Note: Login to add comments and leave review helpfulness feedback.
By: David Sheppard
I first met Paul Chrimes in 1980, when he was tuning the pianos at the school in Brierley Hill, where I began my classroom teaching career. 40 years on, Mr Chrimes has tuned at every school at which I have taught. He has also tuned my pianos at home, as well as those of my students, friends and colleagues. I can say that Mr Chrimes approaches every aspect of his work with care, professionalism and a sense of humour which I can only describe as 'unique'. Like many of the top technicians, Paul is partially sighted but this does not hamper his approach to his work, or his ability to carry out necessary tasks in any way whatsoever. Indeed, I recently discovered Paul lying out out underneath my piano, on his back adjusting the pedal mechanisms.
I would recommend Paul without hesitation, but watch out for his appalling jokes!
Music Festival for performers and guests Our 10th
18-06-2022 01:30PM
The Morecambe Bay Piano Group was set up to extend
11-12-2021 02:00PM
The Morecambe Bay Piano Group was set up to extend
08-01-2022 02:00PM
The Morecambe Bay Piano Group was set up to extend
12-02-2022 02:00PM
What is Piano Voicing or Toning?
Voicing is an extremely difficult area. It's subjective in the extreme, and has caused endless discussion in piano maintenance circles. But the final goal of voicing is to have the hammers striking the notes of the piano to offer a uniform sound from the bottom to the top of the instrument. Goes without saying that evaluating this capability is governed by the capability of the piano, and the construction of the action parts. But, often a technician will find extremes in voicing, such as a particularly hard hammer, which may result in a note sounding louder than the rest. But, this too can be laid at the door of regulation. This is where the tuner's skill comes into play here. Voicing can be accomplished by pricking the hammer with a set of needles. This pricking changes the structure of the felt, and softens the hammer to a degree.
What is toning?This is the reverse of voicing, and accomplishes the inverse sort of thing. May be necessary to bring up a particularly soft sounding hammer, and bring it into line with its neighbours. This is accomplished by applying a special material to the hammers or ironing with a special tool.