Hi,

I am about to lose my job and I'm considering pursuing a career in piano tuning. I have always been fascinated with the sound and guts of the piano and very fussy about the tuning. I have a few things I'd like to know and wondered if anyone can lend their opinion.

1. I have been looking into the Randy Potter correspondence course. Has anyone ever taken the course and if you did, what do you think about it? I would also look into apprenticeships to supplement the coursework.

2. How many pianos do you tune in a day/week/ or year? Is realistic to think a person can make a reasonable living tuning pianos or does it have to be combined with piano restoration before it is profitable? I'm curious what the average wage would be. My husband is also questioning the ability to sustain a decent income in this professionl. I need something positive to tell him.

3. Is it necessary to belong to the Piano Technician's Guild in order to be considered reputable. If so, how stringent are their requirements? Is it hard to become a member?

4. Being female, I'm a bit concerned about my ability to manage the mechanical issues surrounding repair of the piano although it fascinates me. Does a person have to be talented in the way of mechanics or is it possible to learn if the interest is there?

Well, that's enough for now. Appreciate any help that can be offered. I am hoping to make a decision to either pursue this piano tuning thing or will pursue my masters degree in something that I am less than thrilled about.

nsd

Hi NSD ... Someone by the name of Beth posted a similar question a few months back. Check the archives. I attended a full time program in piano technology and am now building up my own piano service business. It is a lot of work but extremely rewarding. If you really want to do it go for it. What will a Master's Degree get you ? They are a dime a dozen. I had two young women in my class and they did okay. It is tough removing a grand piano action but after a lot of practice it is a piece of cake. As far as tools and mechanical ability- they had none at first but did okay. Our training was intense and full time so I can not speak for the correspondence school experience. I will tell you however that I feel prepared to do just about anything on a piano and have had some very challenging repair jobs. One involved fixing the pedal works on a Yamaha Grand
piano for a local musician. For some reason I have become good at pedal repair work. As far as tuning goes I have tuned everything from
the smallest, oldest spinets around to a 7'4"
Altenburg Grans. Yesterday I helped another
tech move a Yamaha C7 Grand to a high school
auditorium on a day that I worked on 2 church pianos and fixed a broken string. I have yet to have a dull day. Business comes in spurts and is
erratic. The important thing is to do good work
and the word will get out.

1. I've heard very good things about Randy's course.
2. A full time tuner tunes 3 to 6 pianos a day on the road, more in a store. It takes about 7 years to build up a well-paying business. Tuners usually start by working for stores, gaining some customers, and gradually getting word of mouth referrals. Initial income is in the low teens and slowly grows. Don't expect to make much money at first. Rebuilding breaks up the routine, can increase income, but requires a workshop and training.
3. The Guild is a wonderful source of information and training. Membership is a big benefit.
4. Tuning is a physical job - tuning pins can be very tight. Back and shoulder aches are common. (a good massage helps). There are many good female tuners/techs in the business, and I'm sure you could be one as well.

On a last note tuning requires perseverance, training, practice, business sense, willingness to drive 50 to 150 miles per day, flexible hours (some sat and evening appointments). Either you love it, or you don't. I enjoy meeting new people, driving, taking days off when the kids are home, and playing a bit when done tuning.

Hi NSD,

Tuning can be a very profitable career if you do more than just tuning. But this doesn't mean that you have to get into "restoration".

Tuning is just one aspect of normal piano servicing. Learning how to voice, and regulate (well) can yield significant results in terms of salary.

Many may disagree, but from the learning curve that I've seen, I would count on a few years to really "get the hang" of tuning. Of course for some people it may take more or less time. Not to say that you can't tune before that time, with the use of an ETD you certainly can. Just saying that in my experience, it takes a bit of time to really begin to understand tuning, voicing, and regulation.

As per your question about Randy Potter's course, I haven't used it, but have heard many people sing it's praises. In any event, I would recommend coupling whatever course you choose, with some sort of apprenticeship. It's wonderful to be able to have someone with great knowledge follow up on your work, and be able to help you with the questions and problems that will inevitably come.

Becoming a member of the PTG is great, although not necessary. As many here can tell you, being a member doesn't guaranty quality, but at least says you've passed a basic set of tests. This is valuable when it comes to customers. Customers are more apt to hire RPTs than otherwise ( I would imagine ). I can say myself that word of mouth is the most valuable assett. Doing good work, having pride in it, and doing it to the highest standard I can earns me more business than the RPT title. PTG meetings can on the other hand be a great place to meet other techs, learn new techniques, and work out problems with more experienced veterans.

As for the salary:

I tune usually 2 pianos a day, with other servicing involved. I try not to just tune... I'm always trying to educate customers about other servicing needs, and actively seek out customers who want performance from their instruments, rather than just a tuning. With this sort of attitude, you can work on less pianos (which can be a welcome relief to your ears), and do more work on each piano. In this situation it's very possible to earn a decent living. Grossing 50-60K should certainly be possible. This of course depends on where you live though. Cose of living here (Boulder) is very high, so I'm sure that figure would vary in other parts of the country. I'm sure there are places where you can't charge over $40 for a tuning, because nobody else charges that much.

Which brings me to my final point.

If you do persue this, please take pride in what you're doing, and do your best at it. If you do this, please charge what you're worth! Too many techs charge too little for the invaluable service they provide. And too many charge too much just for bringing a piano up to pitch.

Either way, I wish you the best of luck, and hope I have helped you out a bit (rather than bore you to death). :p

KlavierBauer

Thanks guys for taking the time to give me your 2 cents worth. Your input has really helped to motivate me along with the old post from Beth that had some thought provoking opinions. I think I am going to take the plunge today and order at least a segment of Randy Potter's course to see if .

One more question or two ....Re: apprenticeships - How long should you go before starting out on your own? Is a person normally paid any for of the work they might do or do you have to pay someone for the opportunity to apprentice with?

Thanks again for your replies.

nsd

NSD:

First off, congratulations on your new career.

I wish you the best of luck, and hope it works out very well for you.

Apprenticeships can vary in length. It really depends on how quickly you learn. In Germany, students do a combination of learning at the piano technology school in Ludwigsburg, and working in a factory. This process lasts about 4 years, and then the student tests to become a "piano builder" or technician.

As I said, I'm sure there are faster, and slower learners, but once you start, I think you'll see that there's quite a bit out there to get the hang of. I would recommend attending some of the local chapter meetings of the PTG in your area. This is a cheap way to get your foot in the door, and talk to some people in your area to see how things are there.
I'm not sure how it is everywhere, but I would think that you would receive some sort of compensation for your work. I know that in the business where I apprenticed, I was a salaried employee while learning there. This was not uncommon either, as I watched several people learn the trade there.

Again, best of luck!
And let us know if you have any more questions.

KlavierBauer