Category Archives: Update

A Happy 2019 from the Piano Tuner

Piano Tuner Bridlington, Piano Tuner Chesterfield, Piano Tuner Doncaster, Piano Tuner Sheffield, Piano Types, Rotherham Piano Tuning, Sheffield, Sheffield Piano Tuning, South Yorkshire Piano Tuner, Update

Happy New Year from the piano tuner! After two piano-free days I’m glad to be tuning again in Sheffield, Rotherham, Chesterfield and Doncaster. January is usually a slow month for me, so if you’ve been putting off booking a tuning, please get in touch. If you’re thinking of putting it off further, here’s a message from an old Bentley piano:

If your piano requires any replacement parts, I’ll be placing an order with my suppliers (Fletcher & Newman) after the 7th of January when they’ve re-opened. I have a large collection of sundry parts for odd jobs which can be used during a piano tuning session, but if it needs a component of a specific size or shape, you may have to wait a week. I pride myself on my punctuality and organisational abilities, so I will make sure I have everything I need to fix your piano as soon as I possibly can.

Sticky fingers on the piano

Cleaning, Rotherham Piano Tuning, Update

Pianos are often irresistible to children – as are chocolates and sweets. It’s lovely that they’re interested in music but you don’t want their sticky fingers on your piano keys! If you do find that the piano keys are sticky, they can be cleaned by the piano tuner on my next visit to your Sheffield home. I use a keybrite solution sold by my loyal piano tuning suppliers, but if you endeavour to clean them yourself, use a warm damp cloth followed by a dry cloth and make sure you keep the dirt from getting down the sides of the keys. For any other questions, call the Sheffield piano tuner.

Piano of the week: The Kawai K6

Piano of the week, Sheffield Piano Tuning, Update

Speaking of beautifully-built pianos from the Far East, today I introduce you to the Kawai K6 – one of the finest upright pianos on earth.

Why you might consider this piano:

  • As with the Yamaha U-series, the core components of each K6 piano are almost identical making each piano of consistently high-quality.
  • It stands at a towering 132 cm giving the bass notes a richness rivalling many concert grands.
  • Kawai pianos, like Yamahas, increase in value every year meaning it could potentially become an investment.
  • Carbon fibre action is gives a very consistent touch. Regulation is usually quick and easy for the piano tuner.
  • Its polished ebony-finish makes it a piece of furniture that could beautifully adorn your front room.

Needless to say, if you’re thinking about investing in a new piano it’s always a good idea to try out several to see which has a touch and tone to your liking.

A complaint I sometimes hear in the piano industry is that Japanese pianos can be too bright for some people. Personally, I love their sound – but I can see why someone accustomed to the darker sound of their old Welmar or Knight piano might find a Kawai or Yamaha too bright in comparison. The acoustics of the room also have to be taken into account when choosing a piano. The last time I tuned a Kawai K6 was at the Crucible theatre in Sheffield and the natural reverberation of the theatre hall sounded truly spectacular.

New sister page: Piano Tuner Leeds

Bradford Piano Tuning, East Yorkshire Piano Tuner, Leeds Piano Tuning, Piano Tuning, Sheffield Piano Tuning, Update

I now have a sister website providing details for piano tuning customers in Leeds and Bradford: Richard Lidster Piano Tuner Leeds

It contains some duplication but also information more relevant to piano owners in West Yorkshire. I am currently targeting customers in the area in hope of expanding my work, so please direct any piano-owning friends or relatives to my new website. Introductory offers also apply!

– Richard, Piano Tuner Sheffield.

Autumn deals and discounts

Deals, Piano Tuning, Sheffield Piano Tuning, Update

For regular customers my current introductory offer still stands – £40 for a first piano tuning in Sheffield, £45 for a first piano tuning outside of Sheffield. However, I now offer several new deals which begin from now until the 1st of December. For schools, universities and churches I only charge £30 per piano tuning, and will perform 5 piano tunings for £100 if all the pianos are in the same premises and all the piano tuning work is booked on the same day (piano repair fees may apply). While this is far below the average rate for a piano tuning in the UK, my reason for offering this deal is to reach out to more customers and expand my business through word of mouth.

