Tim Hollis, Registered Piano Technician, Panama City, FL
I’m a Registered Piano Technician belonging to the Piano Technician’s Guild. In fact, I’m the only Registered Piano Technician in Panama City, Florida!
The Piano Technicians Guild is a standards body that governs the training and tests the skills of piano technicians. There are two levels of membership: Associate Member and Registered Piano Technician. An Associate Membership is open to anyone with a “professional or avocational interest in piano technology”, such as retailers and technicians-in-training.
On the other hand, a Registered Piano Technician, such as myself, must pass rigorous written and hands-on testing:
- A written exam testing piano design, tuning, repair, and general technology.
A hands-on tuning test in which the technician must tune a piano which is then electronically compared to a piano that has been “master tuned” by at least three examiners. - Hands-on technical tests:
- An action regulation test on both a grand and an upright piano. For the upright test, the examinee must build an action from a bag of parts.
- A repair test covering in-home types of repairs such as broken strings, key repairs, and action repairs.
- Only the most dedicated and skilled piano technician becomes a Registered Piano Technician. This should be the only person you should consider to maintain your piano!
Learn more about Registered Piano Technicians.