Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Tuner-Technicians Forum To play or not to play

I have been tuning for awhile(over 30 yrs). I am no concert artist for sure, but I can play pretty well. Seems at this point in my tuning career, I would rather not play once I have finished the job. For some reason, I'm thinking it's going to appear to the customer I am trying to "show off", or that I'm being self indulgent. Plus I need to get the check and get to my next appointment. But lately, I've noticed customers seem really disappointed that I didn't play a song at the end. Some have even told me THAT is the only reason they had their pianos tuned.[to hear the song at the end]. And If I play something at the end, how much is too much? I don't know what other tuners do, but it would be interesting to find out.

I always play. I ask them what their favorite song is; they love it.

I usually play. Not anything real showy - mostly for my own benefit to hear how the piano sounds and touch up any interval or unison that needs it. If they ask, I'll play something longer or fancier occasionally. But I agree - by that point I'm usually ready to be done with the job and move on.

I ask if they have a guitar. I'll play THAT for them. 'Makes most customers laugh.

hearing my tuner play lets me, an amateur, get a sense of how good my piano can sound, something to which I can aspire! Please play.

If you got it, show it! Hey, who wants to show up at the dance empty handed?

I am a very mediocre player, so I use this opportunity to compliment the piano and point out how nicely it tuned up. It's all about 'their' piano.

When tuning for concerts or professionals, I use a much more mechanical approach to checking the tuning.

I don't know how well my tuner plays, but he always plays the same big range, chord-y bit when he's done tuning. When I hear it, I know it is time to come out and write him a check.

As the client, I really appreciated my techs playing. He's very good and I even picked up some playing pointers (he has a musical degree and used to teach). When he finished, he played a mini-concert for us. We could have sat for hours. One of the pieces was Debussy's Arabesque #1 and what a great piece to hear a piano really sing.

I think by your playing gives any owner a chance to hear his instrument played by someone who has a gift for fine tuning (and who cares how good you are)? So, yeah, I agree with the other owner's post, keep playing by all means, it's a pleasure........blob

I'm always embarassed by the fact that I have no memory for music. I have a lot in my repertoire but only with the sheet music, and it definitely feels like showing off if i get music out at the end. If there is sheet music there that I can play though, I will sometimes play that.

Always play. I don't even consider myself mediocre; I pretty much fake it.

Even at the Shout House, every week, I play the same three excerpts, and the managers always seem to appreciate that I do it.

At the schools, the kids and teachers love it when I do it.

I always play a little bit although I'm actually a drummer. I know all my scales so I play chords up and down the piano. I have two song memorized, Minuet in G and O Tannenbaum for Christmas. People usually want more and then I have to confess that that's the only song I know!

I pick and choose when I should play or not.

I'm an improviser, and know tons of tunes by ear.

It is interesting how different people will either be inspired or intimidated by my playing ability.

Some teachers that I tune for I think would prefer that I not play too much. And I don't.

I can usually guage how much I should play, or not, by the music books lying around.

So, for me, it's a case by case scenario.

Judging from the comments by others so far, I'm thinking it's not such a bad thing to play a little after the tuning. I may stick to doing "parts" of songs, and keep it short and sweet.

Good plan.

I love it when my tuner plays (and he can). Not having another pianist around, it is the rare opportunity to stand back and listen to my own piano.

I will sometimes play during the tuning, after I'm done a section I'll play a bit from a piece that fits there. Its almost like a final check before moving on. If there is time afterwards, I will play something unusual. Most pianists, pro or not, appreciate hearing their piano played by someone else. There is something good about hearing your piano from a location away from the bench also. Sometimes I'll suggest to a customer to try out the piano while I'm packing up, I enjoy hearing them play also and gives me an idea what kind of genre of music the piano's being tuned for.

What Jean said. That's essentially what I do.

Depending on the customer, I also suggest they try it out. I feel it gives them some buy-in to my work.

Agreed operatenor and emmery.......

For no other reason than curiousity or enjoyment, I like watching people play. I mean if they take off like Jerry Lee Lewis playing encores, I would know that's probably at least 4 tunings a year, right?! blob

Greetings,
Most of my customers are professionals, and there is absolutely no way anything I can play on a piano is going to impress them with anything but a deserved condescension.

OTOH, those piano owners that plunk around at home, some having started taking lessons again at 65 years, others having once played but now just rarely, and those that inherited the piano, can't play a lick, and always hope that anyone, and I mean, anyone, ( the friend that teaches, the kids that have just learned chopsticks, the nephew home from school, the piano tuner, the interior designer, anyone! ), will sit down at the piano and make some notes; these customers get a boogie, or a homemade ballad, or the worst rendition of "Tennessee Waltz" one is like to encounter out of me, and I can't play!

It doesn't matter. I have had too many of these customers tell me that as soon as they make the tuning appointment, they are waiting to hear what I doodle after I am done. They, after many years, consider it part of the job. Even though after 2 minutes and 18 seconds I begin repeating myself, it is a solid part of why I get called. I have no reservations about the quality of my craft as a tech, and no pretensions of being a musician. Yet, I have had customers comment on how beautiful the piano sounded after I had simply modulated around the circle of fifths. (Which I do, since most of these tunings are UT)

There is little musical about tuning the way I do. For most people, it is a technical bunch of sound, but when there are chords and melodies suddenly coming out of the box, something happens. They show up at the doorway and listen. I think that once I play something, I am a person they can more readily identify with.

Tune the piano, make some music. If the quality of the former is sterling, the quality of the latter doesn't matter.

Regards,