Category Archives: Update

Prices remain the same… for now

Does anyone remember when a can of coke cost 50p, a chocolate bar was 30p and petrol was less than a £1 a litre? Inflation is rather worrying now. My prices will have to stay the same… for the time being. For piano tuning I have to travel long distances (although my main customer base is in Leeds), so I will have to see how cost effective my current prices are with these huge increases in the price of fuel, food, and utility payments. I am always upfront with my prices (everything on this website is wholly up to date) as I find “hidden charges” extremely annoying and wouldn’t want to inflict them on anyone else. But don’t be surprised if in two or three months I have to put my prices up.

Turning over a new leaf

Life has been a little bit hectic the last few weeks since my return from holiday. I’ve had lots and lots of catching up to do piano tuning in Leeds, Bradford, Wakefield, Harrogate, York, Morley, Thirsk and many bright and colourful places in James Herriot land – and I’m all the better for it. Because of this my Leeds piano tuner availability page fell by the wayside. I’m trying desperately to update it at least once a day but I regularly have days where I leave the house at 7 AM and arrive home at 10 – 11 PM too tired to log in. If the page has not been modified for a few days its purely because of a busy schedule, not because I don’t want to be doing more piano tuning and repair. If the side note says it hasn’t been updated in a while it might be easier to ask for a few days that works around your schedule, and in all likelihood I’ll be happy to arrange it.

  • Richard Lidster, the Leeds Piano Tuner.

A few last minute slots before my well-earned holiday

As my final two working weeks (before my holiday) draw to a close, I have a few available slots left in my diary:

  • Friday the 24th of September @ 5 PM
  • Friday the 24th of September @ 7:30 PM
  • Monday the 27th of September @ 11 AM
  • Monday the 27th of September @ 7:30 PM
  • Wednesday the 29th of September @ 5:30 PM
  • Wednesday the 29th of September @ 8 PM

Many more hours are available after the 9th of October. Over the next two weeks I’m slowly winding down to prepare for my well-deserved vacation in Bettiscombe which will be between the 2nd and 9th of October. I may be difficult to get hold of during that time, as I’ll be unwinding by eating lots of food and going for jaunts in the countryside – piano tuning will be the last thing on my mind. However, there’ll be lots more Leeds and Bradford piano tuning after that. I can accommodate your schedule, with a few weeks notice, and will try to be flexible with working hours.

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

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.

At the height of my powers

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.

Updated Leeds Piano Tuner’s Availability Page. See you in 2021

Keep your eyes on the Piano Tuner’s Availability page for my early 2021 piano tuning services. I’ve listed some hours for the first week in the hopes they’ll be snapped up quickly. If a later week is better suited than please get in touch. You’ll most enjoy the sound of your piano once it’s tuned.

Piano with remove the front cover in the process of adjustment

2021 Plans for piano tuning in Leeds

Come 2021 there will be a slight change in schedule. I’m currently applying for part time retail work in Leeds to supplement my income earned from piano tuning. Piano tuning will be kept as a part time job, with my hours being reduced to 25 a week. I expect to be piano tuning in Leeds and Bradford three days a week (most likely Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday), with my part time job on the weekend, and Mondays and Fridays being for my regular piano tuning customers in South Yorkshire and Derbyshire.

Don’t get me wrong: I will still tune pianos in Bradford and Leeds on a regular basis. It has taken years of toil to become a master of my craft and it would be a shame to waste a hard-earned skill. Unfortunately many of my customers are in the vulnerable category and are understandably cautious about allowing people into their homes for the foreseeable future. The coronavirus vaccine will help, but I’m still expecting a difficult year. For this reason piano tuning is not viable as a full time job – it will have to be part time.

With all this being said, I will still strive to be the best piano tuner I can and to deliver a first rate service to my Leeds and Bradford customers. I didn’t become a piano tuner for money – I like giving the customer a good deal and for them to be happy with how their beloved piano sounds and plays. One of the few positives about the drop in my workload is that I can make more time and do all the work I need on a given day – rather than charging the customer extra for a second visit.

If you want to know more, please drop me a line.

Covid-19 Precautions

The Leeds piano tuner is still taking on clients. Although it is difficult to maintain a steady workflow during the pandemic, he will still be working one or two days a week. Staying safe is a top priority right now and at the first sign of symptoms he will cancel all bookings and self-isolate. If you are booking a piano tuning,  he kindly asks the following from you:

 

  • Please maintain social distancing during the booking
  • Please allow the Leeds piano tuner to wash his hands before and after the tuning.
  • Wiping the keys with a damp cloth followed by a dry cloth would also be appreciated

Please be aware you may have to wait at least 6 – 7 days for your piano tuning booking as he tends to only work on Thursdays and Fridays at present (until his workflow returns to normal). He looks forward to hearing from you.

 

– Piano Tuner Leeds

 

Business as usual for the Leeds Piano Tuner

With the coronavirus becoming an ever-greater concern for businesses, I’m determined to carry on working my usual hours as long as people need me. My immune system has been strengthened fighting the many viruses that dwell in overdamped pianos.

In the past week two customers have cancelled due to flu which is completely understandable. However, right now might be the easiest time to hire the piano tuner at short-notice as many people seem to be putting such jobs on hold. It’s certainly been a slow week for me.

On an unrelated note, I’d like to offer a sincere apology to anyone in Leeds or Bradford who has been looking for a piano tuner over the last few months. I’m currently without broadband and I haven’t been able to update my piano tuner’s availability page as regularly as I’d like to. This may have mislead some people who didn’t realise it was  outdated.  I’ll try to keep on top of it in future. I still have enough data on my mobile to check my emails every day for any Leeds piano tuning requests.

Outside of my piano tuning work, I’ve been producing a huge amount of my own music recently in my home studio. Here’s an uplifting power pop song I recorded over the weekend, with heavy influence from the great Bill Stevenson (in the drum tracks at least). This is the antithesis of the music I usually write, but I do love this genre: