Chillicothe Ohio
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Hi, I am Walter Bagnall RPT. I am certified as a Registered Piano Technician (RPT) with piano service experience since 1980. After gaining experience as an apprentice in the late ’70’s, I started my own business to tune professionally in 1980, continuing until about ’93-94. As my family grew and flourished I found other employment, eventually earning a degree in mathematics and accounting and having a successful business career in Columbus. In 2018 I returned to the piano technician field with renewed energy in the Chillicothe and Circleville areas and completed my professional Piano Tuning Certification exams in 2019. I am currently (as of 2024) the only RPT in an 11 county area in South Central Ohio.
Many of my clients ask, “What do the letters RPT represent?”. Others may ask, “Does piano tuning require a license?”, “What is the Piano Tuning Certification called?”, “How can I verify my piano tuner is certified?”, or “What education do piano tuners have?”. If you have wondered these things, please stay with me and read this page.
What is a Registered Piano Technician (RPT) ?
An RPT is a certified piano tuner, or more accurately a Registered Piano Technician. The piano tuning profession does not require a State license like many other trades, despite the fact that piano tuning is one of the most highly skilled trade occupations there is.
There is an established piano tuning credential however, administered by the non-profit Piano Technicians Guild (PTG). Most professional piano tuners begin their career by joining the PTG for the experience and to benefit from seminars and continuing education. They may seek out a mentor among the PTG members in their local chapter, and when they feel they are ready for the exams, pursue the RPT certification.
There are three RPT certification exams which take a total of nine hours. The first one is a one-hour multiple choice exam which tests general piano knowledge. The second exam tests technical skills in repairing and maintaining piano actions and parts. The third exam tests piano tuning knowledge and skills. The technical exam and the tuning exam are each 4 hours long and may be taken in any order. Both of these exams are completely objective and are very difficult, so tough that as many as half of the candidates do not pass the first time and must schedule a retake. Particularly, the RPT tuning exam requires the applicant demonstrate ability to tune two full octaves in the piano midrange completely by ear with no electronic tuning aid. Performing this tuning aurally tests implicitly the applicant’s mastery of the body of knowledge and skills that a professional piano tuner is expected to have. This includes the understanding of harmonics, the ability to hear the acoustic sounds, and the appropriate tuning method needed to meet stringent testing parameters. This proves to be very difficult for many candidates who have only learned to tune with visual electronics and they become discouraged, although with study, perseverance and practice they can usually pass in time. A visual electronic tuning aid may be used for the remaining 60+ notes.
The entire process of study and preparation to become a certified piano technician takes most candidates two years or more and costs several thousand dollars in exam fees and travel to exam sites. I have served as an official assistant for both the tuning and technical RPT exams, and in my opinion the rigor and objectivity surrounding the RPT certification exams surpass those of any similar trade. I encourage all piano technicians to pursue the exams and to persevere until they reach the RPT goal. Achieving the RPT designation is testimony to the technician’s commitment to the career.
Do it for your customers; they deserve it.
Registered Piano Technician RPT
There are currently fewer than 2000 RPTs in the US and Canada, mostly in urban areas. While my primary service area is mostly in Ohio around Chillicothe and Circleville, I am sensitive to the fact that many owners of fine pianos do not have a qualified RPT nearby. If you live in areas in Ohio around Gallipolis, Hillsboro, Jackson, Logan, Lucasville, McArthur, Peebles, Portsmouth, Rio Grande, Washington Court House, Waverly or Wellston, please give me a call and I will work in a time to get to your area.
RPT (Registered Piano Technician) has been the premier piano technician certification in the US and Canada for decades. The RPT exams have been adjusted and refined over the years, especially post-1980, to the point that I believe they are the best and most rigorous of any skilled trade. RPT exam procedures comply with standards of objectivity mandated by US regulations, thus assuring that exams are fair for all applicants.
