with no specialization in, or music courses/majors, I, as a student that grew up learning the piano, will not let the art of music die.
in that light, your videos have been a huge inspiration for me and I continue to wish you all the best!
It seems an interesting career, and your story of making things work is very inspiring.
Heck, as an electrician and my late father's old carpentry tools. I've got a majority of those tools.
I've have been interested in this career for a while (really ever since you started posting your shorts here on TH-cam). I am a mid to high level pianist, and I would love to work a job this strongly correlated with music. Preferably I would go into performance, but I see no way for that to be sustainable enough for what I will likely need. I would like to get married and have a family some day, and be able to provide for them as completely as I can.
You said people can make 100k tuning pianos like you do. I've talked a lot about career stuff with my parents, and there are some concerns with this. Yes 100k is a lot, but inflation is going crazy lately and I'm not sure that will be enough in the long term. Another issue we've come to is that this is likely a pretty stable job (which can be good or bad). For the bad, that means I can't really 'work my way up the ranks' and increase my income over time. I will likely plateau, and depending non where that happens, it will be fine or not.
So my question is: how accurate is this 100k figure you're giving me? Is it what is made on average? Is it what is made at max? It is what can easily be made? How much do you think is possible to work up to over the years doing this full time? (I understand region may vary this answer; I live in central Florida)
Good to see you comment! I keep seeing your comments on my shorts... you always have some of the top-liked comments haha!
as far as inflation goes...
yes, I strongly believe inflation will really ramp up over the next 10 years or so. We're already seeing so many things get more and more expensive.
The nice part about owning your own business is that YOU control your prices (not your boss) so if the price of everything is inflated... you raise your prices along with it.
for "not being able to work your way up the ranks"
There is plenty of opportunity to become a great technician and work up the ranks... maybe not as much as a typical corporate ladder, but some of the best technicians do concert work and get paid VERY handsomely. (Some even get to travel around with the artist to concerts
I sourced "$100K" from the Piano Technicians Guild (PTG) who say:
Average full time piano technician salary = $80k - $150k a year
It's definitely possible to make 100k and more. sometimes it takes a few years... other times, people are booked out a month in advance as soon as they announce that they are tuning pianos and they start making that much in their first year.
Like you mentioned, it varies per location.
Here's a good way to look at it...
It WILL be worth it. Even if you just spend 2-3 hours a day tuning a single piano as a part time job... that's an extra $130-$250 a day in your pocket!
Especially with A.I., robots, and computers taking over everyones jobs it's always good to have a technical skill to fall back on. (A.I. won't be tuning pianos any time soon)
@@PianoDoctor exactly correct, the more your skills improve the more money you can make. For example some piano technicians make tons of money tuning for high level concert halls and concert pianists. Also, i believe in the next few years all services careers are going to be in desperate need of more people to do the services. Im not letting A.I. take my piano tuning career. Also, i have heard of a self tuning mechanism for pianos, not sure how accurate it is probably not very.
Is it physically challenging for a woman to be a piano tuner especially when it comes with repairs etc?
That's amazing! I had no idea there were that many pianos out there tbh
Edit: I love that your added "And I know some of you may be skeptical, like, "come on, not another TH-camr selling a course." Because it's honestly true 🙃🤣 Oddly not in this case, but in general the amount of promotional videos masquerading as informational is exhausting lol
Hey Josiah!
Just a note that I had trouble finding how to comment. The maximize button just filled the screen. I had to click "more" in the description.
Great video!
appreciate it Doctor, love your works, keep it up :)
Greetings, my name is Dlan. I’ve been thinking of Piano tuning for a couple months, and today without searching your video just came to me.
I’m blind since birth, I do play music since young age, but I started to play piano couple years ago, not professional, but acceptable.
If there is a way for me to reach out to you, or any piano tuners if they see my comment, I would really appreciate it. I have some questions to ask about piano tuning.
If anyone is close by me, I will be more than happy to meet them, I live in San Diego California.
Thank you so much for making this fantastic video, I hope to get a respond from you or any piano tuners soon ✌️❤️
My piano is 40 - 80 cents flat
If it's that out of tune, it usually will take multiple tunings before it'll stay in tune. You do have to be careful however if the strings are rusty that you won't just break a bunch of strings. If the piano is super old and or has rusty strings you may not want to tune it due to the fact of damaging it. Some old rusty pianos aren't worth tuning and repairing, not saying that's you I'm just giving some advice.
