Author Archives: blanton

Southern Piano Service Now Tuning Pianos In Richmond, Chesterfield, Midlothian, and Bon Air

mains accordant piano queueDoes your Piano need a little TLC? We’ve been tuning pianos and providing a wide range of related piano services in the Northern, Eastern, and Western part of the Greater Richmond Area. And now, we’ve started offering Piano Tuning in Richmond too, including in the Richmond Fan Area.

So if you live in the City of Richmond and your piano is giving off sour notes, don’t suffer needlessly. Just call me at 804-677-2416 and we’ll schedule a good time for tuning your piano. Better yet – send a text message!

You’ll be in good hands. Continue reading →

Piano Restringing Service

Piano restringingIf you found this page, you may have been looking for “piano restringing.” You may also be wondering what’s involved and whether you really do need that service.

First of all, most pianos do NOT need restringing. Most brands have strings that are designed to last several generations, and if you ever do have someone restring your piano, you can count on the new strings to last just as long. Your great-grandchildren will still be enjoying your piano when they have children and grandchildren themselves.

This means that restringing is not something that has to be done often, if at all. And that’s a good thing because Continue reading →

Piano Tuning Gift Certificates! Make Your Piano Sound Like New!

Santa Claus sitting in the arm chairWe’re heading towards the holidays, and you want your piano at its best! Do you need a new one? Not really, but you can make your piano sound like new… by having it tuned, and repaired if necessary.

Most people’s pianos don’t need repairs though, just their annual tuning, so if you haven’t had a chance to get yours tuned for a while, you can get it done now, in time for the holidays.

Get Your Piano Tuned For The Holidays!

Of course, January is coming up soon too, and maybe your New Year’s resolutions include practicing more again, or perhaps you have a child who wants to get started with lessons. Why not get things off to a great start right now, and you’ll be ready.

Make Your Piano Sound Like New!

Yes, make your piano sound like new, for the holidays and beyond. Of course you’re not the only one who would like a great-sounding piano, so make sure to call me soon so I can fit you in…

Schedule your tuning at 804-677-2488

Continue reading →

Piano Repair Services – And Piano Art

piano repair servicesYes, I provide piano repair services – but not usually piano art. I just found these cool piano images and wanted to share them with you.

Pianos sometimes really do refinishing, and the artists who have worked on the pianos you see on this page have taken their projects far beyond the usual level. These images come from a site called Morguefile and depict a series of pianos that have been artistically enhanced.

Piano Repair Services And Beautification

Imagine having a piano that’s badly in need of refinishing. You may or may not choose to actually have it artistically enhanced like the owners of the pianos on this page. Unfortunately, I’m no longer able to offer that service, at least for now.

piano-in-park-blue-earl53-file5393446f9f14d

A photographer who goes by the moniker earl53 uploaded them, and he must have been having a blast taking photographs of all those cool pianos.

And yes, of course people also played them, as you can see on the image below.

woman-plays-piano-parking-lot-earl53-file539342e0ed740

So while I no longer refinish pianos, I’ll happily tune and repair them. Let me know if I can help you with that.!

Questions? Just send me a text message at 804-677-2416.

Taking Care Of Your Piano

puppy-on-piano-anairam_zeravla-file5393416dc10a8As a proud owner of a piano, whether it’s an upright or a baby grand, you know how important it is to take care of your piano. After all, you want it to perform at its best for many years to come.

But what exactly does it mean to take care of your piano? Wiping it down with a dust cloth? Making sure the kids wash their hands before practicing their scales? Getting it tuned once a year?

All of the above are part of it, but there’s a lot more that doesn’t really meet the eye.

So what else do you need to do?

Give it some thought… Your piano is sensitive to temperature and its environment. Make sure it’s kept in a temperate room, away from excess heat or cold. Keep it away from drafts, whether they’re caused by leaky windows or by air conditioning vents.

And also keep it away from direct sunlight.

Why? You know why the cat likes to hang out in the sunny spot? Because it’s WARM. So sunshine filtered through window glass generates heat, and that’s not something you want your piano exposed to. Temperature fluctuations are not a good thing when it comes to musical instruments. They’re hard on the wood, and they can also make the piano go out of tune faster than normal.

Want more tips on how to keep your piano in shape? I’ve written a special report with 7 tips. Just type your contact info into the form below and I’ll send it to your email address right away!

Special Report Reveals How To Take Care Of Your Piano!

Get Your FREE “7 Piano Tips” Report Below:

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    Piano Restoration

    pinblock-old-and-new-smallSometimes, a piano may need more than just a good tuning or even minor repair. When it has been neglected for a long time, it may be a candidate for a full piano restoration – or piano refurbishing.

    For example, you may have inherited a piano that has been in storage for years – or even decades. If it is a high quality piano, it will be worth your while to invest in a restoration project. If you’re not sure, just call me at 804-677-2416.

    Other situations that may call for restoration? You may have stored your piano in the attic or the basement and rodents or other unsavory pests might have gotten into it (ugh!). Or it may have simply worn out. If it has a lot of wear and tear or similar damage, and you want it back in good working order, it’s time for restoration.

    What Happens During A Piano Restoration?

    During a piano restoration, the piano generally has to be taken apart and then rebuilt, depending on the damage that has occurred. Sometimes, the damage is mainly cosmetic. But other times, it may mean that various elements have to be refurbished or even replaced.

    In the image above, for example, you see two pinblocks. The left one is the “blank” one that will eventually replace the damaged one (but before it has been worked on). You see the marks that indicate where the holes will have to be drilled. The right one has been finished and is ready to be installed in the piano.

    As you can imagine, restoring a piano requires a lot of precision work. I LOVE restoring pianos to their old beauty, and their old functionality so they can be used once again to make beautiful music. I would be honored to work on giving your piano a whole new future.

