Go APE Conferences/ Workshops

"Hi Mark,

Just wanted to let you know that I did my first concert tuning aurally the other day.

The piano was an old German Steinway M that had been restrung about 15 years ago, and unfortunately the tuning pins were notchy and jumpy as hell.

Anyway, 4 hours later the end result was good. Using your system of 12 o'clock hammer position and various bending and slow pulls I eventually managed to get tuning pins where I wanted them (generally somewhere between the two jumpy notches!).

There were a few unisons that drifted and weren't quite clean, but I didn't blame myself as trying to work around the notchy pins meant not focussing on stability as much as I might have with smoother pins.

Having said that, there were 3 concerts over 3 days and the artist played one of the big Beethoven sonatas at each and nothing else drifted that I noticed, so overall stability was very good.

I actually went there before each concert to try and tweak a few unisons anyway, and despite my best efforts there was still one or two that weren't quite clean each time - oh well, perfection isn't always attainable...

Sitting in the concerts I really noticed the clean and singing treble as a result of your stretch methods and was very chuffed.

The performer said he was very happy with the tuning and was sure I was the only one that noticed the unisons. He also has a newer Steinway at his holiday home on the coast the he's keen to get me to tune now.

Thanks again for your fantastic teaching and brilliant methods - they really work and they helped me immensely.

Cheers,"

~ Ionwyn Buckland, Piano Technician, Australia.

"Hi Mark

I have abandoned the [REDACTED] approach for yours - in particular your lessons and videos of what to listen for and why - these are awesome and very clear!!  As a drummer I am used to counting beats BUT distinguishing 1/2 bps accelerations for setting contiguous thirds is not accurate, precise, or something I can do....

Ignore the naysayers!!  I know good teaching when I experience it....
right on brother!" ~ Brian Stocklin, Ph.D.,Audio Engineer and Musician

"Actually, in the long run, we have looked up much tuning knowledge and consulted many masters. In recent years, comparing to other old concepts, we find your lessons very innovative and creative. The equal temperament you teach is awesome.

We especially love the super stability part: the bend test and tension band.
In the past, we thought to bend the tuning pin was bad and harmful.
However, the way you express the bend test really inspires us.

As to the Beat-Speed-Windows-Temperament-Sequence F3-F4, it's quite useful and won't accumulate errors."

Thank you for all your endeavors.

Best wishes," ~ Danny, Boesendorfer Taiwan

"Some time ago I had recommended your tuning course to someone beginning their piano service career. I recently had the opportunity to evaluate one of their tunings on a fine grand piano. There were only two notes I attempted to change and one of them I couldn't improve. I believe you have made a significant contribution to the establishment of another much-needed technician in our area." ~ Keith Akins RPT since 1971Former Editor, Piano Technicians Journal

"Hi Mark!
So I was raising the pitch on my Baldwin upright and I just wanted to tell you that I had the most amazing experience while doing so!

This is the first piano that I tried to tinker with about a year ago, and I remember the sensation of not knowing what is happening or what to do.

Today I started a pitch raise with TuneLab and it went wonderfully. Suddenly I understood what was happening with NSL tension and stability, and I was able to deal with many different kinds of pin resistance and lengths very effectively, having a strong control over what I was doing and what was happening.

After every octave I would check stability with hard blows and each unison stood where it should have! Now this is a pleasant experience! I could focus entirely on the partials and discovered many interesting things! My head doesn't hurt from all those hard blows, my arm doesn't get all tired because I make less movements and with more control, my lower back doesn't hurt from pressing the damn pedal over and over... and I really ENJOY it :).

So thank you very much!! I always found pleasure in learning, but very few times I find joy working on the crafts themselves! It has been kind of a surprise 😀

Kind regards!" ~ Adrian from Spain

"Mark!

Thank you so much for these videos, and for the collection of videos you’ve so generously uploaded to YouTube.

I’ve been playing piano since I was 8 (and studied through college). I’m 33 now, and just inherited the old upright grand I grew up playing. I’ve alway been so interested in learning to tune (and had the tools!) but was intimidated by the multiple strings, multiple methods, and this big scary “inharmonicity” thing.

Your approach has been so clear, and so helpful. I’ve been casually watching your videos for several months and taking notes when the light bulb goes off in my head 🙂
I’m not even in the “piano tuner world” and even I had heard some of the age old sayings: “you just gotta tune 1000 pianos!” (Which makes zero sense). You have a different plan. You have a confident plan, and it shows.

As things started to click for me, I became diligent in learning and experimenting.  For Christmas I offered to tune my mother-in-law’s baby grand using your temperament sequence for the first time. (ETD’s were NOT working out well).

I was shocked at the difference. I played a few pieces and got that incredible euphoric feeling of playing a real, and nicely tuned, piano.  And I don’t even consider myself good at this! But it held and played nicely! You’ve inspired me! I actually want to keep at it.

Thank you Mark. Thank you for your generosity and your diligence. Thank you for refining your craft and not falling into complacency with the rest of the industry.

Thank you" ~ Nate Smith

"After only a year of aural tuning lessons with Mark, I received the greatest complement I could wish for.  A client of mine, a concert pianist and piano teacher, is now recommending me as a tuner for his students.  I couldn’t be more pleased!  How has the course helped me?  I’ve definitely grown in my ability to tune clean, stable unisons.  I also now understand a solid procedure for doing aural tunings - something I struggled with before.  But I think the thing I most appreciate about the course is Mark’s common sense approach to what works … and WHY it works.  I never did understand the logic of those who say you just have to tune hundreds of pianos until you “get it”.  Mark’s methods make sense and have enabled me to consistently get better tunings faster. I also recommend pairing tuning lessons with Mark’s regulation and repair course.  Understanding the ‘regulation triangle’ has helped me grow significantly in my understanding of the complex interactions of settings within the action."  ~ Carroll Stevens, Piano Technician