You might not think that the tired, dusty piano propped up against your wall is capable of galloping through mazurkas or twinkling through jazz standards with quality sound, but Peter of Saddlewood Pianos would disagree with you.  

An instrument may be abrasively out of tune, it might look like Laurel and Hardy dropped it down the stairs, but this does not prevent it from returning to or even exceeding its original quality. 

Saddlewood Pianos is a Stockport-based business offering piano tuning and repair for the North West and beyond. Owner Peter's work involves everything from the restoration of family heirlooms and total instrument overhauls to minor tuning adjustments. 

Peter began tuning pianos as a hobby, a natural progression from a background in playing the instrument and an interest in engineering.  

Whilst working as an IT technician in various schools, Peter would stay behind to tune and fix the pianos, provided the school in question had one and was willing to let him try. "I'd stay after hours until the caretaker kicked me out!", he says.

"The schools were grateful as they often didn't have the funds to get them usable again and I completed the work free of charge."

Peter works on pianos of all shapes and sizes - from shiny new Yamahas to aged family heirlooms (Image - Saddlewood Pianos)

After learning the craft in this way, Peter began to take piano restoration more seriously, and got a job as a technician in a local piano shop - by this point his skill was so compelling that he was given the job without any formal piano-fixing qualifications.  

Now a full-time piano technician based in Stockport, Peter's work takes him around the country, and with every instrument comes a different story. 

"I like the old battered ones", Peter says. "They're more of a challenge, have more of a history, and it has more meaning for people.

"When I take them apart, I find handwritten notes from the person that built it - for example, I found one from 1902."

Similarly, Peter describes how one customer asked for a particular dent to be left out of the restoration - "It comes with a story", she had explained. 

With every instrument comes a story (Image - Alasdair Perry)

Another customer broke down in tears when he saw his piano finished.  

"It belonged to his mum, who had died, and then he'd kept it all these years", Peter recalls. 

"He felt like he'd missed the boat - 'Nothing can be done for it, it's a wreck. I've just got to keep it, because I feel obliged to.' 

"I did the inspection, all the work, and he came in once it had finished, because he desperately wanted to see and be kept informed of the restoration. 

"And he was really emotional about the whole thing, because it was brought back to brand new condition."  

Nor is this restoration work merely visual. If your instrument is awkward to play, out of tune, too loud, unresponsive, or carrying any other technical issue, Peter encourages you not to give up. 

Peter can do work 'in situ', take parts home, or transport the piano itself back to his workshop in Stockport (Image - Saddlewood Pianos)

He explains: "People maybe have got in their head what a piano sounds like. Maybe they hear one on stage in a concert or being played by a classical pianist and go, 'Well, that's a very expensive piano, mine would never sound like that.' 

"Maybe they go, 'Well, I just plonk around on it, and didn't think it would sound any better.'  

"I would say to explore the possibility that maybe it isn't as it should be."

Peter is also the resident tuner/technician for Mark Goodwin pianos based in Oldham.  "I love working for Mark and Julie - they stock really nice Yamahas, which are a joy to work on.

"If you don't yet own a piano or if you fancy a high gloss top quality Yamaha, I thoroughly recommend Mark Goodwin pianos."

As Peter says: "A lot of people have a sentimental or emotional attachment to their piano. What I offer is advice and guidance on how to get the best out of your instrument to ensure that it gives you as much satisfaction to play and listen to as a brand new piano, especially when your budget may not stretch so far."

"I try to keep prices down by carrying out as much work as possible 'in situ' maybe taking just the keys and/or action back to the workshop, so as to avoid heavy transport costs for moving the whole piano, unless a full restoration is required."

As much care is given to the smallest of parts as to the piano exterior (Image - Saddlewood Pianos)

Certainly, with restoration, there are a myriad of possibilities: voicing (whereby the piano can be made to have a brighter or softer tone), adjusting the action, making the instrument lighter or heavier to play, levelling the keys, or filing the hammers to eradicate years of wear and tear, bringing back a brilliant tone.

In all instances of repair, however, there is always a great deal of job satisfaction. 

As Peter says: "Seeing someone's face light up when they play it after you've worked on it is wonderful - they can't thank you enough.

"I know how much joy it brings me to play. To give that to someone else who maybe has a piano and it's not in good condition - I know what that means to me, to be given something nice to play." 

If you're looking for an excuse to get back into piano, look no further; whether blues is your thing, or stride, or keening nocturnes, consider getting your instrument fixed so you can get back to playing what you love with a fantastic sound.

You can book and learn more about Saddlewood Pianos HERE.

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