Pianotech

Quiz: What successful Broadway musical featured a piano tuner? (You can use AI, but that would be cheating!)

Quiz: What successful Broadway musical featured a piano tuner? (You can use AI, but that would be cheating!)

Quiz: What successful Broadway musical featured a piano tuner? (You can use AI, but that would be cheating!)

Quiz: What successful Broadway musical featured a piano tuner? (You can use AI, but that would be cheating!)

Good to see PTG members contributing to the film industry.

Now the rest of us may need background checks so clients don't wonder if their piano technician is a thief in disguise.

A few months ago, a client told me she discovered her previous tuner was in jail... true story.

A few days after I'd done a 'free' tuning for the local dealer, he got a call from the customer accusing me of stealing felt out of the piano. It was the temperament strip.

Good to see PTG members contributing to the film industry.

Now the rest of us may need background checks so clients don't wonder if their piano technician is a thief in disguise.

A few months ago, a client told me she discovered her previous tuner was in jail... true story.

A few days after I'd done a 'free' tuning for the local dealer, he got a call from the customer accusing me of stealing felt out of the piano. It was the temperament strip.

Good to see PTG members contributing to the film industry.

Now the rest of us may need background checks so clients don't wonder if their piano technician is a thief in disguise.

A few months ago, a client told me she discovered her previous tuner was in jail... true story.

Glad you enjoyed the movie Mr. Sykes.

Were you equally happy that it wasn't a Yamaha, Kawai, Fazioli, Bosendorfer or Mason & Hamlin product placement film? 

I saw the movie this past weekend with a friend who is not a piano technician, nor musician.

PLUSES:

Most of the pianos that I saw were Yamahas and that made my heart happy

The technical presentation of our work was quite good; surprisingly so. I was expecting to be disappointed on that front but was delighted not to be distracted by 'errors'. The only thing that gave me pause was when he worked on a piano that had recent water damage and he had the drying keys spread out all over the floor. There could be excuses for that: free job for a pretty girl, small NYC apartment with no space for action parts, dramatic effect. It was forgivable.

The variety of work environments that they found themselves in felt very realistic.

My friend really liked the movie. I was happy to have seen it but might have been a bit disappointed if it didn't have anything to do with how I spend my days.

MINUSES:

There were some plot flaws, as noted by Carl, that distracted me. But mostly that's my problem since I complain about plot flaws in many things that I watch.  (The plot flaws having to do with what it takes to get away with a crime, which the criminals seemed not to be too concerned about.)

It being a 'caper', it was a little silly. But that's my problem too. If you like capers and can ignore storyline issues, then it was charming.

Regarding the request to write an article review of the movie, if there are no takers, perhaps you could just toggle together quotes from this thread? (I winced when I read the request for an article because every summer during convention, I make a new resolution to write an article for the Journal. And then I promptly forget as I get busy with financial concerns, administrative minutia, newlywed relationship development, etc. I have written a new sticky note to remind myself to write an article for the Journal!)

Love to All,

Ashley 

I saw the movie this past weekend with a friend who is not a piano technician, nor musician.

PLUSES:

Most of the pianos that I saw were Yamahas and that made my heart happy

The technical presentation of our work was quite good; surprisingly so. I was expecting to be disappointed on that front but was delighted not to be distracted by 'errors'. The only thing that gave me pause was when he worked on a piano that had recent water damage and he had the drying keys spread out all over the floor. There could be excuses for that: free job for a pretty girl, small NYC apartment with no space for action parts, dramatic effect. It was forgivable.

The variety of work environments that they found themselves in felt very realistic.

My friend really liked the movie. I was happy to have seen it but might have been a bit disappointed if it didn't have anything to do with how I spend my days.

MINUSES:

There were some plot flaws, as noted by Carl, that distracted me. But mostly that's my problem since I complain about plot flaws in many things that I watch.  (The plot flaws having to do with what it takes to get away with a crime, which the criminals seemed not to be too concerned about.)

It being a 'caper', it was a little silly. But that's my problem too. If you like capers and can ignore storyline issues, then it was charming.

Regarding the request to write an article review of the movie, if there are no takers, perhaps you could just toggle together quotes from this thread? (I winced when I read the request for an article because every summer during convention, I make a new resolution to write an article for the Journal. And then I promptly forget as I get busy with financial concerns, administrative minutia, newlywed relationship development, etc. I have written a new sticky note to remind myself to write an article for the Journal!)

Love to All,

Ashley 

How about Morgan Freeman as a blind piano tuner?

How about Morgan Freeman as a blind piano tuner?

David --

> Did anyone actually catch what the composer said excusing himself for having a Yamaha?

