Photo on request
Etude
€ 900
Milan and Lombardy · every day, 9 am to 9 pm
Luca Sciurti
Piano tuning and repairs in Milan and across the whole of Lombardy.
Tuning · carried out at your home
Uprights and grands · any make, any age
€100 in Milan · inner suburbs included
I have tuned for
Bruce Springsteen◆
Radiohead◆
Bon Iver◆
Paolo Jannacci◆
Riopy◆
Gile Bae◆
Bruno Canino◆
Venerus◆
Brunori Sas◆
About me
A craft handed down in the family
My name is Luca Sciurti. The piano tuner’s craft was handed down to me by my father Luigi and my uncle Giuseppe, and I refined it at the Steinway & Sons Academy in Hamburg.
I have played and composed all my life, and I tune every piano with the passion of someone who plays it. I work in Milan and across the whole of Lombardy, from theatres to private homes, with the same care in every job.
My storyWho I have worked for
- Pianocity Milano
- Live Nation
- Vivo Concerti
- Teatro Arcimboldi
- Teatro Dal Verme
- Sky Italia
- Radio Monte Carlo
Where I work today
- Theatres and concert halls
- Recording studios
- Radio and TV productions
- Conservatoires and music schools
- Private homes, all over Milan
Steinway & Sons Academy, C.F. Theodore Steinway School for Concert Technicians, at the historic Hamburg factory: an advanced training programme reserved for selected European technicians, devoted to the action, regulation, tuning and voicing of grand pianos. The certificate is shown here. I also work with Steinway Scandinavia, serving Juhl Sørensen A/S.
Tuning
How tuning works
Each note on a piano has two or three strings (just one for the lowest bass notes). When one drifts slightly away from the others, the two sounds add up and cancel out in a steady rhythm: that is a beat, the pulsing that makes the sound murky.
Tuning means making that pulse disappear. You can hear it for yourself: move the slider and bring the two strings into unison.
3.2 beats per second
Two sine waves at 440 Hz and 440 + offset. No sound plays on its own: you have to press “Listen”.
Beyond that, the intervals have to be made to fit together: octaves, fifths, fourths and so on. Only then do all 88 notes of the piano sound in harmony with one another.
Press an interval to hear it.
Check for yourself
Has your piano dropped in pitch?
Turn on the microphone and play one key at a time, around the middle of the keyboard. I’ll tell you which note it is and how far it has drifted from the correct pitch.
The sound is analysed on your device only: it is never recorded or sent anywhere. The reference allows for the slight stretching of the octaves that is typical of the piano. On very low or very high notes the reading is less reliable, and the result is a guide: real tuning is done note by note, by ear, in person.
Concert pitch
–
Press “Turn on the microphone”, then play a note and hold it down.
Services
What I can do for your piano
01
Tuning
Every string at the correct frequency, plus a general check of hammers, dampers, pedals and keys.
02
Pianos untouched for years
A piano that has dropped in pitch cannot be brought back in a single pass. It takes two visits, and you know that from the quote.
03
Action restoration
Hammers reconditioned or replaced, voicing, dampers. This is what decides how the instrument responds to your touch.
04
Internal components
Soundboard, bridge, strings and tuning pins: the damage done by climate and careless moves.
05
Case and keyboard
Keyboard restored and polished, shellac finish on the case, brasswork, woodworm treatment, rebuilt parts.
06
Concerts and recordings
Preparation on site, often just hours before the audience arrives. Voicing calibrated to the hall, the repertoire and the microphones.
Prices
How much a tuning costs
€100 in Milan and the inner suburbs, all included. Beyond that, a travel fee of €1/km (car costs there and back), rounded down.
The price includes a check of the action and pedals, a check of the keys and dampers, a final play-through together and advice on where to keep the instrument. Repairs and restoration work are charged separately, with a quote agreed before any work begins.
Maintenance
How often a piano needs tuning
Once a year if you play for pleasure. Twice a year if it is played every day, if a student is preparing for exams on it, or if it sits in a hall used for concerts and recordings.
A piano goes out of tune mainly because of changes in humidity and temperature, not through playing: wood and felt move with the climate. In Milan the two critical moments are always the same: when the heating comes on in autumn and when it goes off in spring.
- Don’t keep it right next to a radiator
- Don’t put it under a window that is opened often
- Avoid swings in temperature and humidity: they matter more than daily playing
For sale
Used pianos, tuned and guaranteed
Every one passes through my hands first: checked, set up, tuned and guaranteed by me personally. The listing gives the make, type, year, serial number and price, and any faults are stated.
Photo on request
August Förster Löbau
€ 1.600
Yamaha C3
€ 13.000
Where I work
Milan and the whole of Lombardy
I work at your home across the whole region. In the city of Milan and the inner suburbs, travel is included in the price; in the other provinces you only add the car costs, which you can see straight away in the calculator. Wherever you are in Lombardy, do get in touch.
Frequently asked questions
The questions I hear most often
No. I work wherever it stands. All I need is a metre of free space in front of the keyboard, a power socket and the ability to open the instrument.
You hear each note played over and over as I work. It is the sound of a piano, not a drill. In a block of flats, during the day, it has never caused a problem.
At the start, yes, to let me in and tell me what bothers you about the instrument. While I work you can get on with other things. At the end I ask for five minutes to try it together.
Almost always yes, but not in a single pass. An instrument left untouched for many years has dropped in pitch: it needs a first visit to bring the tension back up to where it belongs, and a second pass a few weeks later to stabilise it. If a double visit is needed, it is stated in the initial quote.
It depends on the instrument and on how long it has been since the last tuning. I tell you along with the quote, so you know how much time to set aside.
No: a digital piano has no strings, so there is nothing to tune. If you have a hybrid, or a silent system fitted to an acoustic instrument, the acoustic part is tuned as normal.
Yes, it is an important part of my work. I prepare and maintain instruments for theatres, concert halls, studios and radio and TV productions, with visits scheduled through the year rather than on call. Get in touch and we can talk it through.
Reviews on Google
What my clients say
The full reviews are on my Google listing: you can read them there, or leave one of your own if we have already met.
Book
Book your tuning
Tell me the type of instrument, where you are and how long it has gone without tuning. I’ll reply with an exact figure and the first available dates.