Rebecca Rumfellow is a 26-year-old piano technician at O’Neill’s Music House.
She began learning her trade from the technicians in the shop. Most of them are men, close to retirement and eager to teach Rumfellow the trade.
Rumfellow has been in this profession for two years. She not only tunes pianos, but also takes them apart and cleans them inside and out.
Here are some photos from a day in Rumfellow’s life as a piano technician.
Piano technician Rebecca Rumfellow uses a tuning hammer to loosen or tighten the piano strings when tuning the instrument.
Photo 1: Piano technician Rebecca Rumfellow begins removing the keytop from a baby grand piano by slowly sliding it out of the instrument.
Image 2: Piano technician Rebecca Rumfellow pushes the playing surface a little further as she removes it from the baby grand piano.
Image 3: Piano technician Rebecca Rumfellow pushes the playing surface even further away from the baby grand piano.
Photo 4: At this point, the felt-covered playing surface hammers are exposed as piano technician Rebecca Rumfellow slides them out of the baby grand piano.
Photo 5: The playing board is almost completely separated from the piano as piano technician Rebecca Rumfellow pushes it further away from the baby grand piano.
Photo 6: Photo 1: Piano technician Rebecca Rumfellow balances the board on her lap after sliding it off the baby grand piano. From here she would place the board on a bench and begin cleaning the inside of the instrument.
When tuning a piano, Rebecca Rumfellow uses a tuning hammer to tighten or loosen the piano strings while monitoring the sound on the tuner on her iPad screen.
Each key on a piano’s keyboard is numbered. When Rebecca Rumfellow needs to take the keyboard apart, she can use the numbers to put the keys back together.
Rebecca Rumfellow, a 26-year-old piano technician at O’Neill’s Music House, removes the playing surface of a baby grand piano so she can clean and work on the piano’s keys and felt-covered hammers.
Rebecca Rumfellow pulls the top out of a baby grand piano in O’Neill’s Music House. The 26-year-old piano technician spent the day cleaning and tuning the piano.
Piano technician Rebecca Rumfellow uses a tuning hammer to tune piano strings by loosening or tightening them.
Rebecca Rumfellow is a 26-year-old piano technician, also known as a piano tuner, at O’Neill’s Music House. Here she is working in the back room of the music store, tuning a baby grand piano.
Once the keyboard flap covering the keys is removed, the felt-covered hammers inside the baby grand piano can be clearly seen. The keys and hammers are part of the piano’s action, which piano technician Rebecca Rumfellow removes to clean the inside of the instrument.
Rebecca Rumfellow, a 26-year-old piano technician at O’Neill’s Music House, works on a baby grand piano in the back room of the music store.
Piano technician Rebecca Rumfellow uses a tuning hammer to tune piano strings by loosening or tightening them. The tuner is displayed on her iPad screen.
Rebecca Rumfellow tunes a baby grand piano with a tuning hammer at O’Neill’s Music House, where she works as a piano technician.
A strip of rubber called a damper is used to silence the surrounding piano strings while piano technician Rebecca Rumfellow focuses on tuning specific piano strings.
Rebecca Rumfellow explains how the tuner works on her iPad screen while tuning a baby grand piano in O’Neill’s Music House.
Rebecca Rumfellow uses a tuning hammer to tighten or loosen the strings when tuning a piano. The tuner on the iPad measures whether the strings are in tune or not.
Piano technician Rebecca Rumfellow carefully balances the baby grand piano’s keytop on her lap as she removes it from the instrument.
Piano technician Rebecca Rumfellow shows the components of the keys and hammers on the playing surface of the baby grand piano.
Piano technician Rebecca Rumfellow uses a tuning hammer to tune piano strings by loosening or tightening them.
Piano technician Rebecca Rumfellow uses a tuning hammer to tighten or loosen the piano strings when tuning the instrument.
The arrangement of the felt-covered hammers on the playing surface of the baby grand piano. Piano technician Rebecca Rumfellow removed the playing surface to clean the interior of the instrument.
Piano technician Rebecca Rumfellow uses a tuning hammer to tune piano strings by loosening or tightening them.
Piano technician Rebecca Rumfellow uses a tuning hammer to loosen or tighten the piano strings when tuning this baby grand piano.
The strings of the baby grand piano are longer and thicker on the lower side of the keyboard. Piano technician Rebecca Rumfellow uses a tuning hammer to loosen or tighten the strings when tuning the instrument.
Dampers are located above the hammers to soften the sound of the piano when a player steps on the damper pedal. Piano technician Rebecca Rumfellow made sure they worked perfectly when tuning this baby grand piano.
Piano technician Rebecca Rumfellow uses a tuning hammer to loosen or tighten the piano strings when tuning this baby grand piano.
Piano strings are connected to tuning pegs, which piano technician Rebecca Rumfellow tightens or loosens with a tuning hammer when tuning the instrument.
Piano technician Rebecca Rumfellow keeps an eye on the tuner on her iPad screen while using a tuning hammer to tighten or loosen the strings during the tuning process.
A piano technician explains the different parts of the piano action while balancing the piano on her lap while tuning it.
