BRIAN HOLDEN PIANO TUNER

BSc.  Dip. A.S.P.T.  S.C.P.T.   Established 1980.                                                  Telephone 07 3481123  Fax 07 3481028
                                                                                                         E-mail  bholden@wave.co.nz   Mobile 025 729992                                                                                                        

67 MONCUR DRIVE
BOX 1296
ROTORUA                                                                                                                                           

   PIANOS THAT GO FLAT - REALLY FLAT.

Quite often I am asked to attend to a piano that hasn't been tuned for several years.  The piano is low in pitch and has developed a characteristic "twang" that is associated with saloon bars in those old western movies!  To bring the instrument back up so it sounds as it should, requires at the very least, two - possibly three tunings.  It is unrealistic to expect any technician to tune it up in one go.  Think of it in terms of mowing your lawn when the grass has grown a foot high.  To do a good job, you have to go over it at least twice.  Ideally, I like to do the initial pitch raise and tuning at the first appointment and do the final one a week later.  However, an out of town tuning doesn't always make this possible, and the piano is completely tuned there and then with the appointment being extended.

Even after all the above is taken into account, there is still no guarantee that the piano can be brought up to original concert pitch.  There are several factors to be considered when I charge for this extra work, but customers can be assured that a reduced charge for any extra tunings is always made. 

To get the full enjoyment from your piano, old or new, it should be tuned once a year.  The importance of regular tuning depends on how often it is played, moving, and change in climate.  Older pianos are likely to need tuning more often.

CLEANING KEY COVERS - from the Rotorua Review.
Leave your piano lid open.  If the keys are ivory, they will turn yellow if continuously kept from the light.  They can be whitened by rubbing them with a soft cloth and a tiny amount of one of the following pastes:  toothpaste; bicarbonate of soda and water; 2 parts of salt and one part of lemon juice.  Jiff, or a similar cleaner is also successful.  Remember that while it may be a good idea to use toothpaste on the key covers, I would not recommend  using Jiff on your teeth.  Keys must be wiped with a damp cloth and then buffed with a soft cloth afterwards.