Ryan Sowers

Pianos often sound better in exactly one year than in six months. What?? It sounds counter-intuitive. But it's true! And I've seen it over and over in my 30+ years as a professional piano technician. How can this be? It's because the tension on the strings rises and falls with humidity changes — and not uniformly across the keyboard. Some pianos can drift noticeably out of tune in a week. Other times, I’ve returned to a piano I tuned over 10 years earlier and it only needed a touch‑up. The...

Are you confused by piano technicians calling themselves “Certified Piano Technicians” (CPT)? Discover the important difference between a CPT from the Piano Technician Academy and a true Registered Piano Technician (RPT) from the Piano Technicians Guild. Learn why RPT is the only credential that truly matters — and what questions you should ask before hiring someone to work on your piano.