With the pandemic I started tuning mine, also with PianoMeter. Of course I can't compete with a piano technician but it sounds better than out of tune. You're right, it is inspirational to play after tuning.
Great video, Gjermund. I started tuning when my wife bought me my first piano 12 years ago. It used to take me a few hours but now I am much faster. I definitely experience the piano differently as an amateur piano tech than I did as just a performer. I think of pianists like Krystian Zimerman and Ivan Moravec that are accomplished technicians as well as excellent pianists. Most pianists know very little about how their pianos work, but I think it benefits me as an artist. These days I refuse to perform on a piano if it hasn't been tuned. I always scope out the venue and if it hasn't been tuned, I will show up early and do it myself. The tuning could benefit my performance as much or possibly more than some extra practicing!
Recently started "touching up" my piano as well. Was inspired by a jazz piano player in Austin Texas who tuned a few notes just before his club gig (by ear) and it seemed very approachable. After a professional tuning my piano will hold for several months, but a few notes fall more quickly out of tune and those are the ones I adjust. Suggest you get a decent tuning wrench/hammer. Initially I got a cheap hammer that did not fit the tuning pegs well and quickly fell apart. The extra $$ is well worth it. It really is quite easy and well worth the effort. I use the "TuneLab" app for android. Last suggestion: do it while no one else is home!
With all due respect, this is really stupid idea. You’re a wonderful piano teacher and piano player, but recommending that people tuner on piano is ridiculous. It takes years in years of practice to do a decent job, having an app is not a substitute. It takes a tremendous amount of skill to use a piano tuning lever and create a tuning that will last. Also there is risk of breaking a string.
Hi, David. I appreciate your feedback. It is OK to disagree. I used to think exactly like you. But, it was a piano technician that convinced me to try to tune my piano by myself. He said that "Anyone can learn how to tune." When I decided to give it a try, I was amazed by the result. Ever since, I have kept tuning my grand piano on a regular basis, using the method described in this video. I don't recommend self-tuning your piano if it (almost) never gets tuned. Then, there is a risk of breaking a string.
Thank you for your reply and thank you for the great content you produce. It is true that "anyone can learn to tune a piano", but that is the same as saying anyone can learn to play an instrument. It is easy to learn to play poorly, but takes a years or practice to do it at a professional level. The same is true for piano tuning. I am a piano technician and I can list countless reasons why most people should not follow your advice. I am glad you have had success with your own piano, but I guarantee it would play and sound better if you had an experienced professional do it,
@@davidweiss8667 Thanks again for your comment and passion. If you were my neighbour, I'd gladly hire you instead of doing it myself. The fact is that many places in the world, there are not that many good piano technicians to choose from. I believe it is way better from a musicians perspective to play on a piano that is in tune than playing on pianos that are out of tune. I know I think different, and I know that most pianists would not tune their own pianos. (Also, because they might think it is close to impossible to tune their pianos, as I used to do.) As I have done it so many times now, it is no stress to do it, and I'm getting better at it too. I still hire a piano technician a couple of times per year to tweak the mechanism of my piano. There are always improvements that can be made, and I sincerely admire piano technicians who know in depth what they do. I hired Eric Chandell for a full day when I got my grand piano. An experienced piano technician, like him, can give the pianist the WOW feeling. To me, the perfect combination is to be able to tune myself, as well as hiring great technicians from time to time. Sometimes I hire technicians to tune the instrument too, but, for the most part, I don't hear any difference when it comes to the tuning itself. And once I tune the piano, I always listen for flaws and manually correct them. As a passionate piano teacher, I think it matters a lot to encourage people to play on real pianos over electric pianos (at least in the long run.) Tuning is an obstacle for many. So is the expense. Many people I've met end up tuning their pianos every second year. I tune my piano multiple times per year and encourage my students to do the same, either by hiring a professional each time, or in a combination of using an app-tuner as described. Either way, we all need each other. I will always come back to hire the experts. And for the people who don't think tuning is something that they would try, I encourage them to budget at least $1000 per year on hiring piano technicians, and if they live in a place where there are none or if they are not willing to pay the expense, stick with the electric piano instead.
David, I think you greatly underestimate what people are willing to invest in their piano experience. I am a self-taught tuner of more than ten years, and while it isn't easy, most people know within the first hour if they should be pursuing it or not. Apps actually work fine. I personally use a standalone tuner since it is my preference, but some apps are even better than my KORG tuner. Gjermund taught himself and he's an excellent teacher. He tunes his piano the same way I do and I have had excellent results. You are correct that some people just shouldn't tune their pianos because they don't have the patience for it, and it takes a good ear (which can be developed, however!). If you don't feel comfortable tuning your piano, don't do it. I knew even before I started that it was something I would value very highly. Not only did I save myself thousands of dollars every year, I taught myself a skill that brought in income and allows me to enjoy almost every piano I have to use. All it cost me was a few bucks of equipment and some practice which has more than payed itself off.
With the pandemic I started tuning mine, also with PianoMeter. Of course I can't compete with a piano technician but it sounds better than out of tune. You're right, it is inspirational to play after tuning.
