Profile: Stay in tune with Chuck Raynor
Stay in tune with Chuck Raynor
Almost ten years ago Chuck Raynor of St. Helena Island, who was at that time a fifth-generation funeral director in Long Island NY, had to answer the question “What do you want to be when you grow up?”
As it happened, the answer came to him while visiting his daughter in Arizona and he learned that his son-in-law was studying piano technology. As Raynor said, “A light bulb went on in my head! Piano technology was a perfect combination of my love for music and my aptitude for all things mechanical. Also, a piano tuning and repair business would allow me to set my own hours and leave time to enjoy my semi-retirement”.
Raynor enrolled in the Randy Potter School of Piano Technology and joined the Savannah-Charleston chapter of the Piano Technicians Guild in order to learn the trade.
Now, Chuck tunes and repairs pianos all over Beaufort county. He says many people have pianos in their homes that have been neglected over the years but can be brought back to usefulness with a little tender loving care.
A piano has over 10,000 parts including over 200 strings. Each string is pulled to a tension of 150-200 pounds for a total tension of 30,000-40,000 pounds within the piano.
Each key has over 30 adjustments, some of which must be made accurate to within several thousandths of an inch in order for the note to play correctly.
Raynor says when he goes to a piano for the first time he opens the entire case and gives it a thorough cleaning, because over the years all sorts strange objects (for example, ping pong balls, paper clips, pencils and chewing gum) find their way into the workings.
The question he is asked most is “How often should my piano be tuned?” The answer he gives is generally after each 180 hours of play, but no less than once a year.
Chuck says it’s especially important to keep a piano used by a beginning pianist in good tune and in good working order–it helps the student to learn faster and maintain his or her interest.
When asked what gives him the greatest satisfaction in his work, Raynor replied “I love the people I’ve met. I think people who love music are generally nice people. And I firmly believe that the harmony that music brings into the home brings harmony into other parts of peoples’ lives.”
You can learn more about Chuck Raynor and pianos at www.raynorpiano.com.
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