I have good friends who traverse the city by bicycle; others, like my brother Mark, are skillful at public transportation and some like me drive from point A to point B. All of us are working as piano tuners in Chicago. There are dozens of fine piano technicians who put some of the tens of thousands of pianos in Chicago in tune every day.
I feel fortunate to have started young, trying to understand the art of piano tuning. I watched throughout my childhood as skilled piano technicians like Mr. Fisk came to our house regularly and did their work. I grew up in a family of eight. All six children played piano or violin and we had five pianos to keep tuned in our home. I wondered, how did the tuners that came to the house do all that adjusting of the piano pitch by ear?
I studied piano tuning in college while getting my piano performance degrees. It was fascinating study. Since then, having tuned thousands of pianos, I feel comfortable with the process. Having a great and beautiful city like Chicago in which to practice my trade makes the work very enjoyable.
I sometimes gaze out the windows along Lake Shore Drive and many other lovely places while tuning, taking in the natural beauty of our city. What a special privilege it is to be here, I think to myself.
The wonderful diversity, the architecture and the breadth of our city is a constant inspiration for us all.
Jeff Cappelli, RPT
