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About the Webmaster/Technician
Links:
University of Wyoming Music Dept.
Downloads:
(Zipped MP3 piano music)
Ravel:
Ondine (from
Gaspard de la Nuit)
The piano technical resource site
I am interested in piano tuning. Where can I get information on learning the trade?
There is a great organization called the Piano Technician's Guild that you
might look to for more information. There may be a chapter near to where
you live, and if so you should visit when they hold a local meeting and
meet some of the members. The Guild offers classes at area, regional,
state and national conventions that are wonderful sources of learning
the piano technician trade. Look also on the internet for related books
on Amazon.com, or at your local library. The Guild puts out a journal
monthly that is a great source of information as well. The Piano
Technician's Guild website is:
http://www.ptg.org
Is there a good piano tuning school or correspondence course available?
There is one that I know of that offers both, and has an excellent reputation.
It is the Randy Potter School of Piano Technology. They can be located
on the internet at:
http://pianotuning.com
I have an old upright piano with very dirty ivory keys. How can I clean these without damaging them?
I have seen many of these old pianos with varying degrees of ivory key quality. You did not mention if there were chipped or missing tops, etc, so I will assume that they are in good condition, and that you would like to keep the set intact. If there are only a few chipped keys, there is now a repair that can me made to the chip much like a dentist bonds teeth. Many times, the ivories we see are so yellow or chipped or worn that we just replace the key tops with the plastic type used on more modern keyboards. I actually prefer the feel of the plastic to the ivory, but that is a personal preference, and many prefer the ivory. To me it feels sticky.
Ivory is porous, and because of that should only be cleaned carefully with a mild soap (as dish soap) and water. Use a soft cotton cloth, wet with the soapy water, wring well, and wipe the keys clean. Remember that a lot of the dirt comes from the sides of the keys, so look at the black keys on the sides for grimy areas, and clean off the grime. Your cleaning will last a lot longer if you get that off too. Be careful as you are cleaning not to pull on the key top in an upward direction, as that can cause loose key tops to pop off. It you this happens or if you find some loose ones, go ahead and pop them off carefully. Use super glue to glue them back. Place dots of the glue on the underside of the key top, and carefully align and set in place. You have only a short one shot at this, so you have to do it right the first time! Never use any slow drying or "wet" glues as Elmer's, etc. to replace a key top, as the ivory will curl, and the results will be poor. Incidentally, ivory likes light so keep the key lid open. It keeps them from turning yellow. Hope this helps, and that it adds to the enjoyment of your piano!