Don’t Shoot the Piano Tuner
The Secret Life of Pianos, From the Woods to the Concert Stage is a deep dive into the world of the piano filled with stories of famous pianists interspersed with interludes and musings about music, sound, tuning and tone.
by MS “Scott” Harker
(All photographs, unless otherwise noted, © Clancy Dennehy)
Don’t Shoot the Piano Tuner—The Secret Life of Pianos, From the Woods to the Concert Stage,
is a deep dive into the world of the piano filled with stories of tuning for famous pianists interspersed with interludes and musings about music, sound, tuning, and tone. Part autobiography, part meditation on the piano as a machine and a musical instrument, author Scott Harker has been tuning and caring for pianos for over forty years.
The story begins in his cabin on Hornby Island where he rebuilds his first baby grand, followed by a move to Vancouver where he opens a piano shop. Then, after one propitious phone call he finds himself on stage of the 2800 seat Orpheum Theatre tuning for Radu Lupu. Trial by fire! After that it is Lang Lang, Evgeny Kissin, Alfred Brendel, Herbie Hancock, and many others. Encounters with concert artists and their unique needs concerning touch and tone illuminate intricacies of piano care such as regulation and voicing. The art of tuning is discussed in detail; what does a tuner actually listen to when they tune a piano? (It's not what you think!) How do 1000 pounds of wood, steel, iron, and felt turn sound into music, not noise, and what is the difference between the two?
Journeys to London and New York offer windows into the famous Steinway Basement as well as the Steinway factory in Hamburg. Like members of a secret club, the world is full of people who love the piano. For many it's a lifelong passion. This book is for them.
(photography © MS Harker)
Get the first chapter - now!
I’m writing Don’t Shoot the Piano Tuner as I tune pianos and as I listen to some of the world’s finest pianists practice and perform in the greater Vancouver region. To get a taste of what the book is about, please take a moment to add your email to my “early readers” list. I’ll send you the draft first chapter. Plus, I’ll let you know when the book is published.
Thanks for your interest!
- Scott Harker
MS “Scott” Harker
Scott Harker has been tuning and caring for pianos for over forty years—in the home, the recording studio, and on the concert stage. Throughout his career he has met many people who are fascinated by the piano, as a machine and as a musical instrument. In answer to their many questions he has written Don’t Shoot the Piano Tuner—The Secret Life of Pianos, From the Woods to the Concert Stage. From his cabin on Hornby Island where he rebuilt his first baby grand, to the concert halls of Vancouver and his work with the world's great pianists, his life has been an inquiry into the inner workings and musical soul of the piano.
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