Thank you for your clear explanation
Great video, Gjermund. I started tuning when my wife bought me my first piano 12 years ago. It used to take me a few hours but now I am much faster. I definitely experience the piano differently as an amateur piano tech than I did as just a performer. I think of pianists like Krystian Zimerman and Ivan Moravec that are accomplished technicians as well as excellent pianists. Most pianists know very little about how their pianos work, but I think it benefits me as an artist. These days I refuse to perform on a piano if it hasn't been tuned. I always scope out the venue and if it hasn't been tuned, I will show up early and do it myself. The tuning could benefit my performance as much or possibly more than some extra practicing!
Thanks for this video it was exactly what I needed as there are no piano tuners in my area which is Brookings Oregon so I have to do it myself.
Recently started "touching up" my piano as well. Was inspired by a jazz piano player in Austin Texas who tuned a few notes just before his club gig (by ear) and it seemed very approachable. After a professional tuning my piano will hold for several months, but a few notes fall more quickly out of tune and those are the ones I adjust. Suggest you get a decent tuning wrench/hammer. Initially I got a cheap hammer that did not fit the tuning pegs well and quickly fell apart. The extra $$ is well worth it. It really is quite easy and well worth the effort. I use the "TuneLab" app for android. Last suggestion: do it while no one else is home!
Yes, it is easier when the house is quiet.
I started tuning. How precisely do you tune ? in cents ?
Amazing script and background music !! so many standards lol
ᎮᏒᎧᎷᎧᏕᎷ ?
With all due respect, this is really stupid idea. You’re a wonderful piano teacher and piano player, but recommending that people tuner on piano is ridiculous. It takes years in years of practice to do a decent job, having an app is not a substitute. It takes a tremendous amount of skill to use a piano tuning lever and create a tuning that will last. Also there is risk of breaking a string.
I agree with you 100%. It takes years to learn how to get a piano into proper tune. There is no magic shortcut.
Hi, David. I appreciate your feedback.
It is OK to disagree. I used to think exactly like you. But, it was a piano technician that convinced me to try to tune my piano by myself. He said that "Anyone can learn how to tune." When I decided to give it a try, I was amazed by the result. Ever since, I have kept tuning my grand piano on a regular basis, using the method described in this video.
I don't recommend self-tuning your piano if it (almost) never gets tuned. Then, there is a risk of breaking a string.
Thank you for your reply and thank you for the great content you produce. It is true that "anyone can learn to tune a piano", but that is the same as saying anyone can learn to play an instrument. It is easy to learn to play poorly, but takes a years or practice to do it at a professional level. The same is true for piano tuning. I am a piano technician and I can list countless reasons why most people should not follow your advice. I am glad you have had success with your own piano, but I guarantee it would play and sound better if you had an experienced professional do it,
@@davidweiss8667 Thanks again for your comment and passion. If you were my neighbour, I'd gladly hire you instead of doing it myself. The fact is that many places in the world, there are not that many good piano technicians to choose from. I believe it is way better from a musicians perspective to play on a piano that is in tune than playing on pianos that are out of tune. I know I think different, and I know that most pianists would not tune their own pianos. (Also, because they might think it is close to impossible to tune their pianos, as I used to do.)
As I have done it so many times now, it is no stress to do it, and I'm getting better at it too. I still hire a piano technician a couple of times per year to tweak the mechanism of my piano. There are always improvements that can be made, and I sincerely admire piano technicians who know in depth what they do. I hired Eric Chandell for a full day when I got my grand piano. An experienced piano technician, like him, can give the pianist the WOW feeling. To me, the perfect combination is to be able to tune myself, as well as hiring great technicians from time to time.
Sometimes I hire technicians to tune the instrument too, but, for the most part, I don't hear any difference when it comes to the tuning itself. And once I tune the piano, I always listen for flaws and manually correct them. As a passionate piano teacher, I think it matters a lot to encourage people to play on real pianos over electric pianos (at least in the long run.) Tuning is an obstacle for many. So is the expense.
Many people I've met end up tuning their pianos every second year. I tune my piano multiple times per year and encourage my students to do the same, either by hiring a professional each time, or in a combination of using an app-tuner as described. Either way, we all need each other. I will always come back to hire the experts. And for the people who don't think tuning is something that they would try, I encourage them to budget at least $1000 per year on hiring piano technicians, and if they live in a place where there are none or if they are not willing to pay the expense, stick with the electric piano instead.
David, I think you greatly underestimate what people are willing to invest in their piano experience. I am a self-taught tuner of more than ten years, and while it isn't easy, most people know within the first hour if they should be pursuing it or not. Apps actually work fine. I personally use a standalone tuner since it is my preference, but some apps are even better than my KORG tuner. Gjermund taught himself and he's an excellent teacher. He tunes his piano the same way I do and I have had excellent results. You are correct that some people just shouldn't tune their pianos because they don't have the patience for it, and it takes a good ear (which can be developed, however!). If you don't feel comfortable tuning your piano, don't do it. I knew even before I started that it was something I would value very highly. Not only did I save myself thousands of dollars every year, I taught myself a skill that brought in income and allows me to enjoy almost every piano I have to use. All it cost me was a few bucks of equipment and some practice which has more than payed itself off.