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Sharpe & Flatte



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About Paul Larudee




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Paul Larudee   
510-236-5338  
405 Vista Heights Rd   
El Cerrito, CA 94530  

larudee@pacbell.net  






Services



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Tuning


I use tried and true traditional aural techniques in combination with state-of-the-art electronic aids to achieve precise and stable tunings. My tuning skills have been tested and certified for accuracy by the Piano Technicians Guild, for which I have been awarded the Registered Piano Technician qualification.

A piano is designed to stay in tune much longer than a guitar or violin, but needs regular tuning nonetheless. Piano manufacturers recommend two to four tunings per year for home use, although, concert instruments are tuned before each performance. New or restrung pianos need more frequent tunings for the first year or two, until the strings lose some of their initial elasticity.
The appropriate tuning schedule for your piano depends upon many factors. In most cases I suggest a semiannual tuning schedule, for which I charge a reduced rate. Yearly tunings are appropriate only if the piano is not being used and the purpose of the tuning is to prevent deterioration of the instrument. Pianos will not ordinarily stay in tune for more than six months.

An exception is if you choose to install a humidity control system in your piano. Since periodic humidity changes are the main cause of tuning instability, such a system can greatly reduce the need for tuning. Even a newly tuned piano can go out of tune within a week if subjected to a significant humidity change.

Tuning vs. pitch raising . Pianos which are not tuned regularly can drift so far off pitch that they require a procedure called a pitch raise before they can be tuned. This is because the tension on any one string affects the tension on the adjacent strings as well. In routine tuning, this tension changes only a modest amount, and the effect on adjacent strings is minimal. When the change is great, however, the effect on the adjacent strings is such that the piano must be tuned a second time.

A pitch raise anticipates the change in tension by raising the pitch of each string somewhat above standard pitch during the first tuning. This allows for the average string tension to drop close to normal even if the individual strings are not in tune. The second tuning will then be more precise.

A pitch raise is usually a rapid procedure because it does not need to be as precise as a final tuning, and its cost is usually therefore much less, depending upon the size of the raise required and the condition of the instrument. String breakage is always a risk in such a procedure, especially when age and corrosion are factors. Sometimes it is best to raise the pitch in stages for this reason.

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Regulating

Regulation is the adjustment of the mechanical aspects of the piano to compensate for the effects of wear, the compacting and settling of cloth, felt, and buckskin, as well as dimensional changes in wood and wool parts due to changes in humidity.

Most of your piano's parts are in the action - the delicate levers, pivots and springs which translate finger motion into hammer motion. As these parts wear, swell, shrink, warp, corrode, or compress, they need periodic adjustment, called regulating.

Symptoms of poor regulation are:
  • sluggish keys
  • loose/uneven touch
  • rebounding hammers
  • irregular key height
  • poor repetition
  • poor loud/soft control

When a piano is not regulated correctly the piano can be frustrating to play, even for a beginner, because it refuses to do what you want it to. As with voicing , piano owners sometimes think not much can be done with an old clunker, when in fact the only thing making it a clunker is poor regulation.

Your piano technician can help you determine if your piano needs regulating.

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Voicing

The process of modifying a piano's tone is called voicing.

The tone of a piano is very sensitive to the shape and hardness of the hammers striking its strings. Even when a piano is new and in tune, it can sound harsh or uneven unless the qualities of the hammers are properly adjusted. As pianos age and with use, the surface of the hammers becomes worn, eventually producing a harsh sound.
Periodic reshaping of this surface is therefore necessary, and can make a dramatic difference in the way your piano sounds.

Sadly, voicing is often viewed as a luxury, and considered not to make much difference in an old piano. Surprisingly, just the opposite is true, and the instrument often comes back to life for many more years.

Your piano may benefit from voicing if:
  • You don't like the sound even after it has been tuned.
  • The tone varies from note to note.
  • You cannot achieve a range of tones at different volumes.
  • The piano has lost its ability to play softly.
  • Your piano sounds different than when you purchased it.


To see if your piano needs voicing, consult your technician.

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Humidity Control Systems

If you insist on the best tuning for your piano, install a humidity control system and tune every six months. However, a piano with a humidity control system and annual tunings will usually stay in better tune than one without it on a semiannual schedule.
Since the level of humidity in the San Francisco Bay Area rarely falls below the trigger point for the humidifier, I usually omit its installation, thereby reducing the cost and subsequent maintenance.

Annual tunings are subject to a modest discount if you have a humidity control system.

Humidity is the most powerful environmental force affecting the wellbeing of your piano. Seasonal and even daily changes are the biggest factor causing it to go out of tune. When your soundboard shrinks due to low humidity, it drops in pitch - mainly in the middle register and mid treble - and when it swells again with more humid conditions, these sections are the first to go sharp. Humidity is also the reason your piano may feel lighter to the touch during dry periods and stiffer during in times of dampness, when you may even experience sticking parts. The wooden and felt action parts shrink and swell, causing these changes. Excess humidity is also the primary cause of corrosion.

Over the long term, humidity changes also take a toll on the wood itself, and are the primary cause of soundboard cracks, the failure of glue joints such as those between the soundboard and its supporting ribs, and the warping of action parts. Humidity and usage (wear) are the two main factors limiting the life of your piano.


You can reduce the effects of wear with proper and regular maintenance, but the only effective way to minimize humidity change in your piano is to install a humidity control system. Such a system consists of a dehumidifier, a humidifier and a humidistat that regulates the other two.

The effect of the system is spectacular! It reduces the need for tuning so much that in most cases an annual tuning is more effective than semiannual tunings without the system, enabling the system to pay for itself within a few years. More important, it provides assurance that the tuning will not change with weather, and it prolongs the life of your instrument.

Humidity control systems are appropriate for most but not all pianos. Until a new or restrung piano has been tuned five or six times, a humidity control system is unlikely to reduce the need for tuning. Pianos with cracked soundboards, failed glue joints or other structural problems are also not usually good candidates for such systems. I will be glad to evaluate the suitability of your piano for a system, to advise you accordingly, and to install one at your request.

Service charges for tuning and prices for humidity control systems may be found on our fees page .

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CONSULTATIONS/ESTIMATES/APPRAISALS
  • How much is it worth?
  • How much will it cost?
  • What condition is it in?
  • Is this the right piano for me?

These are all questions which require expert inspection and evaluation. We take such assignments very seriously, whether you are buying, selling, making a donation, considering major work or making an insurance or estate declaration. We partially disassemble the instrument and look at and test the parts. We realize that when you make an investment you cannot afford to be surprised by problems that were not discovered at the time of sale, and our reputation rests on providing you with this assurance. Our expertise can often save you thousands of dollars and a lot of disappointment as well.

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