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We rebranded to Burd and Sons to reclaim our family’s original name and build a brand that stands for more than just “tuning” — while retaining the same craftsmanship, service area, and values. Customers who used to know us as St. Louis Piano Tuning or St. Louis Pianoworks will find we still offer the exact same services and quality.
Read this short article for my best answer to this oft asked question.
Probably not! Here’s why.
This is probably our most frequently asked question. Almost all manufacturers suggest tuning a new piano four times in the first year and then twice per year thereafter. At a minimum, a piano should be tuned at least once a year. Click here for a much more detailed answer, or click here to use our quick and easy calculator to get our customized results for your specific situation.
Follow this link to learn more about the process of tuning a piano.
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For churches and schools, we will invoice if needed.
We offer a 5% discount for cash payments.
I tuned strictly by ear (starting with just a tuning fork) for 20 years. I continuously rejected the idea that electronics could make an improvement over centuries-old methods. Then a highly respected colleague insisted that I watch him use an ETD (electronic tuning device). I was amazed – the added visuals and precision can tell us things that we simply could not detect by ear alone. I adopted an ETD into my routine, and indeed, it made my tunings even better. I do not rely on the ETD alone, I still listen as carefully as ever. I do not use an ETD to tell me what to do, rather I use it as an additional valuable tool to help me decide what is optimal for bringing out the very best in your piano. Even though I have taught my sons to tune using an ETD, they have been educated in aural tuning and tuning history. More about tuning here.
No, but I can play it’s scales!
A piano tuner only tunes pianos, while a piano technician is fully qualified to diagnose, service, and repair complex issues with the piano action, keys, pedals, strings, and dampers, etc… It is not insulting or incorrect to refer to a piano technician as a piano tuner, but no one who only tunes pianos should call themselves a piano technician.
Sadly, the field of piano technology is not regulated by any government or official agency. Several organizations exist in order to give customers a level of confidence in the person you are hiring. In the U.S., the primary titles that you might see are certified, registered, and master.
The term “Certified Piano Technician” is generally given to those who have completed a course in piano technology. No other qualifications are implied by this title.
The title “Registered Piano Technician” (RPT) is given to those who have successfully completed a series of 3 tests which are administered by the Piano Technicians Guild. Most good technicians can accomplish this within 5 or so years of piano tech experience. Hiring a tech with this designation does not guarantee top-notch work, but it does let you know that the tech is qualified to do most field work and is not a novice.
In order to be bestowed the title of “Master Piano Technician” (MPT), one must have an impressive resume and considerable experience. Membership in this organization is exclusive, and new members must be approved by a vote of current members at the annual Master Piano Technicians of America convention.
This is not an exhaustive list of designations that have been given to piano techs, but these 3 are the most common. Even though the titles come from different sources, it may be useful to think of them in the standard trade terms of Apprentice, Journeyman and Master.
What is a pitch raise (pitch adjustment)? Regulation? Hammer reshaping and voicing? What do all of these things mean and does my piano need them? These terms are explained in detail in our glossary.
In short: A pitch raise handles the structural tension of the strings, while regulation and repair fix the mechanical parts. If your piano has sticking keys, a broken pedal, or clicking noises, those require targeted mechanical repairs, not just a standard tuning. I bring all the necessary specialized tools to handle these field repairs during our visit.
“How much is it to tune or repair a piano?”
Nationally, the average piano tuning price is between $150 and $250, while minor repairs or structural adjustments vary depending on parts and time. The price varies with the skill level of the technician, location, and what is included in the service.
Keep in mind that while price is a factor, the quality of the work and the specific mechanical needs of your piano should be the primary consideration. A higher initial cost is absolutely worth it if a master technician can diagnose and repair underlying action or structural issues that a cheaper, less-experienced service might completely miss, saving you thousands of dollars in the long run.
This will be covered in detail in a blog post soon, but in brief:
A piano’s true value though, lies in what it’s worth to you and your family. Kept in good playable condition, your piano is priceless!
You can schedule an evaluation of your piano if you’d like to know more about it’s condition and market value.
Most likely! I have information on upgrading specific systems available on this site.
To learn more, select the maker of your system below.
Use our Pitch-Checker Tool and then read my short blog post on this for a good answer!
Yes! Click here to find our list of recommended and vetted St. Louis area piano teachers.