@@SamuelMcgrealPianoServices my piano is a spinet piano
@@emojijoyio spinets are usually harder to tune due to them being smaller and made cheaper. They were made as a cheaper and smaller option to other pianos. Also, spinets haven't been manufactured since the 80s so most of them are pretty old. Spinets are hard to learn to tune on but will get you good at tuning difficult pianos which is very helpful
Maybe ask someone for a loan... Haha I'm sure someone will give ya 80 cents ...jk I couldn't resist
You got change for a dollar? 😂
Do you need to know how to play piano to learn to be a piano technician? I've always enjoyed working on guitars despite not being very good at playing. Fixing and maintaining them was the only thing that really kept me in the hobby, so this seems very interesting to me
Who knew piano tuning could be so lucrative!
Excellent informative video! I would imagine with 500k + TH-cam subscribers you make more from TH-cam than piano tuning..lol But that is awesome having the luxury of making your own schedule doing something you enjoy! I've been thinking about doing something like this... thank you for the inspiration!
Since he does almost exclusively shorts, he actually doesn’t earn much from TH-cam
For me either a watch maker or a piano tuner, I have to choose 1!
Thank you for sharing this! Do you wear earplugs when turning piano to protect the longevity of your hearing? My piano tuner has a pair customer made and he wears them when he is tuning the piano.
Congratulation whit your job. I hope you have a good life :-) :-)
From your shorts and a basic understanding of mechanics, as well as a musical background. I can see myself doing this.
I'd just like to tune my own piano, that's all, I don't need the work and at 69 its not practical for me to go back to work, sadly I might not have good enough hearing. however more than that I want to re-tone my piano, its tone too "bright" and I want to make it more softer, but my last tuner said that would cost more than its worth, said something about softening the felt on all the hammers 😞 !!!
I just saw a video about this (sorry I can't remember who or how to find it again).
He worked in a piano at a care home for seniors which sounded unpleasantly "bright".
They didn't have the money to do anything major, so the guy took a simple rasp, which is like a file, and he used it on the hammers to rough them up a bit.
The result was a softer, more mellow tone, but he mentioned that it wouldn't last like a more extensive repair.
But it was something, and it was cheap.
You have to be careful about the rasp you pick.
perfect timing thank you
I actually apprentice with one of the top tuners in the nation and he does classes and teaches a lot for the technicians guild
That is a awesome way of learning. I find learning in person is the best option if you have the opportunity. Some like me dont have someone in the area they can learn from.
I’m starting my first day as a apprentice tomorrow I’m very excited
How did it go?
As someone who can't see perhaps I can try to tune it to 440 then deside how to stretch the tuning by ear. Of cors this will take a lot of practice. Yes I know this will not be easy, however I should at least try. Only thingI need is a device that will help me make sure it's at 440 🎹🎶
There’s an app called the Montal Tuner specifically made for blind piano technicians. It’s a bit pricey at around $150, but I’ve been using myself and it’s completely accessible with screen readers, at least for IOS.
Good video
Can’t wait for the next video. Would love to know the basics, as it does sound like a very interesting career but I need to know what’s the best way to have a taster before I invest in it
For the basics I would check out. Howard Piano on TH-cam. He has a lot of videos about tuning, repair and regulation of pianos. Great place to start if you don't really want to invest the money into a piano tuning and repair course yet
I'm commenting here just because its the latest video.
love your content, but would love to see you play more when testing the pianos and also see more videos not just shorts.
Oh my gosh!!! 18:05 !! I see my teacher! 😂 That is SO COOL 🤩 He's such a fun guy
Im just to cautious about it, what if it fails? What if im not good at it? This is definitely a career I would want to pursue I just dont have the financial means for it, or the equipment, the closest thing I got to a piano with an action is an electrical piano
Thanks for the inspiring video!
A quick question for you. If you enrolled on the PTA as, say, a full time job (8 hours a day studying) how long would it take to get to a standard you could actually start tuning / repairing people's pianos semi-decently?
if you can't afford to do the PTA academy, how can you ask someone that's already doing this job to join and learn from them? I mean, they won't say the master's secrets (sorry for my english, I'm italian)
Getting a mentor can be pretty difficult.
On top of that, personal mentorship can be quite expensive because they have to spend 100's of hours teaching you. The beauty of the piano technician academy is that they essentially recorded their training so it takes no time off their hands...
this allows them to spend $100,000 creating the training videos and then sell them for much much cheaper to a large audience.
If you're set on getting a mentor, the best way to find one is to pick up the phone and start cold calling some piano tuners in your area and hope that they are willing to teach you.
Good luck!
