Hi, I am Walter Bagnall RPT, located in Southern Ohio. I support the Piano Technicians Guild (PTG), the non-profit organization that administers Piano Tuning Certification exams. The PTG, formed in 1957, has the mission to encourage the highest possible standards of piano service by providing its members with opportunities for continuing development in skills and education. Members are guided by the PTG Code of Ethics. The PTG has fantastic educational resources and seminars for continuing education at various times and places throughout the country.
Better Music Piano Tuning, LLC fully complies with all federal and state laws, including those for the collection of sales tax, registration with municipalities, and those which prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, gender identity or national origin.
What education do piano tuners have? For any who may want to learn how to tune pianos as a career, the PTG and the nearest PTG chapter are great places to begin the journey. Nowadays there are only a few in-person schools for piano technology in the US, so many interested in becoming piano tuners learn through independent learning, correspondence or online. Whichever path you may pursue, completing the course and earning the educational certificate is the starting point of a lifelong education in piano technology. An educational certificate thus earned can be a source of pride and I applaud the student’s skill and tenacity to earn it, but it should not be confused with the established RPT certification. I recommend to all piano technicians who graduate from a piano technology course or mentorship to complete their suite of credentials and pursue the RPT (Registered Piano Technician) certification.
Please permit me to get on my soapbox and express my personal thoughts on the piano service industry in the U.S. , specifically on the increasingly important need for piano tuners to have official RPT certification. This subject is near and dear to my heart, as I have served on numerous occasions as an assistant examiner for RPT certification exams and have observed first hand the sincerity and hard work on all those involved in the exams, both the examiners and the exam candidates. The PTG exam committee has spent countless hours on the RPT certification exam criteria to ensure that the resulting credential meets all professional and legal requirements required for professional certifications in the U.S. Prior to me earning the RPT certification in 2019, piano owners in South Central Ohio had not had a certified piano tuner available for 20 years or more. There were some amateurs floating about throughout the years, and some of these ones are still tuning pianos around Chillicothe and Circleville. Many piano owners in this area have only known uncertified technicians and are simply unaware of the RPT credential and its added value to the consumer, the pianist, and the music student.
Most similar trades (electricians, plumbers, HVAC technicians, mechanics, etc) require tested state licensure or registration, as do occupations in healthcare and many other services. This is especially necessary when public safety is concerned. Piano service does not affect public safety, so appropriately, the state does not require a license. But this does not mean that there is no need for independent certification.
Naysayers are fond of repeating the adage that piano tuning is an unregulated trade, so they don’t need to get certified. I assert that this is not entirely the case. True, the government has not stepped in to enforce a licensure for piano tuning. But piano tuning is regulated in the sense that it is subject to the same laws as any other home service industry. The public expects any professional tradesperson who enters their home be both legally and fiscally responsible. In particular, laws regarding truth in advertising, paying applicable taxes, prohibiting discrimination and preventing trade monopolies. In my observation, many of the aforementioned naysayers use the excuse that ‘piano tuning is unregulated’ as an excuse to take undue liberties with other aspects of the law.
Historically, going back 150 years or more, there was not a consistent credential for piano tuning and service. Entry into the career was usually a long process of training through apprenticeship, and tuners built their clientele through reputation and personal references. Advertising was by newspaper classifieds and the yellow pages (remember those?). With demographic and technological changes in the last 15-20 years, in-home services like piano tuning have been transformed and the public expects more. How so?
- Unlike decades past, nowadays people expect transparency around who is coming into their neighborhoods, into their schools and churches, parking on their streets, interacting with their children, and entering their homes. This translates to the home service technician having professional attire, vehicle signage, registering with the appropriate municipality whenever required, carrying liability insurance, maintaining truthful advertising and having all required business licenses and credentials. In professional piano service this includes taking the exams and earning the official RPT Certification. There is no other piano tuning certification in the US which even comes close to the rigor and objectivity of the RPT certification.
- The cost of entry into the piano tuning business is much lower than it used to be. The basic piano tuning tools and most supplies can be easily purchased online, and electronic apps can be purchased inexpensively that enable a beginner to start to tune more quickly than ever before. This is great for the DIY-er ( I encourage anyone with the interest to give it a try), but for a professional tuner the bar is set higher.
- Advertising is inexpensive or free and has moved entirely online, so the consumer may have difficulty choosing a qualified technician for piano service. Search for ‘piano tuner near me’ and you will likely see a dozen or more technicians, less than half of whom have professional credentials. Technicians who do not advertise at all are usually, in my observation, trying to avoid legal scrutiny, particularly taxation.
