piano tuning etiquette

[pianistimo]

ok.  finally i'm getting my piano tuned and regulated on thursday.  it's been so many years (three i think) that i've forgotten what to do.  usually, i just excuse myself and go out for a while and leave the house quiet.  but, is that rude?  i mean - i am very interested in what the guy is doing. 

is it ok to just meander in and out and chat - or is that rude, too?  he would have to stop and concentrate on conversation and then switch to tuning again.

on the one hand - i want to watch the whole thing and talk.  on the other hand, i think i should go out for a while.  but, what to do.  i'll be thinking about the piano the whole time.  well, and what is happening to it.

what do you think is the best piano tuner treatment or etiquette of how to treat piano tuners when they are working?

[iumonito]

you want to talk before the tuner gets started, and then get picky when the tuner asks you to try it.

i think there is no chatting in between those two.

list your mechanocal concerns and what you want regarding voicing when you are scheduling the visit, so that the tuner can arrange her schedule.

[pianistimo]

her schedule?  well, i know there's some her's around - but this guy is the cat's meow here.  last time i couldn't stop playing after he tuned it.  i'm sure i'll be speechless again.  totally in love with the piano again. 

i don't know what to say about the piano because i haven't played on it for a year now.  it was too ungodly.  and i mean that in a literal way.  noone.  especially God, would  appreciate the sound.  and, for some reason - the damper pedal makes the notes staccato (in the bass) instead of dampered properly.  what causes that - i haven't a clue.  i have a mysteriously gone bad piano.

thank you very much for the sound advice.  i will only discuss before and afterwards.  steering clear of the area in between.

[quantum]

I mostly do what iumonito said.  Chat up the tuner before and after, but I also watch the whole thing.  I sit in a chair an try to be as inconspicuous as possible. 

[invictious]

I usually sit behind the tuner guy and glare at him for the 2-3 hours.

When I try it, I become really picky, and complain how the A is around 1 hertz flat.

[timothy42b]

Be quiet, watch on a web cam from another room. 

[iumonito]

her schedule?  well, i know there's some her's around - but this guy is the cat's meow here.  last time i couldn't stop playing after he tuned it.  i'm sure i'll be speechless again.  totally in love with the piano again. 

i don't know what to say about the piano because i haven't played on it for a year now.  it was too ungodly.  and i mean that in a literal way.  noone.  especially God, would  appreciate the sound.  and, for some reason - the damper pedal makes the notes staccato (in the bass) instead of dampered properly.  what causes that - i haven't a clue.  i have a mysteriously gone bad piano.

thank you very much for the sound advice.  i will only discuss before and afterwards.  steering clear of the area in between.

Out of tune pianos also please God.  Her grace embraces microtonal stuff too, very forgiving and loving, that God.

Enjoy the tune, I also love tuning day.

[pianistimo]

thanks for the encouragement.  only one day and one and a half hours away.

the weather has changed, though.  it was sunny for a while yesterday.  now it is raining and getting colder.  i hate it when the weather fluctuates so much.  maybe it won't get as cold as predicted.

[richard black]

I think you've missed the most important bit of tuning etiquette - offer the guy a cup of tea or coffee! My tuner usually gets through two before he's finished my piano, and it's only an upright (OK, an unsually good one). You damper pedal - if it's an upright piano, the cause is the adjuster screw on the inboard end of the pedal working loose. Take off the bottom cover of the instrument and tighten the screw a couple of turns - you probably won't need any tools at all. Essential bit of upright piano maintenance once every two or three years.

[alzado]

I watch him work for about 15 minutes, then leave him alone.

I offer him coffee, which he almost always accepts -- AFTER the tune is finished.

He always wants to play a little "inspirational" recital after the tune -- about 4 minutes.

I always listen with "awe" and tell him he is the best.  Well, he is much better than me!