Tuning: Tunings are done by ear. Hiroki is highly qualified to tune for classical recitals by distinguished artists, musical examinations, studio or concert recordings and family heirlooms which require the most skill and attention.
Voicing: Several different methods of conditioning the piano hammers are used including needling, careful increase of the hammer volume in professionally prescribed places and filing, according to the wishes of the client, or the size and characteristics of the room or concert hall.
Regulation of the piano action including the dampers and pedals:
The action requires adjustment occasionally. There are about one thousand exact adjustments to increase the sensitivity of the action, and when it is at optimal performance, the touch, tone, dynamic range, and sustain will be magnificent and vibrant enough for the world's most discerning musician.
Technical repairs: String replacement, action parts repairs and restoration such as new bushing cloth and hammer replacement etc.
Appraisals: For insurance purposes or prior to the sale of the instrument, or just curiosity!
Assistance with piano purchase: Having found a piano which is appealing, it is essential to engage a technician to determine if the interior structure is without flaw, including the pin block, soundboard, bridges, strings and of course the condition of the action itself.
The piano action must always be removed by a technician to prevent damage.
Frequently Asked Questions:
How often should my piano be tuned?
Every six months with normal use, perhaps three hours per week.
With no playing at all, the piano will still change, due to temperature fluctuations.
An absolute minimum of one tuning a year will save the instrument from serious deterioration, due to the steel and copper wound strings changing tension and making the piano unplayable, leaving the whole structure without the tension with which it was designed to carry. In this case a “pitch raise” will be necessary which involves tuning more than once, to bring the piano to A440Hz, known as universal pitch, so that you will always hear music at the correct pitch and create tuning stability.
What is regulation and voicing?
Regulation is the fine adjustment of the action. There are about one thousand adjustments to a fine grand piano, and when they are working perfectly in relation to each other, the touch, resonance, sustain of the tone and of course the feeling of absolute freedom and sensitivity will never be forgotten.
Voicing is the conditioning of hammers to provide the desired tone, hard and bright, warm, veiled, penetrating, thin, deep or massive, can all be achieved by highly specialized treatment of the felt hammers. This is very skilled indeed and depends on an active appreciation of tone.
Where should I put my piano in the room?
Position it so it sounds wonderful. Try to get the best out of the acoustics. Place the open part of the grand piano towards the center of the room, leaving a good space behind and the left of the keyboard, to avoid the sound bouncing of nearby walls and distorting the player's sound image.
Do not place it close to a source of heat which will damage the case and send it out of tune quickly and do not let direct sunlight strike the case.
Try to have natural daylight on the keyboard and music stand, as this will help you to study and read a score.
How do I know what my piano is worth?
There cannot be a rigid value such as a Piano Blue Book, or any rigid numerical value. The piano is the only manufactured object that has not changed in a hundred years.
It is unique in the history of mankind and has a staggering variety of artistic associations, cultural attachments, some allied to great geniuses, in addition to countless varieties of condition and manufacturers variations.
A qualified tuner and technician must be called in to make an appraisal, which will also take into account current market forces which are constantly changing.