- With the general diminishing of the acoustic piano industry in the last 30 years or so, there are very few in-person schools for piano tuning. There are several online schools now which have stepped up to the task and give most instruction via zoom or another interface. There are others who offer a mentorship program with instruction mostly online. This is a good thing! and kudos to both the instructors and to the students who do all the work. The problem that has arisen though, is that some who have completed such training make the claim they are ‘certified’ based simply on completing the course and getting a certificate. Such claims of ‘certification’ are ill-advised at best; in some cases downright fraudulent. There are some piano tuners in Ohio and elsewhere in the country who advertise to be ‘Certified’, but upon examination are not RPTs and are making a highly dubious claim of certification. I encourage such ones to pursue the RPT exams to legitimize their credentials.
- In general, for a Certification to be valid, it must issued by a third-party, independent source. If you don’t think independent certification is a good thing, just go ask Stockton Rush. In general terms, a primary standard of Professional Certification is that it is third-party and independent from training course providers. The basis of a reliable and authentic Certification is that a trusted third party tests the skills of the applicant with consistent, objective, and clearly defined criteria. In the U.S. piano industry the RPT Certification administered by the Piano Technicians Guild is the only Piano Tuning Certification which fulfills the independent third party requirement and maintains the rigor necessary to satisfy government regulators.
- Be aware that there are at least 3 persons or trainers of whom I am aware whose mentees/graduates are encouraged to advertise as ‘certified by <ABC>’ or the like. There are a number in the Dayton Ohio area who make such assertions. These claims are highly dubious for several reasons: a) the issuance of the supposed certification is dependent on paying for and taking lessons from the issuer, (ie: the decision to pass or fail a candidate is biased), b) the criteria of the exams is not open to inspection and cannot be verified or authenticated by independent experts, and most importantly c) the exams do not meet the independent third-party requirement.
- In terms of consumer protection, the piano owner needs to have a way to identify a responsible and trustworthy professional piano technician for service. Simply advertising on the internet as a piano tuner is not enough; the technician must have an authentic certification earned through an established, verifiable and independent testing procedure. Numerous times I have seen amateur piano tuners’ advertisements, both online and in print, which contain the word ‘certified’, or otherwise mislead customers to believe they have credentials. Business owners who maintain such advertising practices run the risk of violating truth in advertising laws. It is not an issue of whether their level of piano of service is good or bad; it is a case of business ethics. In my observation there are some shady actors out there whose business practices are deceptive. In some cases these ones have a long rapsheet for tax evasion, defaults on debt, and multiple bankruptcies.
- Many piano owners in Ross and Pickaway Counties are surprised to learn that one piano tuner who travels into Chillicothe from Pleasantville (near Lancaster in Fairfield County) has no certification, has been hauled into court for tax evasion 6 times and has filed for bankruptcy 3 or more times over a 30 year period, most recently in 2023. You deserve better than that.
- Another tuner in the Thornville area in Perry County makes the bald claim that he passed the tuning exam at a CTE (Certified Tuning Examiner) level, thus implying he is a both an RPT and a CTE. Closer examination shows this person to have never passed the official RPT tuning exam at all; he merely took a mock practice exam which doesn’t count for anything. This individual never became an RPT and likely never will.
- A tuner from Portsmouth in Scioto County advertises to be a ‘Certified Craftsman’. A nice sounding title, but with one problem… there is no such thing. The ‘Certified Craftsman’ designation was discontinued over 30 years ago, a time period in which the PTG revamped the exam process and existing tuners with the previous designation were grandfathered into the RPT certification, which must be maintained and renewed each year. To continue to advertise as a ‘Certified Craftsman’ knowing full well that the designation has been obsolete for decades is misleading to the public.
- There are two guys from the Dayton, Ohio area who advertise to be ‘Master Certified Piano Technicians’. Again, a nice sounding title, but there is no such thing; it is completely made up. Tech A and Tech B join together to define the requirements for their made-up certification. Tech A tests Tech B, and Tech B tests Tech A. Both technicians ‘pass’ with flying colors and award themselves the certification. An authentic certification just doesn’t work that way. These two need to learn something about ethics.
- Some technicians will refuse service to certain people due to their race or religion. In my time I have known two piano technicians who would not provide piano service to selected churches due to their personal religious beliefs differing from the customer’s. I am strongly opposed to this practice as it is unethical, illegal and in direct violation of federal and state non-discrimination laws, particularly the federal 1964 Civil Rights Act which prohibits discrimination based on race, color, * religion *, disability, and sex.
- A technician in West Virginia advertises to be a ‘licensed’ piano tuner, which implies passing of a certifying exam to obtain licensure as a piano technician. Closer examination shows that the person has not passed any examinations at all but has simply obtained a state Vendor’s license which is a basic requirement for all businesses and is obtained by simply paying a state fee. This person’s claim to be ‘licensed’ is deceptive advertising.
- A technician’s card I found in a piano in Gallia County showed ‘<Technicians Name>, APT’, seemingly to imply that he has some certification called ‘APT’. Sounds nice, but there is no such thing. It turns out he took a correspondence course from American Piano Tuning School and received a certificate; that’s all. It is not a certification. His advertising is deceptive.
