Piano Tuner for Hawkes Bay including Hastings Napier Waipukurau

Caring for your piano

TUNING:

It is recommended the average piano be tuned once a year.  Every six months is optimal.  For teachers or professionals, two to four times a year. Concert pianos are tuned before every performance. Pianos left without tuning for many years can be problematic !

The major cause of pianos going out of tune is primarily weather and humidity fluctuation. This is followed by frequent and especially, heavy playing.

If a piano has not been tuned in many years, it will likely require a pitch raise before a fine tuning can be done (this will accrue an additional charge). However, one can still derive hours of personal enjoyment playing on a piano if necessary that it be tuned to a lower pitch.    

Leaving a piano too long without tuning is extra stressful for the piano when it is finally tuned. This can lead to individual strings breaking whilst being tuned due to corrosion and kinks in the strings on the coils and bearing points.

Be kind to your piano and tune it regularly!

It is advisable to engage a Piano Tuner/Technician registered with the Piano Technicians Guild.   It is also helpful to search the worldwide web for additional information regarding piano tuning and servicing.

SERVICING:

There are several types of “servicing” a piano might require.  Thousands of parts are inside your piano and they need to work together as a team to produce the proper touch and sound.  Servicing can run the gamut from a few simple adjustments for repairing the odd sluggish note to rebuilding the piano completely.  The most common items needing attention are:

• Repairing broken or missing parts and sluggish keys.
• Fixing squeaks, clacks, odd sounds and rubbing noises.
• Action regulation (adjusting the piano’s action for the most precise and responsive ‘touch’ ). Pianos which are out of regulation can feel sluggish or heavy and are often difficult to play expressively or evenly. 
• The regulation of the moving parts should be checked every 5 to 10 years and adjusted as needed.  This is a separate operation from the regular tuning, but is every bit as important for your piano’s performance!
• Damper adjustment or damper felt replacement (dampers stop the sound after you play)
•  Hammer felt renewal, voicing or replacement (this enhances the tonal quality & sound)
• Replacing the odd broken string 
• Recovering the odd keytop (Genuine ivory is no longer available)

I ONLY WORK ON ACOUSTIC PIANOS AND NO OTHER INSTRUMENTS.

Estimates of cost for tuning or repair are available at a reasonable charge. This will be refunded If the work is carried out.  A higher fee will apply for estimates and tunings if further than 20km from Hastings or Napier. Free discussion over the phone, but I cannot guarantee an estimate until I assess the piano with a visit.

Here’s a bit about Daniel Stabler ........

Since December 2010 Daniel and his wife now permanently reside in Hawkes Bay.  He is the exclusive piano technician for the Toitoi Opera House and Music Works, Hastings.

He enjoys gardening and horticulture on his intensive organic and biodynamic patch of land. 

Daniel’s work on pianos began in 1968 and has included complete rebuilding of fine instruments, regular tunings and repairs in homes, schools, churches, piano shops and concert tunings for famous soloists. He is an Australasian Registered Piano Technician and member of the Piano Tuners & Technician's Guild NZ.

His  interest in music began at an early age with studies in piano, clarinet, and progressing to the bass clarinet, tuba and finally, the double bass, composition and piano technology. He advanced his Double Bass performance and Piano Technology studies at the Interlochen Arts Academy(Michigan USA), and continued on with professional Double Bass performance studies at Juilliard School(New York), a fellowship at the Berkshire Music Festival at Tanglewood, Massachusetts, Manhattan School of Music(New York)  and Northwestern University(Chicago). 

Daniel trained for two years in an accredited Piano Technology course with Allen Fisher, PTG at Interlochen Arts Academy, Interlochen, Michigan USA and received two additional years of  coaching from Thomas Porter, master piano technician for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Northwestern University Music School. He regularly attended Piano Technicians Guild meetings in the USA.

Daniel immigrated from the USA in February 1997 to accept a full time permanent position as a Double Bassist with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra.  During this time, he obtained the degrees of BMus, BMus Hons, and MMus with First Class Honours from the University of Waikato.  He was also an APO double bass, chamber music and music composition mentor throughout  greater Auckland area schools.  

Additional  performance engagements included the New Jersey Symphony, Principal of the Omaha Symphony and Opera Omaha, Eugene Symphony and Opera, the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, Auckland Chamber Orchestra, Bach Musica, 175 East Contemporary Music Ensemble and his own jazz ensemble. 

Daniel retired from professional music performance in 2013 and devotes his time to tuning pianos, music composition, organic farming and horticulture in the Hawkes Bay region.                     

CONTACT 

Daniel Stabler, Piano Technician,  MMus, ARPT-PTTGNZ    Tuning since 1968

Email:  drs20002@hotmail.com

Land line:  (06)  876  0032  (Hastings)

Mobile phone:  (027) 782 – 4414

PO Box 875

Hastings  4156