Piano Technicians

Paul Adams began his career as a piano technician in New Jersey after earning his degree in music at Rutgers University in 1972.  Soon after establishing his business, Paul joined the Piano Technicians Guild (PTG) to learn all he could about his profession.  Within a few years it was Paul who was teaching classes and helping grow the guild.  He earned his Registered Piano Technician (RPT) certificate and has since been a strong leader within the PTG to grow the relevance and quality of the testing process for all tuners and technicians. Paul was elected to the PTG National Board a

Rick Baldassin is the President and Founder of Baldassin Pianos in Salt Lake City, Utah.  As a piano technician, Rick has been an active and passionate member of the Piano Technicians Guild (PTG) both serving with his local chapter as well as on the board of the guild.  Over the years he has developed a strong knowledge of the inner working of the piano action and the role and construction of the hammer.  As a result he has provided countless training classes for the PTG attendees to help grow the knowledge and credibility of the guild and technicians the world over.

Wally Boot spent 52 years working in the Steinway & Sons piano factory on Long Island New York! As it turns out, Wally was born on Steinway Street, just down the road from the factory. All three of his brothers worked for Steinway and after Industrial Arts School, Wally joined them in 1962. He began working in the action department but worked in every department over the next five plus decades. For many years before his retirement in 2014, Wally worked in the Tone Regulation Department where he was the last employee to check each piano before it left the factory.

Bill Brandom enjoyed playing piano as a kid and was even voted “most musical” in high school.  He later was given a book on piano tuning, which changed his life because he realized it would be his passion.  He attended a piano tuning school and opened his own shop in Kansas City before being asked to join the Yamaha team in 1980.  His first role with the company was to manage the service department for the Everett Piano factory in Michigan, which was owned by Yamaha at the time.  He later moved to the Yamaha corporate headquarters in California and joined the Yamaha piano service

DW Caffey was very young when he found himself enamored with the piano.  In 1940, when he was just fifteen years old, DW taught himself how to tune pianos.  He read a book and asked an old time tuner a few questions and was soon hired by a music store.  He worked for several piano stores in Mississippi during his long career including Allegrezza Pianos in Ridgeland, where he was interviewed in 2012.  He never let his blindness limit him and in fact he proudly taught others his craft at the Mississippi School for the Blind for over 32 years.  At the time of the interview DW had bee

Norman Cantrell attended the University of Oklahoma City where he earned his degree in music education. He soon realized his passion was not in teaching but rather in piano repair and tuning. As a teenager, he studied the craft for several years with a local technician, which included installing pipe organs, and after college realized it really was what he loved to do. Norman opened his own shop in 1984 and worked closely with area piano stores, including Sharp & Nickels, tuning their floor models. When a piano was sold, the store would recommend Norman go to the customer's ho

Claudio Capponi is a musical instrument technician with a passion for the Farfisa Organ, after all he worked for the company for many years. His interest and dedication to the instrument and its history led him on a fascinating journey to create the Farfisa Museum in Camerano, Italy. Along the way, he has collected many instruments made in the factory as well as company documents and photographs. Claudio has his own business in restoring and tuning instruments with a special focus on the piano.  

Jeff Chafin worked side by side with his father, the founder of Chafin Musiccenter for many years.  Jeff learned many key elements to the business that has served him well since taking over the company.  Among the lessons he learned, nothing is more important than service!  And service seems to be Jeff's middle name.  The store in southeast Florida includes a large sheet music department, repairs for brass and guitar and Jeff himself is very active in piano tuning.  Jeff has become the "go to" guy for pianos in the area, which include large concert halls and the homes of  those wh

Bruce Clark was interviewed for the NAMM Oral History program during the 2015 Piano Technician Guild’s (PTG) annual convention in Denver, Colorado in July 2015.  During his interview he covered his passion for music and well as his long association with the piano industry.  Much of his design work has been related to his association with the Mason & Hamlin Piano Company.  Over the years, Bruce has been a passionate spokesman for the company, which was established by Henry Mason and Emmons Hamlin in Boston back in 1854.  In addition to his role with Mason & Hamlin, Bruce ha

Chris Climer wanted to play the piano and organ when he was 16 years old.  He did not have the money to purchase an instrument so he made an arrangement to work in a music store in Arkansas to earn the money to make the payments –and he has been in the industry ever since!  He learned to deliver and service pianos before he was given the opportunity to sell the instruments.  Chris took a liking to the process and relocated to Dallas in 1969 to work for Goodman Music.  In 1980, Chris and his wife opened the Family Music Center in Dallas and designed the website www.worldwidepianos.

