Piano Tech Radio Hour

Ken Eschete, is a piano technician who has worked with the conservation of historic pianos and teaches an online course on replacing and building sound boards and bridge gapping. He has discovered some big things from some little tiny things and he joins us at the Radio Hour to share them.  The first is consolidation - here Ken talks about resins and the science behind them which is used in key to...

On today’s episode, we have Alex Kostakis join us whose family has been involved in Steinway for many years, and later they started their own rebuilding practice. Alex shares his journey of working on Steinway pianos, the details of the pianos, and the relationship with customers.  Alex details what goes into his best restored Steinways - a virgin piano that has not been tampered with by anyone, m...

Nick Gravagne, who joined us for the PTM 2020 convention is back on Radio Hour to share some of his insights on building sound boards. Nick has made over 470 soundboards on Steinway and he shares his journey of building a pulse to tell soundboards apart.  “The more mass there is on the soundboard, the more sound as there is more impetus,” says Nick and shares how to build a balance between the str...

In this episode, David and Eathan talk about pricing in the piano industry, especially during the pandemic and post-pandemic. Raising prices may seem counter-intuitive, but keeping up with your standard of living may be necessary. One participant adds “Now is the time to raise prices, not just to keep up, but to get ahead of the curve”.  “Historically we do not charge enough as piano technicians,...

In this episode, David and Eathan unpack what it means to do things that you are afraid of within the piano business. The pair focus on conquering fear as an essential ingredient in professional development. In his typical generous fashion, David gets vulnerable with his peers in the name of inspiring us all. He shares stories of how he has encountered fear time and again during his time in the in...

Bernard has been in the piano business for over four decades and runs a classic, timeless piano artisan’s workshop. Piano rebuilding is his forte, and he has a wealth of knowledge to share about it.  Bernard began his fascinating foray into the piano world as the son of a NASA rocket scientist. He shares about the partnerships he made and how he created a thriving business in the piano industry. H...

Ricki Kloss is a certified tuning examiner and has been in the piano business since 1995. She shares her story of accidentally wandering onto her career path, encountering one opportunity after another, and eventually opening her own business in 1995.  Ever feel like you know only a tiny bit about what it means to be a piano technician? Ricki shares her thoughts on what it means to be a lifelong a...

Thomas Strange–a fascinating, multi-talented individual and the owner of the musical instrument museum–makes an appearance on this program. In 2008, Thomas was asked to build a Museum to preserve his collection of keyboards. In a decade his vision materialized and gained significant community support. A private collection to a world-class collection of musical instruments, Thomas tells the story o...

Join us in this episode as we sit down with Rick, the esteemed president and founder of Baldassin Pianos. Rick's remarkable journey includes recognition as a PTG member of note and receiving the prestigious 2014 Golden Hammer award, along with his induction into the exclusive PTG Hall of Fame. Moreover, Rick's influence extends to the realm of literature, with his authorship of pivotal books on pi...

In this podcast episode, the hosts delve into the pandemic's impact on the piano tuning industry and explore the concept of a "master piano technician." Eathan and David share their perspectives. Eathan, the founder of the Floating Piano Factory, recounts how his business adapted during the pandemic. Initially suspending operations for safety, they later resumed tuning despite reduced demand. Davi...

Discover the captivating world of Klavins Pianos in this episode as we delve into the history and innovative vision of piano designer and builder, David Klavins. Originally specializing in restoring vintage pianos, David Klavins embarked on a profound exploration of the intricate acoustic principles that shape piano tonality. This pursuit led him to create his own avant-garde grand pianos, each be...

Paul McNulty, a North Bennet Street School graduate, is an iconoclast in the industry. He was the first in modern times to build an 1830 model Playel, an 1846 Boisselot op. 2800, and an 1868 Streicher. His current efforts are restoring vintage French pianos.  The "period pianos" domain can be tricky, and not everyone likes the sound of these unique instruments. But the pianos Paul restores are lov...

