FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Do I need to know anything about music or know how to play the piano to take this course?
Oddly enough, you don't, however there is a small subset of music theory that is important to know when tuning a piano. If you already know it because you play the piano or another instrument, it should be fairly easy for you, but you must still do the quiz at the end of the course. If you don't play or have music knowledge, everything you will need to know will be part of the instruction.

Do I need to relocate to study piano technology?
At one time, it was really your only option. So if you didn't happen to live near the school, you'd have to relocate, possibly leaving your family and employment behind. You may, after having completed some of the courses here, decide to enhance your knowledge by enrolling in a traditional program. You will be armed with a wealth of knowledge and should have a pretty good idea whether or not this is something you might want to pursue further.

Where is the school located?
There is no actual building that one attends as this is a virtual or online school. The course creator and author, however, resides in a small town NW of Ottawa, Canada.

Is this a correspondence course?
No, this is a distance education course. You will be interacting online with fellow students, your facilitator (teacher), who will guide you through the practical application of the concepts presented in the program. From time to time, there will be live online courses that you can attend virtually. You will also be able to book virtual appointments with your teacher at a time convenient to you to demonstrate that you understand the course material. The course material is enhanced by videos and audio files, and helpful images that you can access any time. Research in distance education shows that the amount of participation in a distance learning course greatly increases the likelihood of completing the course, because you do not feel like you are "on your own".

Is the program accredited?
It isn't. There are costs associated with accreditation that unfortunately would have to be passed on to learners. The courses at this school are comparitively less expensive than they are at other schools offering the same kind of program.

Do I need a piano to practice my skills on?
It is highly recommended that you find a "beater" piano to practice repairs and tuning on, even if you already have one in your home that you play. You will be, in the course of your learning, disassembling the action, and breaking strings and action parts so it is best to do it on a piano that you don't care about or don't need to play regularly. Older pianos are literally a dime a dozen, and can usually be found in local newspapers, craigslist.com or kijiji.com for free or next to nothing. Making an upright piano your practice piano is strongly recommended as they are much easier to find than grands. You will be responsible for cartage of the instrument to your home by a piano mover, and can do whatever you'd like with it when the course is finished. You should probably have any piano you plan to use for your study properly assessed by a local piano technician to be sure that it is a suitable candidate for learning tuning and repair skills, and is not a drop action piano, "birdcage" or overdamper action piano, square grand piano or a player piano (unless the player mechanism has been removed).

What other equipment or tools will I need?
You will need a computer (either a PC or a Mac), and a reliable high speed internet connection. A sound card, and a microphone or headset with a microphone are required. A web or phone camera is required to facilitate zoom sessions with your instructor. You will be provided with links to purchase the tools you require, and you will need many common tools like screwdrivers, a hammer, and a toolbox, etc., that you can purchase from your local hardware store if you don't already have them. You should also get a tetanus shot and purchase safety glasses and steel toed shoes.

Is there a school I have to attend?
No! The beauty of an online course is that you can study from home. There is no brick and mortar building, or any classrooms. It is a "virtual" school - it exists online, but not in a traditional sense.

How long does the course take?
The amount of time it takes to complete each course will vary from person to person, depending on how much time they devote to the course material. For subjects like tuning, for example, the learning continues well after you may complete the course.

Is learning how to do this easy?
Learning how to repair pianos is very straightforward and most people pick it up very easily. The theory behind piano tuning is also quite simple, but many technicians will tell you that mastering tuning is not as easy as it looks! It can take several years of persistent practice before you will be able to produce a good tuning that would sound acceptable to the average piano player, and even longer if you are tuning for a concert artist or a recording studio.

How do I know if I'll be successful at this?
The truth is, there really is no way to know when you start learning, as the skill is unrelated to intelligence, aptitude, musical knowledge, or any one demographic. There are many intelligent and articulate individuals who simply cannot grasp the concept of tuning, no matter how hard they try. However, if you have good people skills, are technically inclined, have good math and science skills, practice, practice, and practice what you are learning diligently, and adopt a "don't give up" attitude, chances are you will someday be able to make a good living in the piano service business. Set realistic expectations for yourself, including the likelihood that learning how to tune will be a process with a significant learning curve, and not one that you will master overnight. Patience with both the piano you're servicing and yourself will be an asset.