- Having authentic Piano Tuning Certification as a Registered Piano Technician (RPT) is an important sign of trade legitimacy. Though not a legal requirement, it is a business requirement of the trusted piano service provider.
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In all fairness, though, the PTG is well supplied with both merits and demerits. In particular, the exam process is excessively cumbersome to many applicants. In the event of retakes, some have become frustrated and dropped out of the exam path. There are just too many hoops to jump through. Streamlining the exam process is a must, from the perspective of both the applicants and the administrators of the exams. Some parts of the exams and/or retakes could be moved online (proctor supervised), for instance. I am also in favor of having a continuing education (CE) requirement for the RPT certification, which is currently encouraged but is only voluntary. In my business career, it was taken for granted that a professional certification had CE requirements, which were sometimes as simple as viewing a couple webinars during the year. In short, I encourage the PTG to improve the efficiency of the exams while maintaining objectivity and excellence.
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— Additional Links you might find informative —–
Worthy Nonprofit Organizations:
PTG Foundation – The Foundation funds disaster relief and can in some cases pay a portion of the cost of an applicant’s RPT certification exams.
OMEA – Ohio Music Education Association – I am honored to serve regularly as piano tuner for several OMEA events in Southern Ohio.
MTNA – Music Teachers National Association
NAMM Foundation – Why Music Matters
PIPPA – Piano Industry Professionals & Producers – A relatively new organization with networking opportunities for anyone working in the US Piano Industry (including piano technicians)
Educational references:
PTG Education Hub – The PTG website now has an extensive website with videos and searchable articles etc. This is largely for continuing education, but the beginning technician will find it a useful resource as well.
Piano Technician Academy – Online courses for aspiring piano technicians. The PTA has developed over the past few years as one of the better online schools. Their trainers are RPTs, and graduates are well positioned to pursue the official RPT certification exams. I would encourage the PTA to reconsider the propriety of providing their graduating students with a credential called ‘CPT’ (Certified Piano Technician) as there is no evidence that it meets the basic requirement of third party independence.
The Butler School of Piano Technology – Staffed by some of the best RPTs in the country, the Butler School is an excellent online school. Graduates are prepared for the RPT exams.
North Bennet Street School – In-person vocational trade school; One of the best in the world. Their offerings include piano technology, violin making, bookbinding, Jewelry making, Locksmithing, preservation carpentry and cabinet making.
American School of Piano Tuning – Offers a series of correspondence lessons in basic tuning and piano repairs. Student receives a certificate of completion. Might be a good place to start, but graduates are unlikely to be sufficiently prepared to achieve official RPT certification.
PTG’s list of educational resources – Along the same lines as my own compilation of educational opportunities, the PTG has a reference page of references for student’s convenience, both within the US and outside the US. The PTG states that they do not specifically endorse or certify the training programs, but provide the references as a public service.
Online Piano Atlas – Find year of manufacture of your piano. There is a fee for this service, and an app version for smartphone.
Piano Life Saver System, made by the DamppChaser company, is recommended for humidity control in situations where it is impractical to control the entire room or house.
Calculate Temperature, Dewpoint, or Relative Humidity – one of several websites which enable the user to understand the relationship between temperature and relative humidity. There are also free phone apps available now which are quite easy to use.
Shopping for quality Pianos or Orchestra instruments? Check out these locations in Ohio:
BHA Piano Center – Dayton Ohio – A good place to shop for both new and affordable used instruments if you are in Southwest Ohio.
Graves Piano Co– Columbus Ohio (new and used pianos of a wide variety of makes). One of the largest inventories in Ohio. Their showroom is like a museum with many historic instruments.
The Loft Violin Shop – Columbus Ohio – Quality master-made violins, violas, cellos and other orchestra instruments.
Solich Piano – Columbus Ohio – both new and used pianos. If you are in the market for a brand new grand, this is a great place to begin looking. A fantastic new store location in the Easton Mall area (Northeast Columbus).
Kawai Piano Gallery of Ohio – Columbus Ohio – Central Ohio’s newest piano store at the Polaris shopping area north of Columbus. A great place to shop for new Kawai pianos.
BBB Music Center – Chillicothe Ohio – A fun place for local musicians to hang out and jam (mostly hand held instruments – no acoustic pianos). BBB is under new management as of 2023, and is a bright place for the music scene in southern Ohio.
Other Interests:
Chillicothe Ohio Chess Club -Meets approximately once a month in Chillicothe
Xiangqi for ChessPlayers – My personal page for Xiangqi instruction
Mound City Chapter of the Archaeological Society of Ohio – Youtube channel I manage for a local non-profit in Chillicothe Ohio.
740-466-9523
All expressions of opinion and all statements of supposed fact on this website are published on the authority of the author as listed, and are not to be regarded as expressing the view of the Piano Technicians Guild Inc. unless such statements or opinions have been adopted by the Piano Technicians Guild Inc.