Spring Cleaning Special!

A free cleaning for each new customer, an 85$ service.

Cleaning is as important as tuning, but in a different way. Tuning makes the piano sing at the correct pitch; cleaning makes it last. As dust collects inside your instrument, and even the cleanest homes have this occurring in Oklahoma, many of the moving parts start to wear excessively. Even more harmful than that is the ability for dust and dirt to absorb moisture, even on a microscopic level. This essentially puts wet clods of dirt on your strings and tuning pins, which means that they are on the way to rusting. As for the old adage of never touching the strings with your bare hands, this is actually true in a sense. The oil from one's fingers makes the dirt and dust stick even more to the strings. 

More moving parts than an automobile!

The exterior of the piano can be cleaned with a soft cotton cloth. Remove fingerprints with this and, for most finishes, just spray a little bit of glass cleaner directly on the cloth. Be careful to avoid spraying the piano directly, inside or out, so as not to get any on the strings, action, sound board, etc. 

The interior is best left to a technician to clean as it takes some special tools and experience to do this properly and safely. I clean the beneath the strings with a "Soundboard Steel". Most soundboards don't get cleaned since it is so difficult to get under the strings, but every time a note is struck the vibration caused the dust that has settled on the board to set out to find a new home on the strings or action parts.

Though it may seem an obvious and necessary skill set to have, not all technicians are versed in this. With thousands of precisely adjusted moving parts and many hard to access places in a grand or upright piano, it's not an easy thing to do without the right tools and a certain amount of experience. You will extend the life of your instrument and your piano will thank you for it.

Don Willis - piano technician - 405-226-7460

Notable Concert Tunings

Over the years Don Willis has been called upon to tune pianos for some of the greatest artists to perform in the Oklahoma City area.  From popular music to jazz to classical he has been the preferred piano technician for concert venues from music colleges and universities to concert halls and amphitheaters.

Here is a partial list.

Popular Music

Nora Jones
Elvis Presley
John Denver
Eric Clapton
The Eagles
Linda Rondstadt
Jackson Brown
Liza Minelli  
Jerry Lee Lewis
Chicago
Bob Dylan
Bruce Springsteen
Don Williams
Hank Williams Jr.
Emmylou Harris
Asleep at the Wheel
Pure Prairie League
Yes





Classical


Jon Kimura Parker
Izthak Perlman
Marc-Andre Hamelin
Misha Dichter
Cipa Dichter
The Browns








Music Schools and Universities


University of Oklahoma
Southwestern Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State University
Southern Nazarene University
Cameron University
University of Central Oklahoma

Don Willis has been a piano technician in the Oklahoma region since 1968.  He specializes in rebuilding Steinway grand pianos, but with forty-five years of experience, has also worked with virtually every model of piano from the last century and a half.

His list of clients is extensive.  It includes concert tunings for the major artists that have visited our concert halls and arenas as well as most of the music schools and universities in the state.  He is the tuner of choice for grand pianos and fine uprights in private homes throughout the region.  

Piano technician and tone regulator, he is one of the rare artists who still tunes by ear, forsaking any electronic shortcuts.  His services include tuning, voicing, restringing and action rebuilding.  He is selective about which pianos he will undertake to completely rebuild, but a once-great instrument is joy to hear restored.

Don makes his home in Edmond and serves the surrounding areas of Oklahoma City and the surrounding communities of Mid-West City, Del City, Norman, Warr Acres and Bethany.

So whatever your piano needs, from a home or concert tuning to a full restoration, or anything in between, you can schedule an appointment by phone (405) 226-7460.

Welcome to the new web log for 

Concert Piano Tuning!

When all is up and running it should be a great resource for contacting Don Willis to schedule tunings, repairs, rebuilds or just plain alchemy for your piano.  

Feel free to leave feedback, comments  or questions about your piano or information you would like to see on the site.  

While there are very few with the experience and credentials that Don has regarding pianos, there are also very few that know less than we do about constructing web sites!  

So don't be shy, just be patient.

May the wind be at our backs!