How will I have access to each course?
You will have access to each paid course for as long as you would like.

What order should I take the courses in?
You should start with PT101 - Foundations of Piano Technology. The tuition for this course is nominal so that you can find out two things. One, whether or not distance education learning or the way the course material presented is for you, and two, whether or not you are cut out to be a piano technician. This method of learning, and the subject material is in many cases, not for everyone. If you want to continue, we suggest taking the PT102 - Piano Tuning Theory and Practice course first with the courses it is bundled with, as this skill will become the main source of your income as a technician. You can take any of the other courses that are not bundled with PT102 at the same time if you want, but plan to be spending more time in the PT102 class than any of the others that are offered.

Is the program available in languages other than English?
The initial release of the courses will be in English only, however plans to translate the course material to other languages could be scheduled for a future date, with assistance from the piano technology community. There are many plug-ins and features in browsers that will translate a web page content to whatever language you want, but any words in the videos, audio files, and images will still be in English. Be aware that if you use a browser plug-in to translate, there may be some concepts that could easily be "lost in translation". Depending on demand, and the availability of volunteers to assist with translation, the text portion of the course could easily be developed in as many languages as are required.

What Learning Management System (LMS) is used for the program?
The program is developed using "Moodle", an open-source,user friendly, feature rich program that is used to create sophisticated online learning sites that permit interactivity amongst students, facilitators, and mentors. We endeavour to provide updates to Moodle software as new releases are announced. It is well documented and supported by the community that uses it. For more information, tutorials, and help with Moodle, please visit http://www.moodle.org.

Will the program course be available on mobile devices and/or smartphones?
Even though the program will run on mobile devices, using a larger desktop screen is recommended. The program includes videos that been optimized for use on mobile devices like ipads, ipod and the iphone touch and other smartphones. The program will display on a mobile version of Moodle that will improve display and functionality for use on mobile devices. The "theme" or skin used on the mobile version will differ slightly from the one used on a desktop or laptop computer and there may be formatting errors related to use on a mobile device.

Will the program course work on all operating systems?
The program has been tested on Windows, and Mac computers and smart iOS,and android phone/tablet devices . It is unknown whether there is Linux compatibility. Please note that compatibility of booking zoom conferencing within the program has not been tested on a mobile device.

How can I pay for the program?
Coming soon! - Secure payment for all fees will be available for all major credit cards and debit through Paypal. For more information please visit http://www.paypal.com.

When will the program be ready?
The plans are to have it ready for widespread production by 2022-2023, although some courses have been developed fully. If you are interested, periodic updates will be made on our facebook, twitter accounts, and our blog will document progress. Please like our facebook page or follow us on twitter for the most up to date progress. You can do so by clicking the social networking icons at the bottom of each page.

What are the tuition fees?
The tuition itself to the PT101-Foundations of Piano Technology course will be nominal but there will be a charge for all other remaining courses. The charge for each course in the program will vary depending on the complexity of the material and the required tools that will be included in the fees and shipped directly to you.

Are the fees refundable?
All payments for both fees and tools are final and non-refundable. Given that the course can be studied at one's own pace, it is conceivable that the entire course content could be reviewed, printed or copied in a short period of time.

What are bundled courses?
Most of the courses offered have been bundled with two or more additional ones because they may share the same tools, or be of similar subject matter for a more cohesive learning experience. For example the tuning course PT102 has been bundled with PT109 - Assessments, and PT110 - Running a Successful Business as they use similiar tools and represent services that you can offer immediately as you study other areas of interest.

The courses sound great! How do I register?
Coming soon! - You will be able to register for courses in the program by creating an account and logging in and paying for courses with Paypal. You will be taken to our registration page to enrol for the courses you want. Until such time when that feature is available, please email us at info@learnpianotechnology.com , and a userid can be created for you to access the introductory course for free (for a limited time only).

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Last modified: September 14, 2023

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