Nick is a piano engineer with over 40 years of experience in the field. He has made significant contributions to the piano trade through his technical seminars across America and numerous articles he has authored. During our session, Nick shared his unique approach to understanding pianos. According to him, there are three primary elements of a piano that demand attention: its body or 'box', its a...

Meet Fred Sturm. He's renowned and world-class as both a pianist and a piano tech. In this session, he discusses the connections between his two careers. We learn about his journey down these two intersecting paths, and Fred shows us how one informs the other.  Pianists depend on piano technicians. As Fred says, "If we do not give the pianists what they need, they are going to be handicapped." Thr...

Sometimes a problem is just a path to unique new creations. We all have problems. We all have some that even make us want to give up and crawl into a fetal position. For Mark Purney, string repairs are a dreaded necessity that he wishes didn't exist. As he put it, "I hate doing string repairs. I always have. I probably always will." The most frustrating part for him was storing all the potential g...

In this session we have with us Dan Levitan, the piano technician turned author who has a lot to offer all the way from taunting lever and tuning theory to the piano tuner’s hand and ear. He talks about his most significant contribution to the field, harmonicity, and the physics of turning tuning pins with a hammer.  Dan talks about what it means to be a born craftsman. “Everybody cares about some...

In this session, we meet with Wayne Ferguson, a piano tech who has worked around the globe and visited all the major factories in Europe. He talks about how he makes the key travel in the aftertouch on a piano that is going to be played on short notice. Sometimes the hammer is too far right and sometimes it's too close  Wayne follows a structured process where he makes the hammer blow a little fur...

In this session, David, our resident expert talks about the power of presence and gratitude. These can drastically change your life and have an impact on your profession as a piano technician.  David also calls on Wayne Ferguson to come on and share his experiences with the piano industry and larger lessons from life. Wayne alk about starting young and figuring it out with finances at the forefron...

In this session, our hosts David and Eathan review the 1st PTM global convention's content, identify the highlights and share some of their key takeaways.  Eathan tells us about how the fascination of some piano makers with the kind of wool that goes into making felt. Did you know that Steingraber demands the use of wool exclusively from an Australian sheep? They do this because this is the longes...

Tune in to this session and get some great insights from our wise and charming co-host, David Andersen. He’s a highly respected and experienced piano technician in LA, who has built a stellar atelier for rebuilding fine pianos, attracting high-end clientele and producing excellent work. During the conversation, David shares his valuable knowledge, experiences, techniques, ideas, and life lessons w...

In this following episode, you’ll meet our guest, Issac Sadigursky, the prototypical piano tech. He has been a piano technician for the past 30 years and is a cornerstone veteran of the Piano Technicians Guild (PTG). He has everything from restorations to repairs, from troubleshooting to tuning. In this episode of the PTRH, Issac shares some of his experiences as a piano technician, clever ways of...

In this session, our host turned speaker, David Anderson, does a deep dive into the topic of voicing. When you’re voicing a hammer, you’re making it sound deeper, fatter and clearer - which is a product of hearing lower partials clearer. He explains all this in the context of partial undertones.  David lets us in on the intricacies of strike point voicing techniques which he has personally used fo...

Today, we are joined by Melanie Brooks who has been in the piano business for over 30 years and has wonderful insights about how to sustain a piano industry career over the decades. She shares her personal tips on how to continuously tweak your business, and even how to bounce back after any recession.  Ever wondered what the living beating heart of the piano community will look like a few decades...

In this session we are joined by Stephen Brady, the author of Under the Lid - the Art and Craft of the Concert Piano Technician . He has been in the piano business for close to five decades and in this session he delivers many gems of wisdom he has acquired over the years.  First he talks about training–the process of acquiring the crucial skill a piano solopreneur needs. Steve hoes on to talk abo...

In this hour, we are joined by Udo Steingraber from Germany, who took over the Steingraber Company at the tender age of 24 and has created a whole new line of products since then. From the old world to the cutting edge, he’s been dedicated to bringing the best of piano past, present and future into one fine instrument. Udo has also been the guiding force behind the European Piano Technician Degree...