Where can I learn/study piano tuning & repair?

[Barrie Heaton]

There use to be a course at Leeds uni but no longer, you will have to go south of Crew and learn to live with watered down beer and soggy chips there is a list of collages on here
http://www.uk-piano.org/college.html

If you can get the funding Hereford is good


Barrie,

[Gill the Piano]

There used to be a course at Newark on Trent when I first looked at colleges 24 years Ago (aaargh!) but I don't know if it's still going. Stevenson College in Scotland was another one, I think, in either Edinburgh (posh) or Glasgow (not so posh). It's all so long ago...! The Pianoforte Tuners Association have a website with information on training on it.
The beer's far better down here, though; Barrie doesn't drink much, so he wouldn't know...

[A440]

Out of interest, would you be interested in an open university style postal course? There is one in the states (Randy Potter!). I wonder if it would work here?

[Geminoz]

postal course??....Don't think piano would fit through letter box

[PianoGuy]

Out of interest, would you be interested in an open university style postal course? There is one in the states (Randy Potter!). I wonder if it would work here?

I know someone in the UK who has studied that course, and after a lot of hard work and supervision in a local piano restorer's workshop, he's a very decent tuner. I'm sure he'll read this, and I reckon that his dedication to learn had more to do with his level of achievement than the course itself.

As 90% of American spinets are incapable of being tuned accurately and seem to be constructed of reject wood from a match factory, I fail to see how an American tuning course can give good results.

[A440]

I met the famous Randy Potter a few years ago. He's a bit evangelical but I think he runs a top class workshop (any friend of Reblitz can't be all bad.)
The course is mainly in video form with a copious amount of written material.
I think the idea is that you go to your local group every so often for tutorials, seminars and tests.

It may be that it's a good idea, after all how are the next generation of tuners to be taught? Apprentistships? Virtually non-existent. And there are now so few college places.

I know a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, but a proper course could be useful. Repair work lends itself to a correspondence course and tuning can, I'm sure, be taught in this way with good use of video and recording techniques.
Some will say 'you can't learn to ride a bicycle by studying the laws of equilibrium....' (but they are probably not tuners.)

[Gill the Piano]

...and some of us can't even SAY words like 'equilibruiurbiuibum'...

[Barrie Heaton]

About 60 % of tuners in the US have trained by distance learning they all use ETD and a mentor and can work very well if the student is motivated, the problem in the UK is that the trade still tend to look down on ETAs and as for mentors I have yet to find a tuner who is willing to do it unless the person is 100 miles away.

A combination of distance learning and block release at one of the collages could be a way to go in the UK. We need to do something as there are no young ones interested in the job(I can understand why not I only worked 4 days last week and still tuned over £650.00 ) the ones that are intrested tend to be over 35 and can not afford to give up 3 years of their life

Barrie,

[pianolad23]

Dear Barrie, is the collage you mentioned south of crew the newark and sherwood collage, im thinking of going there this year but dont know what the fees are and the hours of the course etc... coz i need to transfer with my job to keep some money coming in!

[AnonymousBloke]

Having done the Randy Potter piano course I can recomend it, although i would have struggled if i didnt have the opportunity to gain assistance from 5 or 6 local top tuners, As any tuner will tell you - 90% of the job is learnt in peoples houses. The course didnt tell me how to bodge a lindner piano into working for another 6 months!

Thanks Piano Guy if you're refering to me - i'm glad i'm considered a decent tuner!

[Barrie Heaton]

Dear Barrie, is the collage you mentioned south of crew the newark and sherwood collage, im thinking of going there this year but dont know what the fees are and the hours of the course etc... coz i need to transfer with my job to keep some money coming in!

Its a very good college and probably they will be the only one to survive they have the most students at the moment but I believe numbers are down

Barrie

[tuna]

Telephone number for Newark and Sherwood College is 01636 680680. Course is still full time as far as i know, fees i'm not sure of. I was there 15 years ago, but have heard the course isn't what it used to be.

[A440]

So how about a correspondence course in piano MIT in the UK?. Using modern methods distance learning has come of age with the ability to download coursework and send recorded work over the net.
Who would be interested in building a course?
There are lots of people with lots of piano knowledge out there. In20-30 years time there may be very few people skilled in our field unless we make provision for the future.
It's only a thought...what d'ya think?

[Barrie Heaton]

So how about a correspondence course in piano MIT in the UK?. Using modern methods distance learning has come of age with the ability to download coursework and send recorded work over the net.
Who would be interested in building a course?
There are lots of people with lots of piano knowledge out there. In20-30 years time there may be very few people skilled in our field unless we make provision for the future. It's only a thought...what d'ya think?

There is lots of good stuff out there no need to reinvent the wheel just needs de-Americanizing However, all the big sellers of distance learning in the US will tell they only work well with a good mentor and that is the problem in the UK As Gill pointed out just one problem " lever control "

IMIT may help they are a little more open to change that the PTA who will not let non full time non PTA members on their seminars (that may have changed
) membership is falling in the PTA so they may now look at ETDs with a different view, at the moment you can not take the entrance exam for the ABPT or PTA using an ETD (electronic tuning device) IMIT is different see
http://www.imit.org.uk/membership.html

You need the British piano tuning establishment to except it as a recognized way of learning how to tune, (then you may get EEC funding for the course.)
New EEC regulations are coming in to force one day..... regarding piano tuners and their qualification all will have to have approved qualification to enter homes and carrie out their work,(and more controversial being a member of a professional body like the ABPT,
IMIT and PTA depending what side of the fence you sit in ) You would need to speak to Rebouta Caradine (PTA) to get the full overview as she sits on the committee overseeing this in Europe it's the French and Germans who are pushing this with the EEC

Barrie,

[Gill the Piano]

You can buy recordings of someone tuning a piano on eBay (!) but I have no idea how useful that would be; you'd need a superb sound system to be able to hear the beats. I recently taught a client of mine (into modern music, wanted to try a piano tuned in perfect intervals all the way through...I'm better now after the counselling and the lie down) the very basic rudiments of tuning. I hadn't realised how hard it was to teach crank control to an amateur, and that's something which would be of paramount importance yet almost impossible to teach at a distance.

[blackstone]

I have put together an online piano tuning tutorial and if you are interested in learning more about piano tuning, you might find it helpful. The site is free, and features the entire tuning on MP3 audio files, the temperament I created, as well as in-depth explanations and opinions. It is not a commercial site; I'm not trying to sell anything and am not trying to promote my business or myself. I simply wanted to make a contribution to the field of piano tuning and technology.

I have read and understand the rules about not posting messages that spam or advertise, and will not type the site address here, though it is in my profile. This may be something helpful to you before you start investing a lot of money in training.

Thanks,
Colin McCullough

[Barrie Heaton]

We have no problems with links in posts that are relevant to the topic and as the link to your site is relevant here it is http://www.blackstonepiano.com/tutorial/tutorial.htm saves the casual reader form having to register to see your sig

The reason we do this is to stop the "this is great site I have found" type of post. Sadly, I have to check all new members each day because of the links to p o r n sites they keep placing in their profile that is why when you register it clearly states that all none piano links will be removed

Good luck with the site

Barrie,

[A440]

Great site! I love the analogy of a family reunion to teach equal temp! If you haven't already, visit this site! Very useful for the new and not so new tuner.