    I will expand this section and explain in more detail what I do when I restore pianos. I’ll also include more before and after photos to illustrate the difference piano restoration can make. You may barely recognize your “old” piano once it’s been fully restored and fixed up.

    I have recently restored a piano that is now an absolute beauty! Please check back for the photos soon.

    So if you have a high quality piano that has fallen into disrepair and could use a lot of TLC, or if you know someone who has such a piano, please call me to get more information about what it will take to restore it and bring out its true beauty once again, both in terms of sound and appearance.

    And please don’t worry about your exact geographic location within Virginia. I will be happy to restore pianos even when they’re a little farther away.

    Questions? Just call me at 804-677-2416.

    Piano Repair – The Most Common Problems

    To keep your piano in good working order, it may sometimes need more than just tuning – it may need fixing too. Here are some of the most common problems that require piano repair:

    Piano Repair: Sticking/sluggish keys

    The most common problem arising in a piano (besides being out of tune) are keys that either don’t work at all, or work the first time they’re played, but then fail.

    Fortunately, better than 90% of the time (in my experience), this is something that is very simple and inexpensive to fix.

    In the other 10% of cases, usually a part is either broken or missing. For example, a hammer may have broken off. However, these issues can also be taken care of to the customer’s satisfaction and in a reasonable timeframe. They just may require a little more effort.

    Piano Repair: Buzzing and rattling sounds:

    Almost as common an issue as keys not working are the strange and unsettling sounds occurring when some of the many hundreds of screws inside the piano have become loose.

    Figuring out just where the errant sound comes from is the hardest part of this particular problem. Once the culprit has found, though, the solution is simple: Usually, tightening the loose screw(s) is enough to permanently banish the unpleasand sound effects.

    Many grand piano customers have experienced the joyful sound of music coming from a pen or pencil resting on top of the strings. No explanation is needed for how that happens or how to fix it.

    Damaged/chipped or dirty ivory keys

    Many older pianos still have their original ivory key-tops on them. It is common for some to become chipped after decades of use. Southern Piano has a large inventory of recovered ivory key tops, which allows us to match most any set of keys. It is worth noting, however, that if a large number of ivories have been damaged it may be less costly to have all the keys replaced with new keytops instead.

    Ebony key tops

    A less common than ivory repairs but still a very fixable problem presents itself when any of the sharp keys on a piano become missing or damaged.

    Dirty keys

    After decades of use, the keys become dirty. Sharps become dull and covered in caked grit and grime. Ivorys darken at the edges and begin to yellow. Careful cleaning can help restore the keys to something resembling their original state. Even some of the yellowing in the ivories can be reversed.

    As you can see, most piano repair needs are fairly straightforward and can be taken care of quickly.

    Piano Tuning

    Is your piano out of tune? You may wonder what to expect when you have a piano tuner come over in order to tune your piano.

    What I do during a Piano Tuning call

    Here’s what I do on a standard piano tuning call:

    Before I start the tuning itself, I check all the keys repeatedly to make sure they are playing to the customer’s satisfaction. Many times a customer will inform me over the phone that there are sticking keys or strange buzzing noises coming from the piano. One of the most challenging and satisfying parts of being a piano tuner is the mystery of diagnosing and then correcting these issues.

    Once the problems facing the piano have been addressed, I can then begin the actual piano tuning itself. Quite often the piano hasn’t been tuned in several years and is in need of pitch raising, (think tuning twice in one visit). Whatever the situation with the piano may be, I will always work with the customer to find the most appropriate and economical course of action to bring the instrument to its best potential.

    And of course, all this means that I’ll be doing this work wherever you keep your piano, usually at your home. Which areas do I cover? I tune pianos in all of the following Central Virginia areas (in no particular order): Ashland, Mechanicsville, Sandston, Montpelier, Goochland, Hanover, Beaverdam, Doswell, Manakin-Sabot, Oilville, and more. Of course I also move pianos and restore them, and for those types of assignments, I often go well beyond my normal area.

    Questions? Please call me to find out when I’ll be in your area and can take care of YOUR piano: 804-677-2416

    Piano Storage

    What do you do when you don’t have room for your piano temporarily and you need to find a safe piano storage solution? You might find yourself in this situation for a variety of reasons. Maybe you’re moving, or you’re living elsewhere for a period of time, or maybe you want to safeguard your piano for a family member…

    Safe Piano Storage

    Fortunately, there’s an easy solution: Southern Piano Service offers safe climate controlled piano storage for both upright and grand pianos.

    In fact, in the case of grand pianos, the instrument can be stored completely set up as if it were in your home. This is far better for a grand than the usual storage method where it is kept placed on its side in its moving configuration, especially if you have to keep it in storage for a longer time.

    Special Piano Storage Perks

    And here’s the best part: we’ll take REALLY good care of your piano while it’s in storage! Not only will it be safe and sound, and set up properly, but it’ll receive special VIP treatment too:

    Your grand or upright piano will even be played at regular intervals to ensure all the parts are working correctly and to hold any potential side effects of long-term inactivity at bay.

    How much will it cost? Our fees are very reasonable, especially considering the level of service we provide. Please call us for an estimate.

    There are a number of factors that determine the exact cost of piano moving and storage. You should know, however, that the first month’s storage fee is included in the cost of moving the piano.

    And you can rest assured that we’ll take excellent care of your piano and will return it to you in the condition it was when we picked it up (unless, of course, you ordered piano repair or refinishing etc., in which case it will return to you in BETTER shape!

    If you are in the greater Richmond area, in Central Virginia, Ashland, Charlottesville, or even further away, we’ll be happy to move and store your piano for you.

    Questions about your piano storage needs? Just call us at 804-677-2416.