Piano Tuning
How to Schedule:
Find the dates below for your respective city.
Select a time for your chosen date.
Enter your information, and you will receive a confirmation email. You will also receive a reminder email 24hrs before the appointment.
.WINTER TUNING ROSTER
Nov. 20 (Wed) - Fergus Falls
Nov. 21 (Thur) - Fergus Falls
Nov. 22 (Fri) - Fergus Falls
Nov. 23 (Sat) - Alexandria
Nov. 24 (Sun) - Alexandria
Nov. 25 (Mon) - Detroit Lakes
Nov. 26 (Tue) - Warroad / Roseau
Nov. 27 (Wed) - Warroad / Roseau
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Dec. 2 (Mon) - Fergus Falls
Dec. 3 (Tue) - Fergus Falls
Dec. 4 (Wed) - Fergus Falls
Dec. 5 (Thur) - Fergus Falls
Dec. 6 (Fri) - Fergus Falls
Dec. 7 (Sat) - Fergus Falls
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Dec. 14 (Sat) - Alexandria
Dec. 15 (Sun) - TBD
Dec. 16 (Mon) - Fargo / Moorhead
Dec. 17 (Tue) - Fargo / Moorhead
Dec. 18 (Wed) - Fargo / Moorhead
Dec. 19 (Thur) - Detroit Lakes
Dec. 20 (Fri) - TBD
Dec. 21 (Sat) - TBD
Dec. 22 (Sun) - TBD
Dec. 23 (Mon) - Thief River Falls
Additional information listed below. Don’t see your city? Specific questions / date constraints? Send Brayden an email.
If the dates above DO NOT work for you:
Brayden can swing by on a day in which he is in a city/region within about an hour’s drive. For example, if you live in Fergus Falls or Detroit Lakes, he can come by on one of the “Fargo/Moorhead” days. It will likely be on the earlier or later end of the day, so please send an email inquiring about this (so it can be planned accordingly).
As he has been doing for the last few years, Brayden can tune the piano even if you are not home. Roughly 15-20% of people utilize this option in normal times, due to work or such. More info about this can be found below.
Brayden can swing by on the next tuning roster, and an exact date/time of your choosing can almost certainly be scheduled. Please send an email to confirm this option.
FAQ
How often should my piano be tuned? There’s the technical answer… and then the practical answer. Piano manufacturers recommend having the piano tuned every six months. And if it’s a new piano, it should be tuned four times in the first year to retain the stretch of the strings. That’s the technical answer. But the practical answer is that the average (non-brand-new) piano which receives light use and is in a house with a well-regulated climate should be able to last a year between tunings. Therefore, the practical answer is that most pianos should be tuned once per year.
What causes my piano to go out of tune? Piano strings are held in tune by metal pins that are drilled into a big block of wood, called the pinblock. These are stretched over a large and thin piece of wood, called the soundboard. As the weather fluctuates - especially in our region - the wood contracts and expands. As the soundboard “warps,” the 18 tons of string tension will physically pull the piano out of tune. This constant pull affects ranges of the piano disproportionally. As such, the top range (with 4-5 inch strings) usually goes out first, and the longer 5 foot bass strings slowly follow the lopsided demise. The longer and longer the piano goes out of tune, it creates a basket case of problems for the next tuner; as well as (usually) necessitates needing to be tuned more than once. If I have tuned for you in the past, I will contact you annually to stay in rotation on the tuning roster.
My piano hasn’t been tuned in years, but sounds fine. Does it really need to be tuned? Even if your piano sounds “equal,” it has almost certainly fallen from concert pitch. In all honesty, it’s a lot more likely that you’ve gotten so used to an out-of-tune piano that you can’t remember what an in-tune piano sounds like. Despite sounding equal to itself, the strings have slipped down so much in pitch that anything outside the world of that piano is in a completely different pitch. If you play along with a violin or a flute, they will have to tune down to match that dull flatness of pitch. Singers can squeeze their butt to slightly sharpen their pitch; there is no obverse trick to match a flat piano. Playing along with your favorite pop song or a CD will gradually sound more and more like a train whistle’s duel clashing pitches. This principle is especially damaging for students, if they grow up never knowing exactly what it means to be on pitch. Therefore, even if your piano sounds “ok” after a few years, it still needs to be tuned annually to avoid slipping further and further into the abyss.
Can I tune my piano myself? Despite the encouragement you might get from a YouTube video, I strongly recommend not trying to tune the piano yourself. Let me say that again: I strongly, strongly, recommend not trying to do it yourself. Not only is there severe risk of damage to the instrument, but also to your person. Each string holds between 150-180lbs of tension, and can only withstand a certain range of tension. If somebody (who doesn’t know what they’re doing) accidentally turns the wrong pin (out of 220+), or even cranks the correct pin just a bit too much, all 150-180lbs of that wire will snap and go flying like a stray bullet. Most recently, I met somebody out in “lake country” that tried to tune for themselves, and was left with a nice deep gash going across their palm. Importantly, piano tuners use a very precise set of tools made specifically for pianos. Without these tools, it’s like a surgeon using a vegetable peeler in the operating room - It’s not exactly going to end well. In all seriousness, piano tuning is a very complicated precision trade which requires years of training. Most people who try to tune their piano end up having to call in a professional to fix their attempt, and create many problems that require more work than just a standard tuning. Don’t put yourself through the misery and multi-day stress of trying to do it yourself. A piano tuner can do it in less than two hours with much less risk and significantly more precision.
