Best wishes for a great holiday season

Rensberry Piano Service would like to extend a very big thank you to all of its customers over the past year. We wish you the very best during this holiday season and throughout the New Year celebration to come. With all the change that occurs in life, the enjoyment and appreciation of music has been something that has been with us from the beginning. If ever there was a universal language, music has to be it.  All the best! 

As always, please feel free to contact us anytime if there is anything we can help you with.  -- Steve Rensberry

Minor repairs included with standard tuning

   If your piano needs tuning but you've also got a key, pedal or other type of repair that you need looked at, give us a call. Many times key problems are much less of a worry than you would think. For years we've included 20-25 minutes worth of action repairs, key adjustments or even bench repairs with the price of a standard tuning.
   The days between Christmas and New Years provides a great opportunity to sit down at the piano for a bit of practice or to entertain the family. Call now if you'd like me to stop by to get your piano up to par. And all the best to you during this wonderful holiday season! -- Steve Rensberry

Worried about mileage fees? Don't be!

If you are in need of a piano tuning or other work and are concerned about the associated mileage costs, don't be. For any and all customers--first-time or regular--who live within 60 miles of Edwardsville and are willing to work within my schedule, there simply will be no mileage fee. This includes the city of St. Louis, St. Louis County, and all surrounding counties, as well as counties throughout the St. Louis Metro East region from the counties of Bond and Clinton to Montgomery, Madison and St. Clair. Please see our section on service area for a complete list of counties in which Rensberry Piano Service has customers. Remember, winter time is a great time to brush up on your piano skills and enjoy some time out from the daily grind. Although the holidays are upon us, we still have select evening, daytime and weekend appointments available. Average fees remain under $60 per tuning, a competitive rate you will be hard-pressed to find anywhere else. Don't wait any longer! You can reach me at 618-654-1585. -- Steve Rensberry

Thank you for a great month

We've had a great month after getting November off with a bang. Please accept my sincerest thanks -- especially all the regulars who gave us a ring and helped to make the month one of the best this year. I've also had a number of new customers that I appreciate tremendously.

If you're planning to have company for Christmas, please don't wait too late to call, as scheduling can become tight. Evenings and some weekend appointments are available. You can reach me at 618-654-1585. Remember, if you're trying to find a music teacher or make a decision about a piano purchase, I can help -- Steve Rensberry

Piano Tuning Promotion to Begin in November

    We're getting ready for our annual winter piano tuning promotion over the next couple of weeks. If you're looking to take advantage of some indoor relaxation and catch up on your piano playing when cooler weather strikes, give us a call.
   This summer and fall I have greatly enjoyed servicing a number of pianos for a large number of new customers. I look forward to many more as the holiday season approaches. If you live more than 30 miles from Edwardsville, don't forget to give yourself some advance time, a week or two is helpful. Either way, I'll do my best to work you into my schedule and accommodate your tuning needs.
   My standard tuning fee is still only $55 and includes a basic cleaning plus 20 minutes of minor action or key adjustments. You can reach me at 618-654-1585 virtually any time of the day. If I do not answer immediately, please leave a message and I will return your call a.s.a.p.  -- Steve Rensberry

Music for the heart and mind

The following song, "My Foolish Heart," reproduced here on YouTube, was originally published in 1949 and is nearly as fresh and captivating today as at was then. It was written by Victor Young with lyrics by Ned Washington. It's not complicated. The tempo is slow. But it provides the perfect example of just how subtle and profound the world of piano music is.

Learn to Play the Piano

   If you ever wanted to learn to play the piano but didn't know where to start, give us a call, we may be able to help you. Sometimes an electronic keyboard can be an economical way to begin, but if you want the real deal, we can help line you up with a good quality used piano or a reputable dealer who sells both new and used pianos.
   For anyone who seriously wants to learn, there are more avenues today than there ever was -- and they don't have to involve spending a fortune. Internet courses, DVDs, music software programs and teachers who use a variety of old and new techniques have opened up a whole new realm of instruction and music appreciation.
   The official site of the National Piano Foundation, located at pianonet.com, is one place to start. The site includes a section where you can search for piano teachers in your area. You're local piano store is another key source. Another is the WikiHow site on How to Play the Piano. The amazing thing about any musical instrument is that the degree of mastery you obtain is generally proportionate to the amount of time you spend practicing. Practice is, by-and-large, the single most important factor in learning to play, whether you learn on your own or whether you take lessons from someone else. If Rensberry Piano can help you achieve your goals, call or send us an e-mail.

It's a great time to practice

The relaxing days of summer are a great time to sit down at the piano and work on that favorite piece you've been wanting to master. Start simple and give it a go. Watching a concert pianist or Hiromi Uehara and Chick Corea take command of the keyboard at lightning speed can be a bit intimidating if you're just beginning, but to me it's also tremendously inspiring. The piano truly is the king of instruments, with a frequency range that covers virtually every instrument in a modern day orchestra, and with a versatility that enables even a player of modest talent to make it sing and bring the room alive with a rhythmic jazz piece or popular rock ballad.

