Finally, a blog post not related to piano tuning! A local Sheffield/Barnsley band Harmony of Spheres (which I play guitar in) is looking for a new keyboard player. We’re a progressive rock band in the style of Genesis, Rush, Yes, Pink Floyd and Marillion, and while we’re planning on introducing originals into the set, at the moment we’re predominantley playing covers of said bands (and others). The only requirements are a good level of technical skill (we’re trying to play the songs as they are on the album) and a love of the genre. Practices are usually held at the Back to Black studios in Barnsely, which I’ve found is easy enough to drive to after a day piano tuning in Sheffield.

Please email me or send a message to the Harmony of Spheres facebook page if you or anyone you know is interested.

Recently, while out in Sheffield piano tuning, I was asked cleaning the piano, so I decided to make a quick post about cleaning the piano for my customers out there in Sheffield, south yorkshire and derbyshire.

To clean the outside of the piano, use a damp cloth followed by a clean, dry cloth. You can do the same for the action and insides of the piano, or you could use a feather duster. To clean the keys, it depends whether you have plastic or ivory keys. For ivory keys use a damp cloth and gentle soap, while plastic keys should be cleaned with a solution of vinegar and warm water. A consideration to take into account is that you are gentle while cleaning it and that yo aren’t using any chemicals that could stain the piano. Any questions, email me at [email protected]

- Richard Lidster, Piano Tuner Sheffield.

I might be 10 years behind the times but I’ve finally got into the swing of this Facebook malarkee. I’m aiming for my piano tuner Sheffield page to get 100 likes so that more people in Sheffield and South Yorkshire are aware of my piano tuning business. While a piano tuning business might seem like a strange thing to ‘like’, it would be helpful if anyone in agreement would do so, that way anyone who needs a piano tuner and hasn’t thought to look one up might be reminded by seeing my page.

- Richard, Piano Tuner Sheffield.

If you are considering moving a piano then I recommend hiring a piano mover (unless you’re moving the piano from one room to another on the same floor, have a team with you and really know what you’re doing). I have never hired a piano mover in Sheffield so I’m not sure of the cost or any companies in the local area of South Yorkshire, but piano removals cost me £100 last time I had a second hand piano brought to my house (from one side of Sheffield to another).

Being the fragile things that they are, pianos will go out of tune while they are being moved, so unless you want to sound like you’re playing in a 1870s western salon, then you will have to hire a piano tuner after the piano has been moved. It’s something to keep in mind if you have recently had your piano tuned, perhaps it might be an idea to wait 6 months before moving it!

- Richard Lidster, Piano Tuner Sheffield.

- Richard, Piano Tuner Sheffield.

I now have a facebook, set up mainly to talk with some musicians from Barnsely I’ve been jamming with, but I thought about using it to stay in touch with piano tuning customers as well. Feel free to add me on there if it’s your preferred medium, although I’d rather use it specifically for band and piano tuning business, rather than to add friends for the sake of it. All the people I get on with I see regularly, so I don’t see the point of social networking side.

Rather than setting up a business page as ‘Piano Tuner Sheffield’ I thought I’d make this so use the chat function to keep in touch with fellow muzos and piano tuning customers.

The address: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100009934928406

- Richard Lidster, Piano Tuner Sheffield.

A quick note about key tops, inspired by a Sheffield piano tuning customer:

If you have a piano with ivory key tops, you have every reason to want to keep them in the best shape you possibly can. Ivory key tops are more responsive, easier to touch, less likely to stick to ones fingers, and have an all round better feel than the plastic keys that come with modern pianos. All pianos before around 1930 have these covers as well as many made between 1930 and 1980 or so. Due to the ivory ban of the 1980s, however, you cannot buy new ivory key tops and the only way to replace your old ones is to find second hand pianos and replace the required parts. If you live in Sheffield or South Yorkshire I can recommend places to find them if you are looking for them.

If your ivories are in such bad shape that they need to be replaced this can be done by a piano tuner-technician in approximately one hour. You will need to buy a new set of plastic keys tops (a full set can be bought for £35, possibly for less on ebay) as the broken ones are heated slightly with a heatgun and then scraped off with a knife, never to be used again. Then you must glue the new key tops on to the piano keys (any super glue or PVCA glue will suffice) and then leave them alone for a few hours so the glue can set.

Even though I specialise in piano tuning I am able to do this job for you if you ask on a day prior to the tuning. As with anything, if you have questions, feel free to send me an email at [email protected]

- Richard, Piano Tuner Sheffield.

I keep telling myself I need to update this blog at least once a week, but I’ve been preposterously busy during the whole of this June. Aside from piano tuning during the day, I’ve had a housing project refurbishing my bedroom, I’ve playing playing guitar in 2 bands and also had a meet ups with other musicians in the evenings, as well as having to fix the piano action on the piano I have at my home in Sheffield… so unfortunately this piano tuning blog has been neglected. Like I said in another post I’ve been trying to promote myself on the other side of Sheffield (Attercliffe, Southey Green, Shire Green, Pitsmore, Chapletown, Grenoside, Rivelin, Hillsborough) and parts of South Yorkshire (Barnsley, Penistone, Rotherham, Doncaster) and Derbyshire (Chesterfield, Dronfield), but with all the mayhem I haven’t had the chance. I hope next month I can make some more substantial blog posts!

- Richard, Piano Tuner Sheffield.

Sorry to the piano tuning enquirers I haven’t managed to text back, my mobile ran out of credit a few days ago and I’ve been too busy to get it topped up. I’ll make sure I get it topped up today on my way to band practice as I walk across Sheffield and I’ll text you back this evening.

- Richard, Piano Tuner Sheffield.

It’s been a busy week this week outside of my work as a piano tuner. I had a project painting and re-fitting the carpet in my bedroom, had to buy a new bed, I’ve been playing guitar with 2 seperate bands, as well as promoting my piano tuning business in Sheffield, Rotherham, Holmfirth, Barnsley and Glossop, all this on top of a few piano local Sheffield tuning jobs that came up at the last minute. In all the mayhem I completely forgot to make another piano tuning or piano repairs post on this blog. I will try to keep on top of it next week.

- Richard, Piano Tuner Sheffield.

Just a quick blog post to clear up any confusion about my prices.

If anyone would like to recommend to me their friends who own a piano my current charge is £30 for a first time piano tuning for customers in Sheffield. If you live outside of Sheffield I charge a small supplement of £5 for travel costs, making it £35 for a first time piano tuning and £45 for every piano tuning after that.

Pitch rasing in slightly different in that the piano is tuned twice (one tuning to get it up to pitch and a second tuning to fine tune and stabilize the piano) and takes longer (2 - 3 hours) instead of a standard piano tuning where I tune the piano to itself (this takes 90 minutes to 2 hours). This method is required when the piano hasn’t been tuned in a long time (over 2 years) and costs a bit more. For a pitch raise the prices are £40 for a first time customer in Sheffield and £50 any time after that (if the piano needs it that is; pianos that are tuned regularly won’t need a pitch raise). For customers outside of Sheffield is £45 for a first time pitch raise and £55 for a future pitch raise.

First time piano tuning in Sheffield: £30

Standard piano tuning in Sheffield: £40

First time piano tuning outside of Sheffield: £35

Standard piano tuning outside of Sheffield. £45

First time pitch raise in Sheffield: £40

Standard pitch raise in Sheffield: £50

First time pitch raise outside of Sheffield: £45

Standard pitch raise outside of Sheffield. £55

Any questions feel free to email me at [email protected]

- Richard, Piano Tuner Sheffield.