Great video! I've never been interested in piano tuning until seeing some of your videos. Hope I can learn basic tuning to fix some of the pianos lying around in my school that are super out-of-tune.
Also a question - At what point is a piano not worth saving? Maybe some strings are broken or some hammers are missing? Thanks!
Thank you so Much!!
May the LORD Bless you and keep you as you serve and Glorify Him!
I’m a 30 yr old door dasher and am really considering switching to this career preciate u bro
Really cool video, thanks for sharing your story and being an inspiration for a new generation of piano technicians :)
As someone looking into starting out tuning pianos, what are your concerns with keeping the piano in the garage for tunings / repairs? I can easily find pianos for free in my area and don't have space inside the house for another piano (current one is too nice for me to "try" on).
How bad can the piano get if left in the garage for an extended period of time while I use it as my practice piano?
I started tuning over 2 years ago and have been tuning pianos every once in a while. I don't know how to repair them, which really limits my potential customer base, and since I'm not a "professional" I don't charge as much as the average tuner. I'm still in high school, so I don't have a ton of time, which is why I don't tune full-time. The other reason I don't tune full-time is that I'm living in Brazil, a country where very few people own pianos.
Anyway, I bought a basic tuning kit which includes a tuning hammer, felt strips and various wedges. Are there any tools you recommend that I buy? Also, when I tune, I usually take between 2 - 3 hours. Any tips on reducing that time?
Hey John, My best piece of advice is on buying tools is to purchase the tool when you NEED it. It's really easy to be overwhelmed with the amount of tools out there, and get discouraged because it costs so much to buy all of them.
eventually, I would get a good set of "regulation" tools from either
1. the Piano Technician Academy (they have pre-built kits),
2. Schaff piano supply
3. a retired piano technician who is selling their tool kit on eBay.
(as a general rule, don't buy anything on eBay (unless it's used by a previous technician) or amazon, etc. generally these are cheap knock offs)
as far as getting your time faster, It just takes a ton of practice and muscle memory. Tune 100-200 pianos, and you should have your time down to 2 hours or less.
@@PianoDoctor Thanks for the advice, I appreciate it.
I know you said that there are definentally enough pianos to tune, but I live in a baby town with only a population of only 10,000 people and am still slightly worried that there wouldn't be enough pianos to tune. Also I am only a Junior in High school and was wondering if there is another way to learn piano tuning without the course?
Hi. Junior high is a young age to start learning, but I've heard of so many great tuners that started learning when they were really young too.
If you don't have the money for the course, I would recommend buying and reading the 3 books I showed on screen.
Arthur Reblitz - Piano servicing, Tuning, and rebuilding.
Mario Igrec - Piano's inside and out.
(can't remember the author) - how to make $200,000 a year tuning pianos
those should get you a very good head start
This is very useful thank you 😊
Would you mind sharing the tools you normally use? Don't forget the vacuum :)
This is so helpful!
Thanks for this
Hey I really enjoyed your video and as a young person I was really impressed with what you've been able to accomplish at your age.
I was hoping to get a little bit of advice though on my set of circumstances. I would love to learn to tune and repair pianos, but I don't really wish to do it as a career or anything like that. I just want it as a hobby that could make me some money every once in a while. With that in mind and since I don't have the money to, I'm not sure the piano academy is an investment I wish to make (at least not right now).
Do you have any advice for someone like me to learn and be proficient at piano tuning/repair as a hobby to help friends out and maybe make some money along the way?
hey, do you know if there is competition in France. Thanks a lot for your video :)
I'd love to say I have an answer, but I'm not sure... I would call some piano tuners in your area and ask them how busy they are.
En France tu doit avoir un diplôme d'état pour pouvoir proposer tes services dans la légalité
@@pr_zekice3186 ahhhh trop nul
@@rousselnathan8262 ouai malheureusement, si jamais c'est u' CAP en deux ans minimum
You mentioned in one of your shorts that you had a mentor. Is this feasible for a complete noobie? I want to shadow a piano tech but being a complete novice I doubt anyone would be interested in that, there would have to be some prior knowledge going in I guess. That would be my ideal way to learn, just watch a master and learn from them.
And I like these longer videos, keep ‘em coming
@PianoDoctor same for me
good question!
I did have a "mentor" (I basically watched him work in his shop and he let me go to a couple jobs every once in a while)
Getting a mentor is VERY difficult. Most of them are too busy, or they want you to have the basics mastered before coming to them (to save time).