Sticking or sluggish piano keys are rarely caused by a broken part; they are almost always a mechanical friction issue. A piano action contains thousands of moving parts made of wood, felt, and metal pins.
The three most common causes are:
Humidity Swelling: The wooden key leads or the small felt bushings surrounding the center pins swell up in high humidity, pinching the moving parts.
Corroded Center Pins: The tiny metal pivots can develop invisible corrosion over time, creating friction in the wippen or hammer flange.
Foreign Objects: It is incredibly common to find coins, pencils, or decades of debris wedged between the key sticks or inside the key bed.
Fixing this requires a professional diagnosis to ease the felt or lubricate the action centers using specialized lubricants.
Never use household lubricants like WD-40, which will permanently ruin the wood and felt action components.
An unexpected buzz or rattle when a specific note is struck can be incredibly annoying, and the source can range from a minor fix to a major structural issue.
When diagnosing a buzzing piano, we check for a few typical culprits:
Soundboard Bridges: If the wood of the soundboard dries out and splits, or if a bridge pin becomes loose, the string will vibrate violently against the wood.
Loose Hardware: Frequently, the buzz isn’t inside the piano at all. It can be loose hinges on the piano lid, a loose music desk prop, or even a picture frame sitting on a nearby shelf in the room vibrating in sympathy with the piano’s sound waves.
Loose Ribs: The supporting wooden braces glued underneath or behind the soundboard can pull away slightly over time, causing a loud vibration under heavy playing.
During a service appointment, I locate the exact frequency causing the resonance and stabilize the component to restore a clean, pure tone.
While tuning adjusts the pitch of the strings, regulation is the comprehensive adjustment of the piano’s mechanical action to ensure it responds perfectly to your touch. Over years of playing, the felt cushions compress and the wooden and leather parts wear down, causing the touch to feel uneven, heavy, or unresponsive.
Your piano likely needs to be regulated if:
The keys feel completely uneven as you play up and down them.
You cannot play a note softly without it skipping or dropping out entirely.
The keys feel “mushy” or lose their crisp mechanical feedback.
The hammers are double-striking the strings on a single key press.
A full regulation involves adjusting the key height, lost motion, hammer let-off, backchecks and numerous other parts to their original factory specifications. This returns the instrument to a professional performance baseline where the mechanics perfectly translate your dynamic expression.
No, a cracked soundboard is not a death sentence for a piano. This is one of the most common myths in the industry. The soundboard is a large sheet of spruce under immense tension; as it expands and contracts with decades of seasonal humidity changes, it is very common for hair-line cracks to develop along the grain lines.
A crack only becomes a critical structural problem if the wood completely pulls away from the supporting ribs underneath, causing a prominent mechanical buzz. If the piano still sounds warm, has great sustain, and doesn’t rattle, a cosmetic crack has virtually zero impact on the musical quality of the instrument.
If a crack is causing structural buzzing or a loss of tone, it can be professionally repaired by shimmying the wood or re-securing the ribs to restore the soundboard’s integrity.
If a piano drops drastically out of tune just weeks or months after a professional service, the issue is almost never the strings stretching. Instead, it is typically caused by severe environmental shifts or a failing structural component called the pinblock.
The pinblock is a heavy block of laminated hardwood drilled with tight holes that hold the steel tuning pins in place under immense frictional tension.
Yes, I can fix that through a process called CA Treatment!
Piano soundboards are constructed of seasoned softwoods. Because wood acts like a giant, natural sponge, it constantly absorbs and releases moisture from the surrounding air. In the St. Louis region, our intense summer humidity causes the large wooden soundboard to swell and arch upward, pushing hard against the strings and driving the overall pitch sharp.
Conversely, when we turn on our home heating systems during dry winters, the soundboard shrinks, flattens out, and the string tension drops, causing the pitch to go flat.
These continuous, cyclical shifts keep the strings and pitch in constant flux. To combat this regional issue and protect your investment, we recommend keeping the piano away from drafty windows, air vents, or direct sunlight, and maintaining an indoor humidity level as close to 42% as possible year-round. To help achieve this goal, a dedicated climate-control system can be installed directly inside the instrument.
The fastest way to reach me is via text. > Because I am often tuning in quiet environments, I can respond to texts much more quickly than voice calls or emails.
Text or Call: [314-236-7841]
Phone & Text Support (Office Hours):
Monday – Sunday: 10:00 AM – 10:00 PM
In-Home & Institutional Tuning: > Monday – Friday: By Appointment