Category Archives: Piano Tuner Bradford

Piano Tuner operating as usual in Leeds, Wakefield, Bradford and Harrogate

Leeds Piano Tuner, Piano Tuner Bradford, Piano Tuner Harrogate, Piano Tuner Leeds, Piano Tuning in Leeds, Update

Okay. If you’ve left things to the eleventh-hour and need an emergency piano tuning in Leeds (or thereabouts) I have two 2 PM slots on Thursday the 16th and Friday the 17th of September this coming week. If you’d like to book these, it may be preferable to give me a call 07542667040 – I wouldn’t want to offer someone a slot only for it to be snatched away at the final moment.

The following weeks I have the following hours free for West Yorkshire Piano Tuning:

  • Monday the 20th of September @ 9 AM
  • Monday the 20th of September @ 11:30 AM
  • Monday the 20th of September @ 2 PM
  • Monday the 20th of September @ 5 PM
  • Monday the 20th of September @ 7:30 PM
  • Thursday the 23rd of September @ 2 PM
  • Thursday the 23rd of September @ 5 PM
  • Thursday the 23rd of September @ 7:30 PM
  • Friday the 24th of September @ 9 AM
  • Friday the 24th of September @ 2 PM
  • Friday the 24th of September @ 5 PM
  • Friday the 24th of September @ 7:30 PM
  • Monday the 27th of September @ 9 AM
  • Monday the 27th of September @ 11:30 AM
  • Monday the 27th of September @ 2 PM
  • Monday the 27th of September @ 5 PM
  • Monday the 27th of September @ 7:30 PM
  • Wednesday the 29th of September @ 9 AM
  • Wednesday the 29th of September @ 11:30 AM
  • Wednesday the 29th of September @ 2:30 PM
  • Wednesday the 29th of September @ 5:30 PM
  • Wednesday the 29th of September @ 8 PM
  • Thursday the 30th of September @ 9 AM
  • Thursday the 30th of September @ 11:30 AM
  • Thursday the 30th of September @ 2:30 PM
  • Thursday the 30th of September @ 5:30 PM
  • Thursday the 30th of September @ 8 PM

I’ll be on holiday in Dorset from the 2nd to the 9th of October. The week beginning Monday the 11th of October is good for me if you’d like to book something then.

Piano Tuner’s availability page to be updated ASAP

long days, Piano maintenance, Piano Tuner Bradford, Piano Tuner Leeds, Piano Tuning in Leeds, Piano tuning logistics, Travelling for piano tuning

I’ll try to update my availability as soon as I can but I’m too exhausted to make a list at the moment and my brain isn’t working properly.

This week I’ve been working really long hours tuning pianos in different towns, from Leeds and York to Hull, Stockport, Nottingham and even one in Skegness this Wednesday! I love piano tuning, but the amount of travelling this week has really worn me out.  Much of this work has been through contacts in the Leeds piano industry which I’m grateful for, but I need a good bit of rest this weekend. A few hours sat on the sofa watching TV will sort me out.

I am getting my diet in order and trying to be a bit healthier as well. Cutting out fizzy drinks and service station food is on my list of goals and aspirations. You eat too much fast food when you spend this much time travelling as it’s quick and convenient, but bad for your health and has noticeable effects on energy levels. Adequate sleep is also a must, but I’ve only been getting 5 or 6 hours a night.

All in all I’m happy and grateful to receive piano tuning jobs in different towns, but I think it’s forgivable that I’m late to update the website as I’m hardly ever at the computer with such long hours! Onwards and upwards. Next week is looking to be a lot more balanced in terms of hours spent travelling.

At the height of my powers

Notification, Piano Tuner Bradford, Piano Tuner Leeds, Piano Tuning in Leeds, Update

I’m running out of things to talk about on this blog, so I’ll add some positive news. My piano tuning endeavours have reached their zenith, eclipsing pre-lockdown levels. For the last six weeks I’ve fervently worked on advertising in order to push this piano tuning business forward. Has it worked? Yes and no. I have been receiving 5 – 6 calls & emails a day. However, advertising costs are vast, a long with my business expenses (such as a bottle of PTFE a week, fuel, glues, tapes, action parts), it means I have to work very long hours to make ends meet. Am I happy about it? You bet. I love being a piano tuner. The travels around Leeds and far beyond are fun 99% of the time, and the job of piano tuning is always rewarding. #gratitude #positivity #growth

– Richard, Piano Tuner Leeds.

More opportunities for namedropping

Bradford Piano Tuner, Churches, Live Music, Piano Tuner Bradford, Piano Tuner Harrogate, Piano Tuner Leeds, Piano Tuner's Availability

It seems like anyone who works in anything to do with music loves to talk about the famous people they’ve worked with/for at every opportunity. It’s so pervasive it could almost be a Harry Enfield sketch. Well, I’m tuning a Yamaha C3 grand piano for John Grant and Richard Hawley on the 4th of September at the Piece Hall in Halifax. Please come along to hear how in tune the piano sounds once I’ve serviced it.

I’m pleased that concerts, recording studios, schools and churches that have booked me in recent months. Home visits are also valued. I treat each piano equally and give it the thorough care and attention it deserves!

When are my working hours?

A440, Bradford Piano Tuner, Diary, Leeds Piano Tuner, Piano regulation and repairs, Piano Tuner Bradford, Piano Tuner Harrogate, Piano Tuner Leeds, Piano Tuner's Availability

I still like to update my ‘Piano Tuner’s Availability’ blog as often as I can. I regularly have days where I leave home at 8 AM and arrive home after 10 PM, at which point I’m too exhausted to log into this site, never mind write about Leeds and piano tuning (if I did, I’d sound tired and cranky!). In an ideal world I’d update my availability listings multiple times every day. If I can find a way to do that, I certainly will in due course.