Jim Coleman Jr. has proudly served as president of the Piano Technicians Guilds (PTG) Board as well as provided classes and training for its members.  He grew up in the industry and followed in his father’s footsteps, who also served the PTG over his long career.  In addition to tuning, Jim Jr. began creating his own tools at an early age.  Feeling the tools he made could be of benefit to his fellow piano technicians, he opened his own company.  The Coleman Tool & Supply Company offers products such as the 20 Degree Tuning Head, temperament strips, string sealer, key pin polis

Jim Coleman Sr. recalled watching his father, a true traveling music man, tune a piano when Jim was just a boy. He not only went on to make a career of tuning, but set standards for testing tuners for the Piano Technician’s Guild. Over his long career, Jim owned and operated his own music store in Arizona where he began teaching the fine craft of piano tuning. For a while Jim worked for Conn and Baldwin but found his greatest interest was in the developing world of electronic piano tuning tools. Along with his long time friend, Al Sanderson (also interviewed for his collection), t

Kevin Crossley studied as a classical pianist and technician before he started working for SIR (Studio Instrument Rentals) in 1974. While he was based in Los Angeles, he traveled often to work in San Francisco and New York City. The company always had a need for a tuner to ensure their Fender Rhodes, Hohner Clavinets, and Wurlitzers arrived in the studios properly tuned and ready for the session. In many cases, he also tuned the studio or grand pianos that were supplied to venues by SIR. After a brief stint with Bill Tsumpes at the Chicago branch, Kevin returned to L.A.

Richard Davenport was the winner of the 2022 Golden Hammer Award, the highest honor bestowed on members of the Piano Technician's Guild. The award comes after a long and influential career that has included his own amazing career as a technician and his inspiring seminars and clinics that have aided the education of the next generation. Working in the Hollywood movie and recording studios, Richard gained a reputation for quality craftsmanship and the willingness to help out even at the last minute. As a result, he has worked on several high-profile projects for leading artists suc

Steve Dawe grew up surrounded by music! His mother was a piano teacher and he studied the trumpet in college, but ultimately gravitated to the Hammond B3 as his primary instrument on stage. A 25-year career in electronics followed, though his love of music never left him. Motivated to return to music, he took a yearlong intensive tuning and rebuilding class taught by Frank Hansen under the auspices of New England Conservatory of Music. Afterwards he was asked to be a piano tech for 11 weeks for the famous Tanglewood music program, where he honed his skills. The experience cemented

Patrick Draine is the piano technician who established the Draine Piano Services, offering tuning, repair, regulation and voicing in the greater Boston area.  Patrick joined the local chapter of the Piano Technicians Guild (PTG) in the late 1970s and has been active in the organization ever since that time.  After qualifying as a Registered Piano Technician, Patrick helped the PTG strengthen the exam process and helped expand the training available to members both during the annual conferences and at the local chapter level.

David Durben grew up in Fargo, North Dakota where he forged a career as a piano technician. After forming Durben Piano Services, David worked with area schools and churches as well as the local Baldwin dealer to repair and tune their pianos. His passion for the craft led to his involvement with the Piano Technicians Guild (PTG) for which he served on the board and as president. The guild was expanding their scope when he was president (1998), especially regarding their training and certification programs, which were very important to David as they helped elevate the role of the pi

LaRoy Edwards was the celebrated piano technician who began his long association with Yamaha back in 1961, the year before the company officially entered the United States market. Along the way he helped create the bond assurance program for retailers to track customer satisfaction, and the Little Red School House program for piano tuner training on new products. LaRoy was the first person to receive the Yamaha Life Time Achievement Award, an honor that was deeply meaningful to him.  

G. Frank Emerson is a piano designer whose roots are firmly based in piano technician training and experiences he was involved with in the early part of his career. He became a well respected piano designer for the Baldwin Piano Company in the 1970s while continuing to support the Piano Technicians Guild, for which he has often provided educational presentations. Frank was hired by Hailun Piano Company, based in China, and has since worked with the factories to implement the craftsmanship needed to build the instruments he has designed. He was awarded the Friendship Medal, China’s

Delwin Fandrich, as a teenager, often spent time with his older brother Darrell, who was a piano technician. Delwin slowly developed his own skills with the trade and focused on learning all he could about the design of the pianos he worked on. After serving in the US Air Force during the Vietnam War, Delwin returned to work with his brother before opening his own piano shop. He continued with his education in piano designs, which served him well when manufacturers called on him for his expertise. These included the Baldwin Piano Company and the Charles Walter Piano Company.