Schedule your appointment now

We're getting ready for a major media blitz and new customer drive during July and August so keep your eyes open! Just $55 is all it will cost you as a new customer for a complete tuning if you live within a 50 mile radius of Edwardsville and can work within my schedule. Throw in a few minutes of adjustment for sticking keys or other problems and you'll be itching to make music on a newly tuned instrument. Ask me about voicing, which can dramatically help to restore the tone of your piano if the hammer felts have become hardened with age, as they often do. If you want your piano tuned, call now so that I can work you in my schedule.

Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata mvt. 3 played by Wilhelm Kempff.

Attention piano buyers

If you're looking for a deal or are in the market for one, please give me a call. I currently have two good customers with pianos they are selling, plus tips on a couple of others that would make excellent practice pianos. One is a good-as-new Wurlitzer, and the other is an equally fine quality Story and Clark console.  I can do a basic service check prior to purchase and also offer technical assistance with moving. (May, 2010)

A small price to pay

Dear customer: Money can be scarce in today's economy. More than ever it's important that all of us stay within our budgets and spend responsibly. I myself am frugal to a fault, the benefits of which I have for years passed on to my customers. It has also indirectly helped me to build a customer list that numbers in the thousands. Needless to say, they do not all have their piano tuned each year, as there would simply not be enough time.

But having such a large pool of customers has, in turn, enabled me to keep my tuning and service fees low-to-moderate, and my travel fees negligible. For customers who are willing to work within my schedule, there are rarely any travel fees at all. The small amount you pay to have your piano tuned can bring hundreds of hours play and practice.

A piano in tune will entice you to play and enjoy the instrument you love. It will give you the chance to work on that song you've been wanting to learn, to entertain your family and friends, and to add some much-needed color to a world which is too often filled with just blacks and grays.

Quality service at a fair price

I've been told by some of my customers that I don't charge enough. In response, let me offer an explanation. At least once each year I take stock of my competition. Primarily this consists of trying to determine precisely what other piano tuner-technicians within reach of my service area are charging and what other kinds of promotions they may be offering. Some of my competitors I know on a first name basis.

In the broader sense a piano tuner's competition consists of anything and everything that can compete for a piano player's time and money, or which can distract you, a presumed piano owner - from having your instrument regularly serviced. That much takes a little more analysis, but in my best instinctive judgment I believe we're on the verge of a renaissance in music appreciation. We're not there yet, but it's coming. Times are changing and the magical act of making one's own music shows no signs of going away. Making music is an escape, a source of pleasure, a creative outlet and - for those with a dash of business sense and charisma - a surefire source of revenue. And it will be for years to come.

Honestly, I am astounded by the fees which some of those in my profession are charging. Some I know are charging twice, even three times as much as I do - plus mileage. I have intentionally held my price for years to what I consider a healthy profit margin. Twice in the past 10 years I have actually lowered my price to account for a reduction in expenses. For others it seems, price changes have gone in one direction only, and I don't need to tell you which way that is. I understand inflation, but prices should increase as demand increases, not simply to keep up with the rate of overall inflation.

With piano tuning, I know what the job entails and the time it takes to do it right. I know the average percentage of the overall fee which goes toward fuel and travel time. I know how quickly a piano belonging to a customer whose piano I have tuned for 10 or 15 years straight can be tuned and serviced, compared to one which I have never tuned before. And I know how negligible the overhead expenses are for an experienced, full-time piano tuner and technician. With the economy as it is, I intend to keep my fees right where they have been - reasonable, balanced and in line with what the average consumer can afford. You can count on it.

A well-serviced piano brings a lifetime of benefit

   Owning a piano has for decades been the dream of a great many people. It is a source of pride, entertainment, education and tremendous personal reward with every new song that someone learns to play. I know because in the 27 years in which I have been tuning and servicing pianos I have met thousands of musically talented people of all stripes - from those who are just beginning, to moderate and intermediate level players to highly advanced, concert-level performers. I know the dedication and focus that it takes to learn and the equally dedicated effort that it takes to teach others to play.
   But I have also seen the benefits first hand. Dedicated musicians become business owners, municipal leaders, lawyers, scientists, teachers and physicians. Research has shown that learning to play the piano lends itself to success in other areas of life because one of its many consequences is that it exercises that part of our brain which is responsible for spatial reasoning and abstract conceptualization - vitally important for such things as mathematics. Making music provides the perfect harmony between creativity and logic, and between art and structure. And of all the instruments in use today, the piano is right up there at the top.
   I consider myself a piano and guitar player of only modest talent, but technically and as an experienced tuner I would invite you to hold me up the very highest standard. If you are not completely satisfied, there simply will be no charge.