Due to a problem with my browser, I’m unable to access the admin port of my website via my iphone which is somewhat unfortunate. If I could, then I could easily change the listings in my car when I’m early for a job (I usually park up on the road if I’m early). Because of this, I would view that page as a way to see whether my schedule fits yours and if there’s a particular day that would work well, if it hasn’t been updated in a day or two.

To earn a respectable living as a piano tuner, one must be willing to travel far and wide – only booking jobs in Leeds, Bradford and Harrogate would be a dead end. One or two days out of the week there will be nothing listed – this is usually because I’ll be booked up in a far away locality such as Scarborough or Whitby, where I get to have an enjoyable day at the seaside in between successive piano tuning. I didn’t used to like travelling, but I’ve learned that putting on some classical music or an audiobook makes such long drives much more bearable. Given that the last job of the day usually begins at 7:30 PM, driving back from Scarborough at 9 PM is a breeze.

Re-stringing a piano

Piano cleaning, Piano maintenance, Piano restoration, Piano strings, Piano Tuner Bradford, Piano Tuner Harrogate, Piano Tuning in Leeds, re-stringing, Second Hand Pianos

A frequently asked question by many of my clients during a piano tuning is “will my piano ever need new strings?”

If a string snaps during the tuning process a small charge is made for a new string around £20 for a new string if it’s in the bass (a bit less if in the tenor or treble section) and £20 labour to fit the string. Putting a new string on takes me about 20 minutes. I would say a string breaks in about one in every hundred jobs so it’s not uncommon, but not something to be unduly concerned about.

If a string is missing from a piano it isn’t ideal, but one string missing isn’t going to effect the overall tension enough to cause problems. It can take between a week and a month for a bass string to be remade and sent back to me. If it’s in the very low end of the piano then the note won’t strike as the hammers for those keys only strike one string each. The upper bass the note will sound slightly weaker as the hammer will hit one string instead of two.

In the middle and treble sections things get a little more complicated and regular piano wire is used up here. Some of them are connected to the hitch pins with a coil at the other side of the string. Most of them wrap around the hitch pin meaning that if a string snaps in this section the hammer effectively hits two strings or one string depending on which string has snapped.

Re-stringing a whole piano is expensive (£2000+), but if it was part of a restoration process for an old but high-end piano, it might be worth it if done in conjunction with the replacement of a dried-out wrest plank and loose, rusted wrest pins. As a general rule, most pianos on the market would not benefit enough from such a process to be worth such an expenditure. I have found that many of the pianos I’ve encountered while piano tuning in West Yorkshire have some rusty strings and while this will negatively effect the tone, there are other much worse factors in tonal degradation. Rusty strings can also be cleaned on request, though again, much care has to be taken with health and safety plus the fragility of certain strings.

New strings do have an impact on the sound of a piano but there are so many other factors that contribute to good tone. And do you know what the most important one is? You guessed it: having your piano tuned and serviced regularly. Please get in touch with the Leeds piano tuner today to book your piano tuning: 0754 266 7040

There’s never been a better time to get your piano tuned!

Piano advice, Piano Tuner Bradford, Piano Tuner's Availability, Piano Tuning in Leeds

If you’re looking for a piano tuning you’ve never had it so good! Not only do I have more working hours available than ever but my prices are extremely reasonable at £50 a tuning. Please consider calling me for a booking at 07542667040 or email richard@pianotunersheffield.co.uk if you are so inclined. Don’t let your beloved piano go to waste, keep it playing and performing at its best – get it tuned and serviced NOW!

Weekend Piano Tuning now available

Diary, Piano Tuner Bradford, Piano Tuner Leeds, Piano Tuner's Availability, Piano Tuning in Leeds

Every piano tuner wants to be firing on all cylinders right now and fitting too many jobs in a single day can occasionally hinder this! For that reason I am now trying to spread my working hours across the week by adding a few weekend jobs to the list. If you’re looking for a piano tuner in the Leeds, Bradford and Wakefield areas, may I suggest a weekend booking? Depending on your schedule, it might be a quicker way to book my piano tuning services at short notice. Booking something a few weeks in advance can be helpful for me, but the customer is always right.

I will try to update my Leeds and Bradford piano tuning availability page as often as I can, but – on a personal note – I’m very rarely home at the moment. Outside of my long working hours, I’m usually visiting family or going for solitary walks in the countryside.

The post-lockdown rush

Coronavirus, Notification, Piano regulation and repairs, Piano Tuner Bradford, Piano Tuner Leeds, Piano Tuner's Availability

For the last fortnight I’ve been unseasonably busy with the post-lockdown piano tuning rush! If you have had to wait a week or two for your Leeds or Bradford piano tuning then I do apologise and can only put it down to people being sensibly cautious over the last fourteen months. Thankfully the vaccine has instilled in people a new confidence and willingness to book their piano tuner, and the sudden rush of phone calls and emails has cheered me up no end.

I’m still updating my piano tuner availability page, but unless you have a particular day in mind, it’s sometimes easier to call or text me on 07542667040. Over the last few weeks I’ve found that my availability is snapped up so quickly that I can’t update the page in time.

Roadmap out of lockdown and piano tuning (a topical posting)

Coronavirus, Notification, Piano advice, Piano Tuner Bradford, Piano Tuning in Leeds, roadmap out of lockdown

It would seem the lifting of the lockdown has not increased the number of enquiries just yet. I have clients who are waiting until after the lockdown before looking for a Leeds piano tuning. If you get in touch this week you can rest assured that you won’t be on a waiting list and you’ll have plenty of choice for the day of your piano tuning. Some piano tuners are slightly better with advertising and have probably fared better over the last thirteen months (I had time off work also). I eagerly await your enquiries!