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Piano Tuner Troy Michigan
Piano Tuner Troy Michigan – Ace Piano Tuning Inc.
Ace Piano Inc., provides expert Piano Tuning, Piano Repair, and Piano Rebuilding services in Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, West Bloomfield, Rochester, Rochester Hills, Troy MI and throughout Oakland County Michigan.
Piano Tuning by Craig S. Cole… 40 years of experience, coupled with state of the art technology (We use SAT III electronic tuner)… your piano will be tuned consistently accurate each time it is tuned.
Craig is a second generation piano tuner/technician. Craig has tuned for performers such as: Kenny G, Hank Williams Jr., The Three Tenors, Michael W. Smith, Amy Grant, CeCe Winans, and others. He tunes for thousands of piano owners, from the beginning student, to the semi-professional player.
With over 30 years in the piano service trade, his experience includes everything from in-home piano service to complete piano restoration.
Contact Us today – (248) 624-0940
Do you tune pianos in…?
Ace Piano services pianos in Oakland County, Michigan, and many cities surrounding Oakland County. When I moved into the Metro Detroit area over thirty years ago and started my piano tuning company I had no idea what cities I could service and what cities and communities were just too far to travel, so I answered the phone and said, “yes, I service your area.” I love what I do, so a bit of travel time is not bad when you consider the wonderful clients I have met over the years.
As the years have gone by, I have refined my piano service area a bit, but I still say yes most of the time. My main service area is ALL OF OAKLAND COUNTY MICHIGAN. I tune and repair pianos in cities including; Troy, Rochester Hills, Rochester, Auburn Hills, Waterford, Lake Orion, Clarkston, Bloomfield Hills, West Bloomfield, Southfield, Livonia, Royal Oak, Huntington Woods, Novi, Northville on a daily basis. I tune pianos in communities outside Oakland County such as; Grosse Pointe, Sterling Heights, Macomb Township, and communities to the west such as South Lyon, Milford, Brighton, Plymouth and Canton. All the areas listed are not charged for travel time or mileage. All clients in these areas pay a flat rate for tuning.
I have on occasion been asked to tune a piano at a lake front cottage up north, or a summer home in the Lansing, Michigan area. I am happy to travel to those areas, but travel time and mileage will be charged. One of my clients when asking about long distance travel to their summer home up north said, “you get what you pay for… you have tuned my home piano for many years, I would not want anyone else to tune my pianos.”
My name is Craig Cole, I am the owner/piano technician of Ace Piano Inc.
I’d love the opportunity to help you with all your piano service and repair needs.
For an appointment please call 248.624.0940
Should My Piano Be Tuned to A440?
Why should I pitch raise my piano? I am asked that question almost daily as I explain to my clients what I have found upon arrival at their home, and I set up for a tuning job. It is important to understand that pitch corrections before the actual tuning is always the clients option. Let’s consider what tuning is. A simple definition is: the strings of a piano being adjusted so that when the instrument is played, the intervals such as: thirds, fifths octaves, and any other interval that is played will sound pleasing and musical to the ear. It is important to note, I did not include in the definition, the pitch of the piano. That is simply because a piano, like any stringed instrument can be tuned at any pitch that is desired. (all stringed instruments can be damaged if tuned to sharp/to much tension, or if tuned to low can sound dull and lifeless) So if all this is true, why should a piano owner have the pitch corrected on their piano? Quite simple; first, modern pianos were designed to sound their best when tuned at a pitch referred to as, standard pitch or A440. Second, if the piano is within the terms of the manufacturer’s warranty, the piano must be kept at A440 to avoid voiding the warranty. In my opinion all modern pianos should be maintained as close as possible to standard pitch…simply; they sound best when tuned to A440.
When a piano is allowed to set un-tuned for a long period of time the pitch will drop. It is common to find pianos a quarter step flat, a third step flat, and in some cases as much as a whole step flat. This condition brings an option to the table. You; the piano owner must decide what you want done. The piano can be tuned a quarter step flat, or it can be tuned a whole step flat, or you may decide to have the pitch corrected and tuned to A440.
Piano manufactures recommend tuning a piano every six months or more often depending on use and demand. Pianos that are tuned often require very little change in over-all tension of the piano. This one fact helps produce solid and stable tunings, and will help prevent the pitch from dropping. Pitch corrections of one half step can effect the tension on your piano by thousands of pounds. The piano structure will react to this change, making it necessary to make two or three passes through the key board to get the piano to stabilize. Pitch corrections can, and should be avoided, by tuning regularly. If your piano needs to be pitch corrected before tuning, know this: it is a common procedure and all care is taken to avoid damage to your piano during the process.
Craig Cole is a piano technician serving piano owners in Oakland County, Michigan as well as many surrounding communities. Call for your piano service appointment today: 248.624.0940
When to tune a piano
Is it time to tune my piano? It depends on who you ask. If you ask your Aunt from Tuscaloosa, she will tell you, “No, not yet…wait three more years.” If you ask your piano teacher, you may be told, “Sounds good to me, wait a few more months.”
I have heard those two responses from piano owners that I contact as a reminder, that it is time to tune. The problem with the Aunt from Tuscaloosa is, she has a hearing aid, and the problem with the piano teacher is, most piano teachers are not piano technicians. So how can you get a honest answer to the question, “Is it time to tune my piano?”
Piano manufacturers are a great source of information on this subject. I am providing three examples of what piano manufacturers suggest;
Steinway says; Your Steinway has been designed and built so that in normal use and under normal conditions it should need only periodic tuning. We recommend that your technician be called at least three or four times a year.
Kawai says; Due to string stretching, settling, and the effects of climate, a new piano should receive at least four tunings in the first year. After that, the type of use and the location of the piano will dictate the number of tunings required, but Kawai recommends two tunings per year as a minimum.
Baldwin says; In the first year, the National Piano Manufacturers Association recommends that you have your piano tuned four times. This is a period of environmental adjustment for a new instrument, and proper attention is important. After the first year, the piano should be tuned at least twice each year, depending upon the frequency of use and atmospheric conditions.
A second source of information on best times to tune, would be your piano technician. Technicians can provide a wealth of information on best times to tune that will be specific to the area of the country you live in. I service pianos in the Oakland County Michigan area, and due to our hot and humid summers, and our cold and dry winters piano owners need to have their piano tuned at least twice each year. Humidity level changes that occur in your home, or other locations will cause the soundboard of the piano to expand as it absorbs moisture, and shrink as it looses moisture. The change in the pitch of a piano can be quite dramatic in Michigan. I have found pianos can fluctuate as much as a quarter step. This fluctuation in pitch is why the piano needs tuning at certain times of the year. The humidity levels at this time of the year, (May) are quite high. The piano has reacted to that change making this a perfect time to tune your piano. The humid season in south east Michigan runs from May through October. Be sure to have your piano tuned during the wet season, and then again in the dry season. Call your piano technician and schedule a tuning today.
For an appointment with Ace Piano Tuning, call Craig at: 248.624.0940
Craig S. Cole - Piano Tuner
Pianos and Humidity Control - Michigan
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