Is there a demand for tuner/technicians today considering the proliferation of digital pianos?
Answer Hello William! Thank you for the question. First of all, piano tuning is more of an art than a science. In the hands of a fine tuner, a piano becomes an intimate extension of a performer’s expression. In the hands of a mechanical tuner a fine piano is ruined and of no use to anybody. It used to be that a tuner hopeful was first made to chip hundreds of pianos as they came off piano assembly lines. Chipping refers to the process of setting the piano’s strings in a rough chromatic tune in anticipation of the actual tuning process. This initiation gave the student a feel for using the tools of the trade and helped to develop speed, a sense of pitch and, wellto become poetry in motion. Once the student reached a certain point of proficiency, they then went on to becoming a full-fledged tuner. Times since then have changed. Now, colleges and universities offer piano science courses to most anyone. However, the art of piano tuning still remains and the naturally talented student is th