What I recommend to people that have questions like this is to combine both the piano technician academy and getting a mentor. (if you can afford both... often, personal mentorship can be quite expensive!)
This method will allow you to master the basics through the PTA and then you will be more likely to find a mentor.
of course, if you are completely set on getting a mentor, the best way to find one is to pick of the phone and cold call some piano tuners in your area and hope that they are willing to teach you
Speaking of mentors...
The PTA has a way to contact instructors via phone and email if you ever get stuck or need help with a section.
Best of luck!
Have you done any research into hybrid pianos? because apparently in New Zealand (which is where I live) there is only one tuner that can tune the Steinway and Sons hybrid pianos? also thanks so much for your youtube channel it has been a inspiration for me and countless others. the best side of YT
hmm... I haven't done any research into those. they aren't very popular here in the states as far as I know. It sounds like a cool opportunity though!
Contact North York General in Toronto they have 1 piano with missing hammers etc...Willis &CO. LIMITED at 7th floor
Amazing inspiration
Hi, I appreciate your transparence about tuning pianos. What I don't get is : So I have to open my own company and have stuff like taxes ? If no, customers are not asking for an invoice document ?
I watched this video and got kind of excited about the prospect of tuning pianos. Then I thought of question #4. Do I need to be able to play a piano to be able to tune them? There are a lot of other roadblocks that would need to be overcome to get there, too. Currently, I'm exploring the possibility of starting a Master's degree in addiction counseling at Central Michigan University.
Hello again Hahn!
You don’t have to be able to play, but it is nice to learn a couple songs that way you can play for the customer when you’re finished tuning.
I know a tuner who plays somewhere over the rainbow after every single tuning and his customers have adopted it as their tradition.
I’d hate to take you away from a degree in addiction counseling though! Of course the decision is up to you… just don’t make money your first priority. I’m not saying you are interested in this only for the money, but If you would be learning just for that, you’ll probably get burnt out or bored fast.
@@PianoDoctor Thanks for your reply, Josiah! This is definitely something to thoughtfully ponder. I woudln't be doing it solely for the money. I've always been a person who likes to help people out if they've got a problem This would fit well with that. Somewhere Over the Rainbow is a good choice. It''s beautiful on the piano. I play a version of it on the soprano saxophone. Anyway, I appreciated the depth of your reply. Thank you, again!
Are you tuning the same pianos over and over again?
Wait why did the ice cream shop have hot dogs? Great videos by the way.
Is this job hard for a female and is there a top age bracket for someone to learn how to tune a piano? How do you know if you have perfect hearing?
Hello Josiah, I love your videos and am so grateful for your work as I am very interested in being a tuner myself. I am 17 and not sure what to do as a career path. This seems to be a great opportunity with low stress and low cost of entry (especially considering the cost of college). Also, I love playing piano :) .
I have a question, how do apprenticeships work and how can I get an apprenticeship?
Thank you so much!
apprentice ships can be tough to find (and some mentors can charge a lot) . Generally the best way to find someone is to pick up the phone and call piano tuners near you... you just have to hope that one of them are willing to teach you.
Most of the time, to get an apprenticeship, the mentor likes you to have a basic understanding of how to tune and do repairs. the piano technician academy is a great place to get all of the basics mastered, then you can pursue a mentorship for rare/odd repairs.
bro ive been waiting for this video for so long lmao
I just want to learn tuning to tune my own piano/do touchup tuning
Ooo what song is this it’s so pretty ❤
Has no one yet made a digital Tuner For Pianos where it listens as you dial in each string?
Yes there is several different piano tuning softwares that help piano tuners tune pianos. The best is a combination of using your ear and the tuner software.
What is the average upfront cost of tools and materials one would need to get started?
you can start with just a tuning hammer and some mutes, which will cost anywhere from $100-$300, but realistically if you want to do this full time you are going to need some more tools...
There are an infinite amount of tools that you can buy, but generally if you get a nice "regulation" tool set and basic woodworking tools (clamps, glue, etc.) then you should be able to cover 95% of the repairs out there. Those tools will cost around $1,000 - $2,000, but they can make your money back in a month or two!
Hii! Im 13 years old and im trying to get customers but everyone is declaining me because of my age.
And I even go to music school for 6 years and I play piano very good.
Piano tunners please help!❤
Question: is this something a 50’s plus woman can do alone, is there anything physically challenging about it? How heavy is the key “board” when you pull it out? Thx
It should be around 15-25kg.
My current situation: A year later, business drops off. I learned a lot in the first year, in fact I’m able to do 3 pianos in a day. It may be due to my region, as WV is spread out.
