I come from a tradition that puts every person into a unique place in the universe. It says that every person is created in the image (eikon) of God. What does this mean for me in my piano service business? It means that when I come to a customer's home, I am entering a place and meeting a person where God is. It is a sacred moment for me to meet
someone new and to greet someone who I have known. Every person is unique.
And - every piano is unique. Yes, there are generalizations about the pianos that we encounter. That's why we can study generally and prepare for pianos that we will encounter in the field. Pianos have generally 233 strings to tune. The action parts are relatively 8000 in total. There are tuning pins and a soundboard and a plate to hold the tension together so that the piano doesn't explode. But, it still remains that every piano is unique.
When I tune your piano, for an example of uniqueness, I measure what is known as "enharmonicity". There is a ton of science behind this term but let me speak to it in a few ways to frame the term. We have a specific tuning system in the West. It allows us to play beautifully and freely in all twelve major and minor keys. It's really an incredible tuning system. For the piano tuner, we start with the pitch at A4 (the A above middle C). It's set at 440 cycles per second or Hertz (Hz). With that as our measurement, we begin to set the tuning around that pitch.
But, here's where your piano becomes unique. Because of the materials used and the way your piano has been put together, there is a specific tuning approach that needs to be followed specifically in the lower and upper registers of your piano. We take into account how each string is suited to the other strings. It's beautiful sequence of adjustments to make your piano sound the best in its own unique way.
The end result is a beautiful interplay of sympathetic resonances that are unique to your piano. No other piano in the world sounds like yours does! My job as a piano technician is to bring your piano to life. If you have googled 'piano tuner near me' you have some to the right place.
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