At the end of Tuner, the Maestro, when very quickly explaining why he has a Yamaha, expresses his disdain for Steinway by suggesting that their pianos are more like furniture than true instruments of art.

How about Morgan Freeman as a blind piano tuner?

David --

> Did anyone actually catch what the composer said excusing himself for having a Yamaha?

At the end of Tuner, the Maestro, when very quickly explaining why he has a Yamaha, expresses his disdain for Steinway by suggesting that their pianos are more like furniture than true instruments of art.

How about Morgan Freeman as a blind piano tuner?

David --

The comment came so unexpectedly, and so quickly, that I didn't catch it either. All I heard was Steinway and furniture. I had to do some searching to find out what he really said. Like I said, I was glad that the product placement was minimal, at best, and that it was not a typical everything-must-be-Steinway film, but the fact that Steinway received such a negative comment at all was such a surprise that I had to find out what was said. 

David --

> Did anyone actually catch what the composer said excusing himself for having a Yamaha?

At the end of Tuner, the Maestro, when very quickly explaining why he has a Yamaha, expresses his disdain for Steinway by suggesting that their pianos are more like furniture than true instruments of art.

How about Morgan Freeman as a blind piano tuner?

How about Morgan Freeman as a blind piano tuner?

My wife, Judy, and I saw Tuner.

I thought the most humorous technical faux-pas was Ruth's phone message to Nicky, requesting service for her "1930s Bechstein" grand piano with sticking keys. When he shows up the next day, her "Bechstein" is a 1960s Steinway L on screen. Further, Nicky removes all the keys to permit them to dry out on the floor - from a ceiling water leak that miraculously does not damage the piano's lid, strings, dampers, tuning pins, etc. - and the keys are from a vertical piano! The set crew had the L's action right there - why didn't they remove those 88 keys and spread them out all over the floor to dry out? Where did the vertical piano keys come from?? :-)

We stayed for the credits to finish. Someone named Peter White is listed as the piano technical consultant. Anyone know him?

David G. Hughes, RPT

Baltimore Chapter

Original Message:
Sent: 6/4/2026 7:20:00 AM
From: David Hughes
Subject: RE: Tuner - the movie

My wife, Judy, and I saw Tuner.

I thought the most humorous technical faux-pas was Ruth's phone message to Nicky, requesting service for her "1930s Bechstein" grand piano with sticking keys. When he shows up the next day, her "Bechstein" is a 1960s Steinway L on screen. Further, Nicky removes all the keys to permit them to dry out on the floor - from a ceiling water leak that miraculously does not damage the piano's lid, strings, dampers, tuning pins, etc. - and the keys are from a vertical piano! The set crew had the L's action right there - why didn't they remove those 88 keys and spread them out all over the floor to dry out? Where did the vertical piano keys come from?? :-)

We stayed for the credits to finish. Someone named Peter White is listed as the piano technical consultant. Anyone know him?

David G. Hughes, RPT

Baltimore Chapter

------------------------------
David Hughes RPT
Vintage Case Parts
Glyndon MD
(443) 522-2201
------------------------------

I saw the movie myself. I thought it was very good. I thought the representation of piano tuning and piano tuners was fairly accurate. The one thing I did notice was the lack of representation of the Piano Technicians Guild. I don't know how that happened, but it was certainly a missed opportunity. 

Let's not forget that this is not a true representation of pianos, piano technology, piano tuning, piano brands, nor is it a true representation of safe cracking. It's a movie that pulled some ideas from a lot of places to bring together a very well done story. Story! It's a fantasy and, like most movies, you need to leave reality at the door when you walk in. I enjoyed being reasonably accurately represented as a piano tech by the main character, but pianos, and their maintenance, was really only a minor part of the movie. 

Movie makers do not need to pay a product manufacturer for having their product in a movie unless they are highlighting that product. They do need to be careful of what they say about, or how they represent that product in the movie but otherwise it's just a prop. Manufactures, on the other hand, do need to pay the movie maker for Product Placement in a movie when that product is intentionally being highlighted. Neither of these was, in my opinion, the case in Tuner.

With roughly 7000 piano tuners in the United States, and only about 2000 of them being members, (and not necessarily RPT members), of PTG, there was no place for PTG to be mentioned in this film unless it was a blatantly paid-for advertisement. I, personally, really enjoyed the fact that there appeared to be no intentional product placement in this film. I am, however, anxiously waiting for Steinway to react to the unmistakably negative comment about Steinway from the Maestro in the last scene. 

And, in case you missed it, "Tuner" was not about tuning. Or a tuner. It was the nickname that was given the main character by the the safe cracking robbers.