I tuned my full size upright piano!

[A Reel Person]

Yep! It was a bitch, too, but it had gone horribly out of tune, & wasn't tuned recently.

I had trouble finding or devising a proper piano tuning tool, starting with a plain, large adjustable wrench, [which sucked], but eventually finding an unusual socket arrangement using common tools, that WORKED PERFECTLY.

It took a few days, basically having to tune one string at a time using a meter & ear, then simultaneously fine tune an octave down, which seemed to be a required procedure. With 2- or 3-strings per key, that was a HECK of a LOT of TUNING. It was about 3-4 day's work for me, on a part time basis. I easily could have spent 10-16 hours on it, but in the end, I finished, and it sounds darn good, too! Tuning really brought back that harmony, & it's holding it's tuning well, too.

A piano in good tuning is a beautiful thing. All those keys laid out, right there for all ten fingers, if you want it, & that authentic piano sound that's so nice & easy on the ears. Ah, yes. Playing piano is just plain fun.

Anyone out there with an acoustic piano that needs tuning, I tuned my piano, & so can you!

 

[amt7565]

Thanks for the encouragement. If I can find someones piano, and they will let me tune it, I will give it a try.

 

[A Reel Person]

Yeah, -heh-,...

I guess piano tuning isn't as flashy a subject as the latest patch or synth. It's a bit boring, but someone's gotta do it. In fact, actual piano tuning must be becoming a lost art.

A big reason I posted this post, is that prior to me tuning my own piano, I previously caught a few discussions about users wanting to tune their own pianos. The response, in general, was that it was too hard, & just a job for professionals. Or, that if you tried, you'd just mess it up worse.

Well, it was damn hard, I'm not saying it wasn't, but not too hard in the end. I successfully did it with a chromatic tuner, a socket wrench, a lot of hand-jive, elbow grease & an extra helping of perseverence. With 2- and 3-strings per note, it's enough tuning for days, & I'm sure it could drive some people batty. I had doubts & reservations about it before I started, but it worked out okay. My family humored me by listening to one note played over & over & over again, for days.

Piano tuning can be done by the DIY'er with a chromatic tuner, the right set of tools, & a lot of time on his hands. Hey, even if it took me 16 hours, it saved me like $85-$90, and it's to the metered pitch-correctness that I need for recording,... oh, and did I say,... it sounds sweeeeeeeet.

I know,... piano tuning,... is boring. But, sometimes you just need it, and there's no getting away from it, in the long run. I wouldn't want to do piano tuning for a living, [it was really strenuous], but if my day gig ever ended, then I'd have something to fall back on.

 

[subtractor]

The last time I heard of someone having their piano tuned, (it may have been a good deal...) it was less than $100. That makes you working for around min wage.

But, if you enjoyed it...

 

[A Reel Person]

I'm not as concerned about the break-even dollar value of my tuning,...

but however much it is, fact is that I kept that money in my own pocket.

What was most important to me, was the result I wanted had to be metered pitch-correct, and,... [gulp],... I really didn't trust just any joe-blow piano tuner from the yellow pages or local music store. Not only do I not want strangers in my studio, but I was moreover concerned about the pitch-correctness I'd get by hiring a pro tuner, or if he'd use a meter at all. Back in the early 90's, the previous time I had it tuned, the guy did it the strictly old fasioned way, with tuning forks & ear. I think I got an overall better tuning by doing it myself. I took the time to fine tune each octave, as I went up the keyboard. However long it took, it was worth it to me, & although I saved some money, it was more about the process.

Yes,... I did enjoy it. I enjoy it heck of a lot more now than before. It's the gift that keeps on giving.