Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Tuner-Technicians Forum Brave New World - The Future of Piano Technical Support

Hello. How much of a future, in your opinion, does piano support have (tuning, repair, restoration etc...). Do you believe that there will be ample work for piano technicians in the future?

I see what the US gov is saying about this here :http://www.bls.gov/oes/CURRENT/oes499063.htm

But I value your opinion. This is not a survey and will not be used as any such thing. This is purely for my information to understand more about the future potential of this fascinating field and perhaps consider a change of career now that I am in my 50s. My very best,/tony

If you consider whatever the government says is true, you can have a great deal of confidence that the exact opposite is true. Take a look at the geographical data map. Half the states have no reportable data. That should tell you something.

In most areas if you are good at your craft, you will have work.

We techs are safe for a decade at least. It is hard to say what kind of changes technology will bring and how the younger generations evolve into it. When (notice I didn't say "if") a suitable electronic keyboard is created which perfectly emulates a fine grand piano in touch and sound....all of us techs will eventually be history. Museums and curiosity keepsakes will not uphold a full workforce.

Virtually all piano techs are self-employed and the data does not appear to cover this. There will always be many naysayers in any industry - especially in ours that has undergone huge change in recent years. "The [successful] entrepreneur always searches for change, responds to it, and exploits it as an opportunity." - Peter Drucker

Best wishes,

tonyster220763 does your question refer to the USA only, or do you mean it to be worldwide? I think the situation may be quite different in China over the next twenty years from what it is is say the Republic of Congo.

In Britain in the early 1980s there were six colleges offering piano technology courses, along with whatever apprenticeships were offered by the surviving piano factories. Now there remains one college course, and no piano factories.

I've tried the latest digital pianos, and they still don't
quite have it yet.

But the engineers are getting closer, that's for sure.

Will be interesting to see when the ultimate digital piano
finally arrives....

And what about wind instruments? I invested in a wind controller this weekend. I can't believe the quality of the, admittedly pricey, sound banks. I spend years and years working on my sound. The top sound is now mine to buy! Oh, and you always play in tune.

This concern has been in the world of instruments for centuries. Even the pipe organ, with all its expense and use of materials, is still unfaded by the most advanced technologies for reproduction. I don't believe true acoustic instruments will completely die off in favor of technology. After all, this technology needed something real in which to copy its identity from.

I think it's a money thing. The poorer amongst us have to put up with fakes.

Check out my article at http://howtotunepianos.com/2014/05/04/why-you-may-want-to-learn-how-to-tune-your-piano/

The truth is, the number of new piano sales has been dwindling since about 1978. A small part of this may be due to market saturation.

I believe the piano will never go out of favour; there will always be work for good technicians. But the numbers will continue to decrease.

In my short career, 15 years, I've seen a huge difference in my ability to increase my revenue. I was expecting more opportunity but it hasn't happened. This is one reason why I have branched out into teaching. I strongly believe there will be more of a demand for resources to learn this skill as it becomes harder and harder to find good technicians.

Thank you all for your input. Perhaps the drop in piano sales has to do with the fact that it is a difficult instrument to learn, as opposed to other popular instruments, and since our society has decided to take the easy track in almost everything, the piano may not be as popular as it once was when people prided themselves on addressing challenges. It is interesting how more and more pianists (and violinists), male and female are of oriental origin. Also, I note that the accoustic piano industry leaves much to be desired when in comes to marketing itself. The fact that piano factories are closing in the west whilst opening in the east just follows every other industry. Note the number of European companies that have been bought by eastern interests. GM may have gone that way if it wasn't saved by the US gov't. Bosendorfer is, if I recall, a division of Yamaha.
My main interest was in the US market but from some of the readings I have done here it seems that piano manufacturing is droping in the west (while increasing in China) but support services are alive and well (and impacted by the economic crisis like everything else). So if we do a trend analysis, there will be ample work for good technicians in the west...the pianos however will be manufactured in the east. (Mark, thanks for sharing your article...impressive work).

I was talking about this recently with the owner of the local music store. He often talks about how the new piano market had bottomed out (at least around southeast Missouri). His store has been in business since the 1940s. It used to be common for them to sell four pianos a week he told me.

I believe the long lifespan of acoustic pianos, coupled with internet websites like Craigslist, Ebay and local "Buy Sell Trade" pages on Facebook have all brought to light just how many pianos are out there and still in decent shape. People can get these for next to nothing.

What I have noticed is that people who get a piano for "free" or next to nothing (barring any major defects) are willing to pay me a couple of hundred dollars or so to get the piano back in playable shape. These are often people who have a child starting piano lessons, but don't want to invest money on a new instrument until they see whether or not their child sticks with it.

So in my opinion, even though the new piano market may have tanked, piano tuning and repair will remain alive and well.

Precisely!

"Your big opportunity may be right where you are now."
-Napoleon Hill

Depends on your definition of 'alive and well'. If by 'alive and well' you mean a bouyant market sector employing lots of full-time workers, then I disagree, at least for the UK, the USA and Europe.

David, I take it you've seen changes in the last couple of years ?

If we knew how the supply houses were doing maybe that would be a better indicator.
As far as those carcasses that are hauled home to see if the child will develop
an interest, good luck. Though it is amazing how these old uprights can continue
to function somewhat for decades with no intervention. I like the old lady who
says "I love the action!" and it's so out of whack I can't play it. But I don't feel
it's up to me to convince them what a miserable piece of junk they have sitting in
their living room. So as requested I "just tune it". Maybe one of these times I'll
go tune the "couple of notes" they think really need it.

[quote]If we knew how the supply houses were doing maybe that would be a better indicator.[/quote]

After well over a century of trading from the same address in Bayham Street in London, one of the two remaining UK supply houses has moved out and drastically downsized to a one-man operation working as a home-based business.

That leaves only one full supply house in the UK (Fletcher & Newman), the Renner UK operation having stopped some time ago.

[quote]David, I take it you've seen changes in the last couple of years ?[/quote]

In October 2009 the last piano factory in the UK closed; Kemble (owned for the last twenty or so years of its life by Yamaha).

The only piano making left in the UK is a little artisan craftsman stuff. No factories.

Changes have been over the last two or three decades rather than the last two or three years.

Six college courses in piano technology in the mid 1980s have dwindled to one. I'm not aware of any piano shops who employ full-time tuners. I think the vast majority of tuners are self-employed.

A few weeks ago I was in conversation with another tuner in this part of the world who, like me, also has a background in teaching. He made the observation that "All the guys who are doing this, they all have wives with 'proper jobs'"!

[quote=Mark Cerisano, RPT]

...In my short career, 15 years, I've seen a huge difference in my ability to increase my revenue. I was expecting more opportunity but it hasn't happened. This is one reason why I have branched out into teaching. I strongly believe there will be more of a demand for resources to learn this skill as it becomes harder and harder to find good technicians.
[/quote]

We have been turning out a fairly consistant and sizeable amount of techs here in Canada from UWO's great program and from George Brown College years before. A large number of these techs don't remain in the market and find it too thin for pickings and competitive. If the market ever swings in their favour, I think quite a few of them would consider going back into it, something up and coming techs would have to additionally deal with....if it ever happens.

What goes down, must come up!

All piano makers, tuners, and techs will likely one day owe
Lang Lang a big thanks!

He's an international piano Rockstar, and has supposedly inspired
40 million kids to begin playing Classical piano.

So let's keep positive everyone! The piano is due for
a comeback and resurgence!

:grin: :thumb: