I recondition, repair, and tune pianos in the Lancashire area of England. I cover all of Lancashire area, North Manchester, parts of Merseyside and South Cumbria. Why do I cover such a large area? I provide services that other tuners do not and for this reason manufacturers and retailers in the UK use my skills, one of which is one site polyester repairs .
I have been vetted by the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) and therefore approved to work in situations with vulnerable adults and children. (Previously known as CRB checks).
Background:
I was trained as a Piano Tuner at RNCB back in the 70s where I received a diploma in piano tuning and repairing. I also obtained my City and Guilds String Instrument Design, String Instrument Repair, and String Instrument Tuning and Toning, parts one and two, in all three City and Guilds. I also completed Action Finishing and Regulating part one. As part of my training in 1978, I spent six weeks at Bentley Pianos on tuning and toning and one day a week out of the six in the action finishing and regulating department. During that same year, I was awarded the clothworkers' prize for the highest exam pass for City and Guilds for all of the UK. In 1979, I spent time at Kemble-Yamaha on voicing and toning. In 1979, I received the Layton prize for best piano repairer, and that prize was awarded to me byHRH the Prince of Wales. In 1980, I started to work for Hunt's Pianos in Darwen, at the time the largest restoration/wholesaler in the UK with over 2,000 pianos in stock at any one time. The following year I was promoted to head technician among five technicians and two apprentices. In November 1986 I set up my own workshop and tuning round, since them I have attended technical refresher
These are some of the towns and villages I cover (please see the map below):
Lancashire Towns and Villages
Hours Currently Open
preston
Preston, Lancashire, PR1
England
07973628608
http://www.a440.co.uk
piano@a440.co.uk
Map
By: Kevin Kearns
It is a pleasure to report that a service received exceeded one’s most optimistic hopes and expectations - Barrie’s work on the repair and tuning of an elderly STECK baby grand certainly warrants this accolade. The piano appears to be about a hundred years old and it had, to say the least, been neglected – indeed over the last six years it had been located in an unoccupied property. Apart from the many other problems which required attention, a large number of the keytops had become displaced and attempts had been made to re-fix them with an inappropriate adhesive.
None of this phased Barrie. He took the Action to his workshop; he replaced all the keytops and undertook all the required repairs. Within three weeks Barrie had completed this work; he then reinstalled the Action, cleaned the frame to its former glory and tuned the piano.
This was a challenging undertaking, which Barrie completed with consummate professional skill – and considerable good humour. To say that his client is delighted, would be a very substantial understatement. One was fortunate to have had him recommended by a professional in his own field. Barrie has earned appreciation and the warmest thanks of all concerned in this project.
Kevin Kearns
Music Festival for performers and guests Our 10th
18-06-2022 01:30PM
The Morecambe Bay Piano Group was set up to extend
11-12-2021 02:00PM
The Morecambe Bay Piano Group was set up to extend
08-01-2022 02:00PM
The Morecambe Bay Piano Group was set up to extend
12-02-2022 02:00PM
There are many reasons why older pianos go out of tune, and some of them are unavoidable due to the age of the piano, the most common in the UK is central heating drying the piano out.. The most difficult piano for piano tuners to bring back into tune is one that has been neglected for a long period of time. The strings tension drops also because of wear the termination points change this can increase the length of the string thus changing the pitch of individual string in the grope of tree, causing what we call ìfalse beatsî. The pitch of the piano will fall far below 440 Hz (concert pitch). This means that the piano tuner must adjust over 240 strings within an unstable internal environment. The tuner spends time tightening each string in order to raise its pitch. This process takes some time as the tuner must tune each string several times to achieve the required pitch and tension. This is because the adjacent strings will change in response to sudden changes in string tension. To get around this problem, the tuner must first raise all strings to an average degree of tension. After this average level is achieved, the tuner can make minute adjustments to the piano string. It takes time to do this properly, which can be expensive. To avoid a long expensive tuning sessions on an old piano, the piano should be tuned every six months as regular tuning will pay off in the long run.
"We usually recommend our customers at least 2 or 3 tunings per year for a piano getting average use in the home. Ideally 4 tunings spaced through the year to cover the seasonal changes would be best. A new piano settling into a new environment may need more regular tuning for the first year or two. These suggestions only apply to pianos in the average home. Pianos in music schools and teacherís pianos should be tuned more frequently as they receive heavy use. Studio and concert pianos are tuned before every concert or recording."
YamahaAdopt a schedule of regular service:
Tuning and adjustment should always be done by an expert. When your piano requires either one, ask your Yamaha dealer or call a specialist piano tuner. Your dealer can also advise you about the interval between adjustments for your piano under the circumstances in which it is used.