How much does tuning cost? Tuning costs $220. This includes the tuning itself, as well as checking for mechanical functionalities (such as stuck keys, displaced jacks, ringing noises, misaligned dampers, disconnected pedals, etc). I run a full diagnostic on every piano, and explain any issues in understandable terms and examples. Depending on your location, there may also be an additional charge for mileage.
Do I have to be at home when you tune my piano? It is not required. On average, about 15-20% of people coordinate for me to tune their piano while they are at work or out of the house. I’ll send you a text/email when I arrive, as well as when I leave. Depending on what works best logistically for you, we can easily coordinate this option via email.
Do I have to cage my cats or dogs? I have three dogs myself, and am perfectly fine with cats. A barking dog can make the tuning more difficult, but I understand that they just want to say hello. In general, the quieter the space, the more accurate the tuning. If you pets are quiet and just want to chill, they are more than welcome to lounge around. For example, one of my dogs loves to curl up under the piano bench when I play. It’s only been one time that I had a cat jump up and try to play a modern piece with its feet.
Can my kids watch you tune the piano? Of course! Forget what they say about the cat being curious. Curiosity is an important trait, and should always be nurtured. Just like the insides of a Lamborghini or a Rolex watch, many kids are surprised to see the insides of a piano and learn more about how it works. Curiosity usually wanes, as the bulk of tuning is listening to precise wire frequencies. Therefore, I suggest watching for a few minutes at the beginning, and a few minutes at the end.
Tuning Worldwide
In this photo, Drevlow is deep in the Sahara Desert, tuning one of the only pianos in the African country of Sudan. Dressed in a traditional robe and turban, he is preparing to perform a solo piano concert.
While traveling around the world, Drevlow tunes his own pianos prior to concerts; in some of the most extreme and adventurous places, from Kyrgyzstan to Zanzibar.
Yakutsk, Siberia
Coldest city on the planet
Why I Tune Pianos
“No matter how well you play, it can’t mask an out-of-tune piano.”
A few years ago, I was performing piano concerts in the Caribbean. I showed up for the concert, and was surprised by the piano…it had gone through two category 5 hurricanes, and hadn’t been tuned up yet. From that day forward, I pledged to myself that I’d learn how to tune/regulate pianos. Even though I was a professional concert pianist, I didn’t know much about the inner workings. Afterall, it’s complicated. Most pianos have over 10,000 moving parts! Even if you can crack into the piano and find the correct wrench to fine-tune the 220+ pegs, there’s a lot of additional math to get the correct sound. A “perfectly tuned” piano would sound horrible - a complicated physics quandary that goes back to the time of Bach. As a tuner, I essentially listen very closely for, and adjust, exact frequencies. With that and other variables, the piano has to be strategically tuned sharp and flat to get the correct harmonious sound. It’s complicated! Every piano is different, and requires a unique, individualized tuning.
Perhaps the hardest things about being a touring pianist is that you can’t just bring your own piano for concerts - you have to use whatever you’re dealt with. Even if you‘re playing for the President of the United States. I regularly tune pianos for my touring concerts all over the world; in Lithuania, Hong Kong, Germany, Sudan, Belarus, Turkey, Ukraine, etc. It has saved me in countless situations. No longer are the days of playing a piano that sounds like it fell down a flight a stairs. No matter how well you play, it can’t mask an out-of-tune piano. I promise. Everyone can hear it.
For quite some time, I would only tune my own concert pianos, or for friends/family on request. But lots of people kept asking me to help them out. I came to learn that I was one of the only tuners left in the region. However, one in three Minnesotan houses have a piano! Myself, I have five. Especially in the extraordinarily fluctuating Minnesota weather, it means that there’s a lot of untuned pianos out there. As a professional pianist and someone that has the “know-how,” I feel it’s my duty to help fix the problem.
To schedule a tuning, please use the system above, or send me an email with the button below. Depending on the state of the piano, tuning usually takes around 90-100 minutes. This costs $220/piano. Beside tuning, I also always check for mechanical errors (sticky keys, detached pedal, etc).
If you have any questions/concerns, please do reach out. Thank you!
Service Region
Brayden Drevlow services the broader Northwest Minnesota / Northeast North Dakota region. He is based out of Thief River Falls and Dubai (United Arab Emirates).
For clarification, service cities include: Thief River Falls, Middle River, Grafton, Michigan, Cavalier, Pembina, Drayton, Karlstad, Warren, Argyle, Newfolden, Greenbush, Roseau, Hallock, Warroad, Baudette, International Falls, Mizpah, Blackduck, Red Lake, Bemidji, Becida, Park Rapids, Menahga, Walker, Motley, Little Falls, Staples, Long Prairie, Pequot Lakes, Brainerd, Osakis, Glenwood, Starbuck, Morris, Elbow Lake, Hoffman, Wahpeton, Wheaton, Detroit Lakes, Mahnomen, Crookston, Fargo, Wadena, Alexandria, Fergus Falls, Henning, Battle Lake, Richville, New York Mills, Perham, Vergas, Frazee, Pelican Rapids, Rothsay, Barnesville, Hawley, Fargo Moorhead, Kindred, Casselton, Tower City, Lisbon, LaMoure, Ellendale, Edgeley, Aberdeen, Jamestown, Valley City, Devils Lake, Grand Forks, Red Lake Falls, Fosston, Bagley, etc.