Southern New England's Premiere Piano Service Company
A well-tuned and properly set-up piano will inspire your music making.
About Us
Who We Are
The Piano Practice was founded by John Totter. He is a graduate of the prestigious piano technology program at the North Bennet Street School in Boston, MA — an education that culminated with a meticulous certification process evaluating aural piano tuning and repair skills. He completed the second year Advanced Piano Technology course - a year of training in the art and techniques of complete piano rebuilding.
- John has tuned and serviced pianos for Boston University Tanglewood Institute — a premier summer training program for aspiring high school and college-age musicians and Boston Public Schools.
- John is the piano technician for the BrickBox Theater and The Hanover Theater in Worcester, MA
- John is the curator of the pianos at Church of Our Saviour, Brookline, MA; St. Joseph's Catholic Church, Bristol, CT; First Congregational Church, Bristol, CT; Temple Emanu-El, Providence, RI and other houses of worship in RI & MA.
- John is a Registered Piano Technician, a designation awarded by the Piano Technicians Guild upon completion of a rigorous series of tuning and technical exams.
- John is a Certified Dampp-Chaser/Piano Life Saver System installer.
- John is a Certified Installer and Technician for QRS Music Systems.
- John is a Certified Installer and Technician for PianoDisc Music Systems.
- John also holds degrees in music in Organ Performance from the Hartt School of Music (University of Hartford) and the Yale School of Music.
What We Believe
Getting the Most Quality & Pleasure Out of Your Piano
Sound
Keeping your piano at pitch and in tune contributes a great deal to the playing experience (and listening experience!). Good unisons lead to beautiful melodies and clear harmonies. Regular tuning helps ‘train’ the strings and contributes to longer, more stable tunings. Good tunings allow the piano technician and player to explore the quality of the piano’s sound. Adjustments can be made to the timbre of the piano, from clear and bright to warm and mellow, depending on the music you play and qualities you prefer.
Playability
Playability is how easily and predictably the piano plays. It feels right. The player is able to play with a full dynamic range, with ease and control. The player can forget about how the piano plays and can completely immerse themselves in the music. Proper regulation of the action and damper systems will provide that high level of playability.
Appearance
Nothing says “I love my piano” more than keeping it clean. Clean keytops invite someone to play. Lack of care inside the piano contribute to string and pin corrosion. A layer of dust on the soundboard and plate discolor the finish. Liquids and pianos do not mix well and should be kept well apart. Accidents happen and spills and leaks should be addressed as soon as possible. If the finish is scratched, dinged or damaged or is just lacking its shiny lustre, we can address that too.
Contact Us
We are available by appointment only.
Use the Schedule An Appointment button for all service work.
The Piano Practice
Call or text us on 401.419.6509
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