OAKLANDS
PIANO TUNING
Your Professional Piano Tuning And Technician Services
I provide piano tuning, repair, restoration and regulation services in Hertfordshire
and the surrounding areas for all acoustic pianos.
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As regards to the Coronavirus, Oaklands Piano Tuning
is working as normal following Government guidelines,
including masks and two metre social distancing.
Further details are below
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ANDREW THOMAS
I completed my training under the tutelage of Steve Droy (trained at the Steinway Academy in Germany) at The Piano Technology School, Northampton. I have also trained at the Renner Factory in Stuttgart and have worked at Kawai UK.
I am DBS checked for schools and academies. I spend my time working with private clients, schools, and institutions throughout the area.
Coronavirus Update
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I wanted to give a quick update into how Oaklands Piano Tuning will be working during
the Covid-19 outbreak and here are a few of the things that i have implemented to ensure safety of my clients.
I have decided first to ask whether anyone in the household has had any symptoms in the last 2 weeks? Or indeed in the follow up to the piano tuning appointment itself to alert me as I don’t wish to catch or pass on anything to other clients or family,
I will arrive with antiseptic wipes to clean the keys before and after I have tuned and will be wearing a mask and plastic gloves during the whole process, so don’t be alarmed if I look slightly peculiar at the front door !!!
And lastly, it is best if I spend as little time in close proximity to anyone in the household as possible so would prefer to be working on the piano on my own.
Please get in touch to discuss requirements.
Services provided:
Tuning plus call out fee Price based on postcode area from £80
Regulation & Repair
On Consultation
See Facebook for latest restoration projects
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If your piano needs to be tuned please contact me by phone or email to arrange an appointment
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07943 255660
Your Piano Technician
BESPOKE PIANO ART WORKS
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I create piano artworks for clients whose family pianos have, over the years, turned into airlooms but as instruments are getting to the end of their lives. Some of my clients have decided that they would like to do something special with their beautiful old pianos so they can hold onto their valued memories and also go on to buy a nice new piano to play. This is why I have started a service to transform pianos into unique works of art. These can range from wall art, tables, clocks, coat racks, small bars.... the possibilities are endless. These bespoke piano 'works' are a special and unique thing to have in the house and can be made to your specification. To find out more please get in contact via phone or email
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PIANO TUNING
It is recommended that your piano is tuned every 6 months to keep the piano at the correct pitch, (A440).
There are 88 keys, but a piano has more than 200 strings – one per note in the low bass, two per note in the upper bass, and three per note in the treble.
The average tension per string is approximately 160 lbs . The combined tension of the strings is nearly 20 tons, or almost 30 tons in a concert grand.
All strings are held at high tension by a 2 inch tuning pin which has been hammered into a large laminated block of wood until the pins are very tight.
A Piano Tuner turns these pins with a tuning lever, just like a guitarist turns the pin that the guitar strings are wound around, until it is in tune.
Some pianos that haven't been tuned regularly may need a number of tunings to bring it to its full stability, and may also need a full or partial regulation to realign the piano action to bring it to it's full potential.
PIANO REGULATING
The inner playing mechanism of the piano is called the "action" and is a highly complex and sensitive mechanical instrument and like any other instrument, it needs to be kept maintained so that it works to it's full potential.
Each key on your piano has around 30 working parts that need to interact together to produce the sound you hear when you play just one note!
In order to compensate for wear, compacting of cloth & felt, and changes in wooden parts due to humidity, adjustments must be made.
Keeping the correct relationship between every part will prevent unnecessary wear, and will make the action "feel right" - each key will function smoothly and evenly throughout the whole keyboard.
So, no more sticking keys, uneven feel, notes that don't work, or pedals that stick.
PIANO REPAIR
Pianos have a limited lifetime, usually measured in decades. However, different parts have different lifetimes: for example, on a heavily used but well-cared-for instrument the hammers might last less than five years while the soundboard might last fifty years and more.
Regular replacement of worn parts can therefore extend a piano's lifetime by decades – even indefinitely, provided that the piano's structural support remains sound.
Minor repairs can be done on site to include strings, broken hammer heads, squeaky notes, or sticky keys, pedals, and any other minor repair.
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LOOKING FORWARD TO TUNING YOUR PIANO
Andrew Thomas
22 Heathbrow Rd
Welwyn
Herts
AL60QG
07943 255660