Russ Fontaine  played the organ, with a special affinity for the Hammond B3, since he was seven years old. His father was an organist and saw to it that Russ take piano and organ lessons. Russ performed with a number of rock and dance bands for over 30 years all the while having a day job, which began as a music retailer and soon developed into being a piano technician. His retail jobs date back to the 1970s and included work for Lundearly Music as well as Darrell’s Music Hall in Nashua, New Hampshire. In recent years while continuing to perform whenever he could, Russ finds himse

Kayoko Forrest was born in Japan and always felt drawn to music and in particular the piano. After moving with her mother to the United States, Kayoko played in the school music program. Interestingly, Richard Davenport, who would later become a mentor to Kayoko, was her teacher. While earning her music degree at California State University Northridge, she worked every other Saturday at David Abell’s famous piano store in Beverly Hills. It was a wonderful learning opportunity and David became a great inspiration for Kayoko and her developing career.

Jim Geiger’s first memory of hearing a piano was when his mother carried him into church in her arms. By the age of seven, he was taking lessons and within ten years he was being trained as a piano technician. The occupation fit him perfectly and he soon discovered that the greatest reward was not in being paid, but rather the fact that he was allowing his customers to make music again. Jim maintained the pianos at several colleges over the years including Houston Community College and Morehead State University where he often served informally as a counselor while there to tune th

Wilhelm Gertz was often seen working on the action of a vintage grand piano whenever you stopped to visit him in his store. After all, he has been doing this same thing most of his life. He was born into a family in Germany who ran the largest piano company in the country. He learned the craft, which he proudly passed along to his son. The W. Gertz Piano Company was located in New Haven, Connecticut, where his son carries on the family traditions.  

Hershel Green spent much of his career in the piano and organ field, working as salesman, technician, and tuner. Along the way, he gained the respect of reps and dealers alike. As a side hobby, Hershel collected Hammond clocks and items regarding the history of the man who made those clocks and went on to create the Hammond Organ Company, Mr. Laurens Hammond. Hersh was a long time member of the National Piano Travelers Association and a strong supporter of the NAMM Oral History program for many years.  In 2019 he was presented the NAMM Believe In Music Award for his dedication to

David Horine opened a small piano store in Bloomington, Illinois in the 1980s.  David became a piano technician and gathered a nice reputation for tuning and repairs before he decided to open his own retail store.  He found in short order that his customers were eager to try new models of the Steinway pianos he had to offer, and a long and successful career in music retail followed.   David is very proud of the fact that his son has joined the team as both a salesman and piano technician.

Lucien Hut dedicated his entire career to teaching, selling, restoring and designing the piano!  As a retailer he established Pianos International in Colorado.  He later moved to Montana where he taught at the university for several years.  His interest and involvement in music began when he received piano lessons as a ten year old boy during World War II.  He later studied to be a piano technician and even designed several models for the Young Chang Piano Company.

Jane Jones began her career as a piano technician while working in music retail.  She noticed pianos in the repair shop lined up and wanted to do all she could to get those instruments back in the home making music.  She began teaching herself as a tuner and soon joined the Piano Technicians Guild (PTG) to take classes and gain her certification.  Since that time she has been a strong supporter of the guild and has worked both as a technician as well as on the manufacturer’s side of the business.  Jane is the current Service Manager for Samick Piano Company.

Dean Kramer's deep-rooted passion for music stems from his upbringing in a family immersed in musical traditions. With a mother who dedicated six decades to teaching and playing piano and organ, and a father who served as a pastor, Dean's childhood was rich with musical influences. From an early age, he honed his skills on the trumpet and piano, and eventually led his church choir for more than two decades. Inspired by his uncle Russell, a pianist, Dean found himself drawn to the art of piano restoration and tuning, a craft he began mastering as a young enthusiast.

Jerry Lard was a piano technician in the Muscle Shoals area of Northern Alabama. The region is famously known for its string of recording studios, where Jerry served as a trusted technician for more than 50 years. He tuned pianos for a number of music stores throughout the area, beginning with Forbes in Birmingham. After attending piano technician school in Georgia, Jerry found his way to Muscle Shoals, where he also provided tuning services for local colleges. Throughout his career, he earned a reputation for his craftsmanship, reliability, and dedication to the art of piano tech

Carl Lieberman has a fascinating career as a piano technician. Not only does Carl tune and maintain the pianos for recording studios in Southern California, for over 50 years he has provided this service for the Princess Cruise line. His parents owned the first Yamaha piano store in the United States, where Carl had access not only playing the instruments but learning to tune and repair them. He tuned pianos for many of the clubs in Los Angeles including the Roxy Theater and the Troubadour. Working for The Village Studios in Santa Monica, Carl lent his skills to hundreds of record

Prenta Ljucovic immigrated to the United States from Yugoslavia in 1973. A friend from back home suggested that she seek a job with Steinway & Sons, especially given her pervious training with woodwork. Speaking no English, Prenta began working in the factory on Long Island assembling keyboard beds. She fell in love with the work and her co-workers and has been a proud member of the Steinway family ever since.