I know what *I* like in a piano, and have a general sense of what will work for *most* people, but none of that means that I know exactly what is right for *you*. Rather than talk at my clients, I work with my clients to gain an understanding of the kind of music they would like to make and what I can do from my end to provide an instrument that fulfills that goal.
Funny story: At the beginning of every semester back in college where I was a music major, there was a practice room sign-up day where the students could request to reserve certain practice rooms at certain times for the duration of the term. The competition was so fierce that a couple of my classmates actually hid and stayed overnight in the music building to be first in line at one point. Everyone was looking for something different, yet equally important — perhaps one person liked the piano with a consistent touch, perhaps another loved the acoustics of a particular room, while yet another loved the rich tone of That One in room 1306.
This is all to say that no two pianos are exactly the same, and no two clients are exactly the same as far as what they want and need out of their pianos. But rather than any of my clients having to camp out overnight and wait in line for a certain piano a la Black Friday, we take care of any and all of the adjustments our clients need in the comfort of their own homes, on their own instruments.
A piano has many, many parts, both big and small, but all of those parts are interconnected to form one cohesive unit. We keep the whole unit in mind no matter how small the part we are currently working on may be because we understand that two notes can be adjusted in different ways and still be “correct”, but that lack of consistency does the player no good. In an instrument where increments such as “the thickness of a pink front rail paper punching” and “a smidgen over two millimeters” can make a huge difference, it can be easy to lose sight of the forest for the trees. But here at Andante Piano Works, we always keep the big picture in mind no matter how much we are zooming in on a small part in the moment.
At the end of the day, our goal is to help you make not just technically proper sound, but music. Music that tells a story, music that sends a message, music that evokes emotion and helps people know that they are not alone, without any words at all. Whether you are the one playing or you have a piano that plays itself, we will do our utmost to work with you to get your piano to make the music you want to hear.
We’ll take care of the details. You take care of the music.
I am Laura Walker, owner, founder, piano technician, lifelong piano player, and all-around piano enthusiast. It is my belief that that piano is the coolest, greatest invention—musical or otherwise—of all time.
As such, I am a full service piano technician for the Portland, Oregon metro area, committed to supporting the musical community by providing you and your piano with the best possible service, as well as sponsoring music education and music programming throughout the region.
On my blog, I discuss all things piano, with an emphasis on piano technology. I love sharing what’s what in the piano world, my adventures as a technician, unusual pianos I encounter, and featuring the people involved in the continuing evolution of the piano and its place in our world.