Be an Informed Consumer
My personal opinion is that it is vital for piano tuners in current times to have official RPT certification. Although not a legal requirement, earning the professional RPT Certification is strong evidence of the technician’s professionalism and trade legitimacy. It is crucial in today’s business environment that the public can identify a professional piano service technician, someone who is both technically competent and financially responsible. Search for ‘piano tuner near me’ and you will find a dozen or more people advertising for piano service, but fewer than half of these have credentials. Worse yet, there are some who claim to be ‘certified’ based on taking some classes or mentorship and simply graduating and receiving a certificate from the education provider. For a certification to be valid and to meet professional standards, it must be from an independent third-party source, not from the training provider. The RPT certification is the only Piano Service Certification in the US which meets the test of being independent and third-party. Please view my Educational page to learn more about the preeminence of the RPT credential in the U.S. piano service industry.
To verify your piano tuner’s RPT certification, search the online Registered Piano Technician database:
RPT Database (Registered Piano Technician)
Additional credentials:
1980 National PTG Convention and Institute, Philadelphia PA
1983 Regional PTG Convention and Institute, Cincinnati OH
2018 Exam Seminar, Deer Park, Illinois – at this seminar I passed the first RPT exam
2018 National PTG Convention and Institute, Lancaster PA -at this convention I passed the RPT tuning certification exam
August 2019 I passed the Technical Skills RPT Certification Exam in Columbus Ohio. This completed my exams and after the results were verified I received the Registered Piano Technician certification in September 2019
2021 National PTG Convention and Institute, Orlando FL – served as an official RPT assistant for tuning certification exams
March 2022 I served as an instructor for vertical piano action regulation at an exam prep seminar hosted by the Columbus Chapter of the Piano Technicians Guild.
July 2022 I served as the official RPT assistant for a Technical Skills Certification Exam in Columbus, Ohio
2022 National PTG Convention and Institute, Anaheim CA -served as an official RPT assistant for tuning certification exams
February 2023 I served as the official RPT assistant for a Technical Skills Certification Exam in Columbus, Ohio
February 2023 I gave a technical presentation on the PTG Tuning Certification Exam in Columbus, Ohio
May 2024 I completed ‘Polyester and Lacquer Finish Touch Up Academy’ in Overland Park, Kansas:
Community
Better Music Piano Tuning has been a sponsor of the Kingston (Ohio) Youth League since 2023.
I play music regularly at nursing homes and assisted living facilities in the Chillicothe Ohio area. Over the past 15 years I have spent an estimated 600 hours in this satisfying activity, and I hope to continue as long as possible. Photo: Legacy Nursing Home, Chillicothe Ohio, January 27, 2024 :
I volunteer 6-8 hours each month for a local non-profit, the Mound City Chapter of the Archaeological Society of Ohio, primarily recording and editing videos for the MCC youtube channel.
I am a System Retailer and Certified Installer of the Piano Life Saver System, (made by Dampp-Chaser) which controls humidity level in a piano. I earned this certification through self-study and by completion of the Dampp-Chaser online exam. This is a factory product certification and is not to be confused with the independent RPT certification for piano technicians.
Locally, I am active in the Columbus (OH) Chapter of the Piano Technicians Guild.
I earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Mathematics and Accounting from the University of Rio Grande, 2002. In my (now retired) business career I passed Exams 1 & 2 of the Casualty Actuarial Society .
I have been a member Chillicothe Ross Chamber of Commerce in Chillicothe Ohio since 2022.
Ohio state law requires providers of in-home repair services, including piano tuners, to obtain a Vendors License and to collect appropriate sales tax for each county where work is performed. The city of Chillicothe and many other municipalities requires traveling service providers who perform work within the municipality to register with the Chillicothe city income tax department. Of course I comply with these legal necessities as well as all other laws applicable to a piano service business, including federal laws which regulate trade in ivory and federal and state laws which prohibit discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, gender identity or national origin.
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.
740-466-9523
Piano Tuner
Registered Piano Technician