Piano tuning?

MulliganStew

Pretty sure this is a stupid question BUT - is it possible to get a piano tuned... "slightly out" by a professional? Now before anybody says "Ill come round and do it for free" - just from a production standpoint, I have a standup piano Id like to use for a recording, but its about a quarter step out of key on most keys. It needs to be tuned, but I want to keep that slightly "out" intonation. Have an old sound in a pretty well tuned piano.. (enough to play with other instruments comfortably in normal tuning) Is this done at all? (Outside of Abbey Road...) Would you be able to ask a piano tuner to keep that effect?

Thanks

madtheory

Why don't you ask a few? The guy I use can do that. Based in Cork but he does travel and is a sound bloke. PM for info.

jtsuited

I can recommend this guy: http://www.paulwadepianotechnician.com/

Excellent for tuning for a certain feel.

studiorat

jtsuited wrote: »

I can recommend this guy: http://www.paulwadepianotechnician.com/

Excellent for tuning for a certain feel.

+1

Top quality tuner, who does pianos from concert halls to living rooms.

krd

MulliganStew wrote: »

Pretty sure this is a stupid question BUT - is it possible to get a piano tuned... "slightly out" by a professional? Now before anybody says "Ill come round and do it for free" - just from a production standpoint, I have a standup piano Id like to use for a recording, but its about a quarter step out of key on most keys. It needs to be tuned, but I want to keep that slightly "out" intonation. Have an old sound in a pretty well tuned piano.. (enough to play with other instruments comfortably in normal tuning) Is this done at all? (Outside of Abbey Road...) Would you be able to ask a piano tuner to keep that effect?

Thanks

A piano book I have - done by a guy who did a lot of session stuff from the 60s on. He had a technique for making a perfectly tuned upright sound like a slightly off honky tonk. He made a kind of a daisy chain of paper clips and rubbish and hung it over the strings.

Piano tuning is difficult. A tuner will most likely just try to get the piano to sound ok by itself and not be in concert pitch. Pianos drift out of tune. A concert tuner would have to detune the whole thing and maybe come back another day or two to get it just right. Tuning a piano is worse than tuning a harp.

krd

The pianos in Waltons are always out of tune. Do they tune them before shipping?

Why don't they have a tuner working there?

TelePaul

krd wrote: »

The pianos in Waltons are always out of tune. Do they tune them before shipping?

Why don't they have a tuner working there?

Because Waltons is the Aldi of music shops.

krd

TelePaul wrote: »

Because Waltons is the Aldi of music shops.

Jesus, at least Aldi tune their fruit.

Want kind of idiot thinks they can sell a piana (rhymes with banana) for 20 grand when it's out of tune?

I was in there the other morning. They have a girl who goes round and polishes all the pianos in the morning. Honestly, what would it take to have someone fix a few strings?

Sunshine.day

Try "Gabriel Pianos" www.gabrielpianos.com they tune pianos, serve and restore old pianos, may be they can help you.