Please contact me for further questions about deals, discounts or packages:

Email: richard@pianotunersheffield.co.uk

Phone: 0754 266 7040

Apostles of Chaos – What’s Inside

Apostles of Chaos, Band, Live Music, Update

A one-off post unrelated to piano tuning… My band Apostles of Chaos have a new single coming out later this week – we’ve uploaded a short, unmixed preview of it to facebook.

If you’re on there please give us a ‘like’ to show your support (this will help us acquire more gigs in future). The band is based in Dewsbury but we play gigs around Leeds, Bradford, Sheffield, Rotherham, sometimes as far as St Helens and Southampton, and things will get even busier towards the end of 2018. Although pianos and piano tuning are now my forte, I’ve gone back to my first love (the electric guitar) in this band. If you like progressive rock or 70s and 80s rock in the style of Boston, Kansas, Styx, Yes, Genesis, Marillion, etc then this may be your thing – more songs will be released over the next few months and a full length LP is scheduled for an October release. There aren’t many bands playing this style at the moment so hopefully we’re adding something slightly different to the Yorkshire music scene!

Richard, Piano Tuner Sheffield.

New Stock

Piano Tuning, Sheffield Piano Tuning, Update

I’ve just received a parcel from supplier (company selling only to the piano tuner), my third order of 2018. My aim is to have everything I need for 99% of piano repair jobs, so that I can perform every maintenance task on the first visit. I have received:

  • Every size of key bushing felt with a set of bushing wedges.
  • Every size of centre pin for centre pin replacement (a common problem in old pianos).
  • 10 different rolls of piano wire (different gauges).
  • Pin Block for tightening loose tuning pins.
  • 3 Different types of fast-drying glue.
  • A damper spoon regulator which allows me to regulate the dampers without taking the action out.
  • Protek CLP for lubricating any sluggish piano parts.
  • A set of jack springs.
  • A set of damper felts for both upright and grand pianos.

My hourly rate for repair jobs (for piano tuning the standard rate still applies) is £20 per hour plus the price of any parts that have been replaced. If you’re booking a piano tuning or piano repair job, please let me know on the phone before and I’ll make sure I have what I need with me in the car and give you an idea of how long it will take. Whatever the problem is, I’ll have seen it before!

Richard, Piano tuner Sheffield.

Website Update

Update

I’ve finally regained the ability to edit this website – a web designer in Whitby has fixed it for me. For details about my piano tuning availability you can now check my availability page (I will resume updating it once a week) – this blog will now be used for more general posts relating to piano tuning, repairs and regulation. I hadn’t been able to log in for two months due to some serious technical issues with the site, but now that it’s fixed I will make sure I keep working on it. For anyone looking for a piano tuner it should have the information you need.

Happy new year to my piano tuning customers!

Update

I’m now back in Sheffield after a relaxing two weeks with my relatives on the east coast. I spent lots of time walking in the beaches in Scarborough and Whitby and the sea wall at Robin Hood’s Bay and even managed to find a few pianos in need of a tune while I was there! Over the holiday break I’ve also spent some time re-organising this website, designing a new contact page which will contain my available hours for both Sheffield and Scarborough customers. As I said in my last blog post, the blog will now be used for more educational purposes, with future posts aimed at piano owners who want to learn about the history, construction and the inner workings of their chosen instrument. Now that I’m back home in Sheffield I can dedicate more time to these posts, so please keep your eyes on this page!

– Richard, Piano Tuner Sheffield.

Christmas Update

Update

A few important changes have been made to this site. I’ve added a new page which will list my availability at the beginning of each week. However, it is not an all inclusive list, so please contact me if you need to ask for a specific date or time, and I’ll see what I can do.

I thought in the new year I would take the opportunity to blog about different aspects of looking after your piano to ensure it stays in ‘tip top’ condition. I’ll resume writing my weekly updates about piano tuning, repairs and restoration which will be more exhaustive than the short answers given on my frequently asked questions page. Topics will include humidity and its affect on the piano (particulary its tuning and touch), what to look for when buying a second hand piano, the sound of different types of wood (how they resonate), how to assess a pianos condition, the aesthetics of the piano over time, and much, much more. I’ll also include more personal stories about my experiences tuning and servicing pianos across the north of England – from theaters in Sheffield, to churches in Leeds, to homes in Manchester, to schools in Scarborough… often on the same day! Let me know by email if there’s anything you’d like me to cover.

– Richard, Piano Tuner Sheffield.