<html> <body> The amount of time spent at a piano is related to what it needs (as well as your experience). If a piano needs pitch-correction, you tune fast and dirty, essentially re-tensioning the piano and then coming back one, or two times to fine-tune it.  If it is way low I figure three passes with the second pass a little better and the fine-tuning pass last.  If you try to fine-tune it on each pass you will lose time.  With practice you will get a feel for how much to move a pin to get the pitch change you want.  Some technicians, more experienced than I, will crank every pin without listening when they find a piano low and then tune it.  That takes more confidence than I have ;-) It all comes down to experimentation and practice.  I spent all day working on two neglected pianos, one a refurbished wreck which was probably better before it was refurbished.  Spent quite a bit of time pushing beckets back into the pins, driving coils below the beckets, tightening loose coils, un-braiding tangled coils etc.  At the end of the day I got a very good cheque. Good luck, Andrew Anderson At 07:32 PM 1/4/2006, you wrote: <blockquote type=cite class=cite cite="">Hey Guys, as in friends not just guys Speaking of starting out  I'm a little discouraged about the amount of time it takes to tune a piano.  I'm almost too embarassed to say how long it takes me.    Today, I did a free piano, a practice piano for a Catholic Thrift store.  It was a small grand, an off brand I've never heard of.  Made somewhere in Jersey.  Anyway, it was sooooo flat, that I had to raise pitch and tune at the same time.  I mean it was so off that non of the octives even sounded remotely like each other.  I labored over that thing for 6 hours.  It had lose tuning pins plus other regulating issues.  I wouldn't be suprised if it had cracks in the sound board.  It was interesting.  The lid porpped up like a grand, but had another divided part that flipped back before I could take off the panel that exposes the pins.  I labored over that thing for 6 hours. I guess all of you pros out there are probably have a good laugh over that one. :)    So what can I do to improve my speed. I lose time inserting the rubber mute and getting to the right pin, ie. counting dampers to make sure I have the right set of pin, oh ok A# is three pins to the right of the strut etc.    I'll probably have to go back and retune it if they'll let me.  One of the cashiers kept asking customers if they wanted to take me with them on their way out.  Imagine that, I could have had a free dinner and didn't know it. I took my family out instead.  Marshall   <dl> <dd>-------------- Original message -------------- <dd>From: Ron Nossaman <rnossaman@cox.net> <dd>> <dd>> > It is all about confidence. I was regularly asked the question of how <dd>> > long I had been tuning when I first started out. Now it hardly every <dd>> > gets asked. <dd>> > <dd>> > Dean <dd>> <dd>> I still get asked once in awhile. "Long enough to know better" is <dd>> the usual reply. <dd>> Ron N <dd>> _______________________________________________ <dd>> pianotech list info: <a href="https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives" eudora="autourl"> https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives</a> </dl></blockquote></body> </html>