Hi. I have a question. I run a landscaping business that's been very successful for me, but I'm looking for something to fill the time between December and March. Do you think it would be viable to be a piano tuner 3 months out of the year in the winter (obviously with proper training via this program), but only taking either yearly piano tuning jobs or one-time jobs? I would basically be shifting out of the business and unavailable to tune once spring hit as I am very busy as a landscaper.
How much money would I need to set aside for this? Are there deadlines?
I'm about to take the PTA course. I've heard many technicians say it takes several years to become good at this. Do you think it's acceptable to start a business as soon as I complete the course, or do you recommend practicing for a year or so?
Michael Stilwell at PTA told me students usually go right into business.
It depends on how comfortable you are, but yes, most students that graduate go straight into business. you can always charge cheaper pricing and raise your rates as you gain experience and speed (that's what I did)
I have a old Beckwith
You don't mention this in the video, but I guess it's obvious, you do need to own and acoustic piano, right? I would like to become a piano tuner, but I don't have an acoustic, and I don't know If I ever will, I just don't have the space, not even for an upright. I could learn all of the theory, but where would I practice? I guess I would have to do it for free at first lol, but I don't know how would that go.
Talk to highschool band and choir teachers, there are usually pianos in practice rooms that are never tuned due to cost. Or, what I did was talk to people I knew who had a piano at home that nobody played and had never been tuned. They were happy to let me practice on them. I had a piano at home, but it was high end, in tune, and not one to practice on.
My bro can you come tune my piano? 😅 how much does it cost?
2-3 keys of my keyboard are not working. Can we repair it on our own? It's not a piano. It's a Yamaha PSR keyboard
Maybe either the contact rubber or the sensors needd replacing. Just in case it's best to ask the shop you bought it from🎹🎶
@@MERCEDES-BENZS600GUARD_V12 Yeah, thanks!
@@keerthanab07 you're welcome🎹🎶
@@keerthanab07 had mine replaced because of ants. That fixed it, however a few months later ants attacked it again. I use a different digital now. Found it weerd ants attacked my digital after 3 years of age🎹🎶
generally I recommend hiring a professional for things like this because there is always risk when taking on a project yourself, but I totally understand if that isn't doable for financial reasons or if there is just no one in your area.
I'd love so much to take that masterclass and start tuning pianos, but as a 17 year old broke boy I can't even afford mcdonalds (quite literally)
How old do you have to be to enroll in the PTA?
I don't think there is a specific age... as long as you are mature, disciplined, and patient any age can learn!
I've heard of some technicians that started training as young as 15 years old
Pinao tunning is definitely one of my bucket list of instruments to repair and tune, but what happened when a sting breaks like how do i get replacement strings?
Hi! great question.
If you start tuning pianos, it's inevitable that you'll break a string eventually. The piano technician academy teaches you everything you need to get started as a "technician" (someone who can do all of the basic repairs and replace strings)
In order to replace it, you'll either have to order replacements from a supply house, splice the string, or use spare wire to create a new one. Hope that helps!
Kinda dumb question but what was the song that was played after the tuning 😅? Or was thay just a tune you thought of on the spot?
What age do you reccomend starting? Because i feel like no one would want to pay me if im young, im almost 16 and thats the minimum age to start working for me but it will make me seem not professional
Question, do you have a course for electronic piano fixing?
My oldest son has perfect pitch and plays many instruments. He started on piano andd favors it, playing it every single day. I am in tears from excitement to show him this... He has been thinking about persuing music as a career, and he wants to find more trades involving music to be able to do throughout his life, no matter what he ends up doing. Wee have done a lot of research, and then i stumbled on this randomly. I don't know how I didn't think of it before! For that, I appreciate this video so much. I cannot thank you enough. I hope you have a beautiful day.
How about making a discord community for aspiring piano technicians who watch your videos? I get the feeling that many are young, inexerienced, and could get lots of value from having a community of like-minded people around them
This is a fantastic Idea. I'll definitely be considering this moving forward. Thanks!!
@@PianoDoctor Please let me know if you make any moves on it! I love your content, and you have inspired me to become a piano technician myself
I've been watching your videos and I am looking for career change. I have a manual labor job and its rough on my body and hands. I was wondering if you could speak about the physical side of your work to help me decide if my hands are up to the task. Thanks for the videos.
there is definitely a physical component to both tuning and repairing pianos, but as far as "physical labor" jobs go, it's one of the easier ones.
here for being able to tune my own piano to save money 💪