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Children sometimes follow in the footsteps of their parents. You might say Stephen Duncan has followed in the notes of his father.

In 1969, David Duncan and his wife, Jane, started Duncan Piano . David Duncan was the band director at Northeast Junior High, now Welborn Academy of Science and Technology in High Point.

When he retired, he began to work full-time as a piano restorer and technician. Stephen Duncan remembers going to tune pianos with his dad when he was about 9 years old. He helped take the pianos apart. When he graduated high school, he never thought of doing anything else.

Duncan also has been a musician, although not professionally. He plays piano and guitar and sometimes plays for his church, Crossover Community Church in High Point.

Duncan studied and passed the exam given by the Piano Technicians Guild, a national organization. “The guild promotes the highest possible standard of piano service by providing members with opportunities and by recognizing technical competency through examination,” according to the group’s Web site.

Duncan has done extensive testing with tuning and technical exams to become a registered technician.

“I actually did an apprenticeship with my father. I took the first exam in 1979 through RPT (Registered Piano Technician). That means I have been doing this for 31 years,” Duncan said. “I remember in seventh grade going with my father to help take pianos apart.”

I asked what skills were necessary, and Duncan said, “You should have good hearing, aptitude for the piano, good pitch reference and mechanical sense as to how a piano works. I am also a musician and that has been helpful.”

Duncan doesn’t do digital tuning but uses a tuning fork. He does aural tuning, which means he tunes by ear.

Duncan recommends that everyone have their piano tuned at least once a year because tuning is affected by temperature and humidity.
The company works with lots of individuals, churches and other organizations that have different musical needs.

Duncan works with all levels of rebuilding and restoring in his workshop. He often devotes the whole month of January to restoring and rebuilding pianos.

Restoring a piano may take 200 to 250 hours or more.
“I take great pride in craftsmanship and believe in using the finest parts and services,” he said. Everything is done by hand using woodworking tools.

Duncan sometimes refinishes the outside of a piano. Right now, he is restoring an 1886 Steinway A. He will replicate the design and use the original sound board. He replaced the ribs using spruce wood. Spruce is used because it has the best resonance.

In addition to the Steinway, Duncan is reconditioning a 1905 Kurtzmann made in Buffalo, N.Y. He will use the original hammers and strings on this one.

“The hardest thing about tuning the piano is the mental concentration,” Duncan said.

“The overall design of the piano has not changed in nearly 150 years. One difference now is that pianos have plastic keys rather than ivory. This change is an environmental one. This sometimes makes the keys more slippery, but most pianists do not notice it,” Duncan said. “Pianos made in Europe with ivory keys cannot be imported to the United States. Buffalo bone is also being used on some pianos today.

“My joy is in restoring an unusable piano to a usable one. I enjoy working with lots of different people with lots of different needs,” Duncan said.

Christmas is a busy time for piano tuning. July is also busy because for nine years he has tuned the 35 Steinway pianos at the Eastern Music Festival at Guilford College. The concert pianos have to be tuned every day and sometimes multiple times in a day. The festival lasts six weeks.

Duncan has tuned pianos used by Bon Jovi, Andre Watts, Bruce Hornsby and Branford Marsalis.

“The piano is truly the premier music instrument in the word. It is the most dynamic solo instrument and has the largest spectrum of sound of any instrument,” he said.

Duncan and his wife, Renee, run the business. Their focus is on tuning, rebuilding and restoring. They no longer buy or sell pianos.
For information about Duncan Piano Tuning, visit www.duncan piano.com or call 882-6002.

For information about piano technicians, visit the Professional Tuners Organization online at www.ptg.org .

Contact Kathy Johnson at mjohnson2@triad.rr.com