Building Trust In The Piano Industry w/ Rich Galassini

11/30/22 • 38 min

"We'll see a snap back in this industry."

In this episode, Rich Galassini joins us at Piano Tech Radio Hour while we are stuck amidst a pandemic. We are still figuring out how to bring our piano tuning businesses back. Most of us even think our careers are over, and we might never get back up again.

However, Rich has different opinions. And he’s tracking different indicators. The visits to his company’s website are increasing during the lockdown.

Not only that, but he joins us having gotten ten leads interested in purchasing a piano on a previous YouTube Livestream.

He thinks that people are getting more curious about pianos due to the sheer amount of free time available. He says, "If we were lunch providers for office goers, our business would probably be doomed (for at least a year or so), But we're piano dealers/techs. When people think about a purchase from us, they undergo a careful consideration process before buying."

According to Rich, the buyer purchases can be put off, the clients can do their research, and the piano business will see a snap back after the pandemic. Sit tight, take every opportunity to build trust with your clients during tough times, and you’ll come out ahead in the end.

Tune into this episode to learn more about Piano dealerships, building trust with your customers, the piano industry post-covid, and more with Rich Galassini.

Here's a little bit about our guest Rich Galassini:

Rich Galassini was nineteen years old when he first visited Cunningham Pianos as a customer with his parents. A few years later, in 1987, when he was just 23, Rich began working at the store. After working closely with the family that owned the business, Rich was able to purchase the company and remains the owner and president. His background in music performance and music education has played a strong role in the leadership of the business both within their community and within the music industry.

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Piano Tech Radio Hour is brought to you by Piano Technicians Master. We provide cutting-edge piano technology instruction from piano industry masters without leaving your home, featuring monthly subscriptions, conventions, single live streaming, and recorded masterclasses. Learn advanced skills:

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How to repair pianos.
How to rebuild pianos.
How to tune concert pianos for the finest performers in the world.

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"We'll see a snap back in this industry."

However, Rich has different opinions. And he’s tracking different indicators. The visits to his company’s website are increasing during the lockdown.

Not only that, but he joins us having gotten ten leads interested in purchasing a piano on a previous YouTube Livestream.

Tune into this episode to learn more about Piano dealerships, building trust with your customers, the piano industry post-covid, and more with Rich Galassini.

Here's a little bit about our guest Rich Galassini:

JOIN US FOR MORE GREAT CONTENT❗❗

Browse more masterclasses and lectures from Piano Tuning Pros here: https://www.pianotechniciansmasterclass.com/

How to tune pianos.
How to repair pianos.
How to rebuild pianos.
How to tune concert pianos for the finest performers in the world.

Instagram -Piano Technicians Masterclass (@pianotechmasterclass)

FB - Piano Technicians Masterclasses | Facebook

Spotify - Piano Tech Radio Hour | Podcast on Spotify

Previous Episode

Piano Industry Innovations w/ Del Fandrich

Bulky pianos have been in this world for ages now. Everything else evolved; our furniture and other technologies became sleek, slender, and aesthetically better, but pianos have hardly changed at all. For example, they have remained thick and bulky even when they are shorter in size. Del thinks there is a whole universe of opportunities for innovation in piano design.

He agrees that large pianos can be incredible, they give excellent performances. At the same time, those are not the pianos everyone can afford or accommodate in the limited space of their homes. That's why Del realized he could create more modern, sleeker pianos that even ordinary people could buy.

Del says that he wasn't reinventing pianos. But he was just creating a design that people preferred; narrower, aesthetically pleasing pianos suited for small living rooms.

Del notes that unfortunately many modern manufacturers know very little about pianos. They’re just copying old designs with not much understanding of the “why” behind the design elements. Thus a manufacturer’s attempt at narrowing pianos and making such drastic changes can lead to the production of poorly performing pianos. Thus Del created Fandrich & Sons to pursue the creation of sleeker pianos informed by solid design principles.

In this episode, Del reveals a world of exploration remaining: better ways to build solid, sustainable soundboards for small and large pianos; the feasibility of manufacturing in China, Central, and Latin America, and much more.

Here's a little bit about our guest Del Fandrich:

Since 1960, Del Fandrich has evolved from a basic service technician to an independent rebuilder, manufacturer, and design consultant. He served as the Director of R&D with Baldwin and has consulted with brands like Charles Walter and Young Chang. Most recently he has been working with John Martin of Wertheim Piano to develop a totally new vertical piano. He has authored numerous papers on topics ranging from basic piano technology to advanced concepts in design and manufacturing. He continues to lecture globally as one of the most forward-thinking minds in the piano industry, maintaining several active research projects in his workshop in Olympia, WA.

JOIN US FOR MORE GREAT CONTENT❗❗

Browse more masterclasses and lectures from Piano Tuning Pros here: https://www.pianotechniciansmasterclass.com/

How to tune pianos.
How to repair pianos.
How to rebuild pianos.
How to tune concert pianos for the finest performers in the world.

Instagram -Piano Technicians Masterclass (@pianotechmasterclass)

FB - Piano Technicians Masterclasses | Facebook

Spotify - Piano Tech Radio Hour | Podcast on Spotify

Next Episode

The Piano And Tuner Are One w/ Dale Erwin and Arlan Harris (Part 1)

Many of us feel pressure while we work, actively concentrating on what we are doing. It's not bad, but over time it can lead to frustration and puts a fence around our work.

Our co-host David Andersen shares his philosophy on piano tuning–just relax and pay attention to your work. Because 8/10 times, your body knows exactly what to do and you can just watch it perform. We just have to let our years of practice flow through us as we pay attention to our actions.

Arlan Harris, our guest, reinforces the concept that paying attention is an aspect of passive observance. When you can passively observe what you're doing, you can quickly become one with your work.

If you're playing/tuning and passively observing what you're doing, you become the piano. You are one with the piano.

In this episode, our guests Dale Erwin and Arlan Harris extensively talk about how you can level up as a piano technician by doing some simple but underrated things like training your ears. Listen to pianos and their tunings and study what you hear. Ask the pianists what they want out of a tuning/piano and listen carefully to their input. As per Arlan's experience, pianists love getting involved in the tuning process, and they are the happiest when we tune their piano just the way they want it to sound. We often get to learn from them just like they learn from us.

Learn more about communicating with pianists/customers, getting vulnerable by asking questions, and levelling up by “tuning” into this episode.

Here's a little bit about our guests:

Dale Erwin:

Dale being a piano technician wasn’t a planned event, he was unintentionally trainedcame by accompanying his dad to countless tunings and soaking in the craft through hours of absorption in a shop environment. His official training began with my Dad & Dick Hamlett in 1972 at the family Yamaha dealership in Modesto.

Dale became a registered piano technician in 1980. He had the privelege to serve as president of local Piano Technician Guild chapter five years, a tuning examiner for 8 years & an instructor at the local, state, and national level. He has had enormous opportunities and has taught many classes at state, local, and national Piano Technicians Guild conventions.

Arlan Harris:

Arlan is a piano restorer and a concert piano technician. After working in the Famous Steinway Hall Basement in the 80’s, where many of the world's most demanding artists arrived almost on a daily basis and working as an action specialist as well as tuner/technician, Arlan honed his skills learning from his superiors, colleagues, and top-level pianists. He is the president of Arlan Harris Pianos and Services and Arlan Harris Production.

JOIN US FOR MORE GREAT CONTENT❗❗

Browse more masterclasses and lectures from Piano Tuning Pros here: https://www.pianotechniciansmasterclass.com/