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|  Expert Piano Service is the logical result of a life dedicated to piano music. As a child, I was fascinated by the old piano tuner who could improve my piano with only a tuning fork and some mysterious tools. I spent hours asking him questions about what he was doing. I was fascinated with the intricacies of tuning by ear, and I thought that I would become a tuner myself one day. While studying the piano with a virtuoso teacher for twenty eight years, I have explored music ranging from classical to jazz, playing Ravel, Chopin, Liszt, Rachmaninov, Scriabine, Bill Evans and many other composers. During this time, I had the opportunity to teach the piano privately for 18 years. I taught every level, every age and classical as well as jazz improvisation. Then, I decided that it was time for me to study the art of piano tuning. I chose the best school in the country, graduated with highest honors (over 99 %), and joined the Richmond Chapter of the Piano Technicians Guild in 2005.
It is my philosophy that a piano technician should never stop learning and should be involved in professional organizations and interact with other technicians. That is why I belong to the main two organizations in the USA: the Piano Technicians Guild and the Master Piano Technicians of America. I used to write the newsletter for the Richmond Chapter of the Piano Technicians Guild and consider those members as part of my family.
As an experienced pianist, I understand your piano from the musician's perspective, and not only from the technician's perspective. It is like a pilot flying a plane but knowing nothing about how it works, and a mechanic flying the plane he built. Being a musician allows the technician to communicate with another musician more effectively.
For example, voicing a piano hammer is much more than just needling the hammer. It is actually the ultimate craft, what can make a piano just magical, or simply destroy it, requiring a new set of hammers. In Japan, one part of the hammers is called "the holly drop". It is the most important part, the one creating the holly sound. I really believe there is something holly in my craft.
Being a musician makes you feel what the piano owner wants, and being a technician gives you the ability to translate it into exactly what is expected. It takes twenty years to make an accomplished pianist and as many years to make an expert technician. I am now close to tuning and repairing 1000 pianos.
As a musician, I will always dream of playing like Art Tatum, Cziffra or Horowitz, and as a piano technician, I will always strive to reach the level of expertise I can see in some rebuilders belonging to the Richmond Chapter of the PTG and who have been helping me so much in becoming a top notch piano technician. Whether your piano is an investment, an asset to your business, or a cherished family heirloom, and whatever your level of music skills, from beginner to concert pianist, it will always receive my highest level of respect, professional service and attention to detail.
I look forward to taking care of your piano. | |
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