Arthur Cook, RPT
THE PIANO IS UNIQUE AMONG KEYBOARD INTRUMENTS.
Only the piano has hammers that strike the strings and rebound away from them, allowing the strings to vibrate and produce sustained musical tones. Each note has an escapement mechanism between the key and its hammer that releases the hammer from the key just before the hammer strikes the strings, allowing it to bounce away from the strings. The pianist may play softly or loudly by depressing the keys slowly or quickly, thus varying the intensity of the blows of the hammers on the
strings.
BARTOLOMEO CRISTOFORI
(1655-1731) built the first practical piano that could be played either softly or loudly, with an escapement mechanism for the hammers, in the early 1700's. The name PIANO is an abbreviation of Cristofori's original name for the instrument
- PIANO ET FORTE, or soft and loud. The dramatic expressive capabilities of the piano set it apart from other keyboard instruments of Cristofori's time, including the harpsichord, in which the mechanism plucks the strings, and the clavichord, in which small brass "tangents" mounted directly on the back ends of the keys touch the strings lightly to produce a very soft, delicate tone. Because of its versatility, the piano has remained popular to this day as the fundamental keyboard instrument of both home and concert hall.
-Piano Servicing, Tuning and Rebuilding by Arthur Reblitz
Cook Piano Service
Arthur Cook, RPT
expert tuning, repair
appraisals and estimates
arthur@casair.net
616.302.3022
Arthur Cook, RPT, received the majority of his technical education from Dale Welch, RPT, the Randy Potter School of Piano Technology, and from his work at James Reeder Pianos. He is a member of the Piano Technicians Guild, and has been servicing pianos for the last ten years. The Piano Technicians Guild has two categories of active members: Registered Piano Technicians (RPTs) who have passed a series of rigorous examinations on the maintenance, repair, and tuning of pianos, and Associates who have not passed the RPT examinations. Associates may be working toward RPT status, or may be piano retailers, rebuilders, or other specialists.
You can contact Arthur
or call: 616.302.3022
