How to Find a Competent Piano Tuner-Technician

One of the first things you need to understand about the piano tuning trade is that it is entirely unregulated. Unlike the plumber or building contractor that you may have hired in the past, piano tuners are not licensed. There is no education requirement. No exam that they have to pass. Nothing. Literally anyone can advertise in the phone book or on the internet, claiming to be a piano tuner or piano technician.

It may come as a surprise, but how much a piano tuner-technician charges can actually tell you something about his or her competence and skill level. Put simply, there is a maximum that people are willing to pay within a specific market area for any given service, and this includes piano tuning. The higher a piano technician’s skill level, the higher the perceived value that his or her clients receive, and consequently the closer his or her fees can approach the maximum. A less skilled piano tuner would not be able to stay in business for very long charging these higher rates.This is one of those areas where cheaper is not necessarily better. When it comes to hiring a piano tuner-technician, it really is true: You get what you pay for. Cheap rates usually mean low quality work performed by someone whose competence is questionable. Higher rates are an indication of high quality work performed by someone with a reputation for competence and quality.