Comprehensive Piano Care Solutions
Piano service for Memphis, TN, Germantown
Collierville, Bartlett, Lakeland, TN and Beyond
Piano Tuning
Precision tuning to keep your piano in perfect harmony. All pianos need tuning at least once a year. Twice a year is even better. Call 901-827-3609.
Repairs & Maintenance
Skilled care to restore and preserve your piano's performance. Sticking or broken keys are no fun — they must be fixed before tuning.
Action Regulation
Adjustments for a consistent, responsive touch. Even small changes will make your instrument play and feel better.
Consultations & Advice
Professional guidance to help you care for your piano. Always keep the room cooler and away from heating vents and fireplaces.
A Tip Jar for the Piano Tickler
Keep this resource free for the next piano lover.
John has been tuning pianos in Memphis since 1976. The manufacturer lists, buying guides, history pages, and "how old is my piano" lookups on this site are free for anyone who needs them — and there are no ads.
If something here helped you choose a piano, date a serial number, or save an old upright from the curb, a small tip keeps the site online and growing. Tips aren't tax-deductible — we're a Memphis small business, not a charity — but every dollar goes straight to hosting, research, and new pages.
"Dedicated to Quality Service" — tuning Memphis pianos by ear since 1976.
A Smooth & Enjoyable Experience
Welcome to The Piano Tickler.com You have come to the right place for your piano tuning needs.
We hope your experience here is enjoyable. John, our tuning expert, can take care of most of your piano service requests. Call him at 901-827-3609. John covers all of Memphis in Shelby County including Lakeland, Bartlett, Germantown, Collierville and beyond. Our site also offers lots of info about piano history, facts and the world of piano making — plus insights into what's happening to the industry.
And if you have a Yamaha, Kawai, Steinway or Baldwin piano, we can still help you sell your piano. Please call for details.
Explore a Variety of Musical Essentials
If you are searching for piano benches, lamps or other accessories such as bench pads or sheet music, we no longer offer these for sale on our site. Call us to order tools, benches, parts or accessories at 901-827-3609. If we cannot help, Amazon offers a large selection.
Sometimes we may acquire such items on the used market — please call. No guarantee of availability. We can also offer quick advice about repair for other instruments such as organ, guitar or violin.
Premium Brands You Can Trust
Schaff piano tuning tools and supplies are mostly what John uses while servicing pianos. Schaff tools hold up very well and last a long time. Call John at 901-827-3609 if you are a musician or a beginner piano tuner and need help.
We can special-order tools and parts and ship them to you (U.S. orders only). Schaff is in Lake Zurich, IL — all of their products are made in the U.S.A. We no longer offer the House of Troy piano lamps or the GRK sheet music cabinet or benches.
For Digital Piano Players
& Young Musicians
For the digital piano player, looking to purchase electronic keyboards you will find an excellent selection on Amazon whether you are a professional musician or just a beginner. Now days a digital keyboard has become a necessary substitute for an acoustic piano. Although I do feel that it is better for Kids to learn on the real thing. Not a toy piano.
Browse Categories & Get
Personalized Assistance
Browse each category up top or below for the items you're interested in. We can assist with most piano-related requests.
Have you ever asked, "How old is my piano?" Find out now. Send us the serial number and name to learn how old it is — we can determine the age of about 95% of all pianos made worldwide.
A World of Sheet Music
at Your Fingertips
Please note that shopping for sheet music online offers more selections than you will ever find in one place. Shopping online is great! Search for rock, jazz, classical, ragtime, blues, gospel, band and choral music for piano plus all instruments.
Keyboard Benches &
Essential Accessories
A piano or keyboard bench is essential — standing up to play does not work very well. As a piano tuner and player, John needs a bench for spinets and consoles for sure. Bending over isn't easy when servicing or playing pianos.
Sometimes the seat gets lost or broken, so we always ask the customer if they have one. If not, John carries his own bench or stool. (For grand pianos, he stands.)
More Than Just a
Store — A Growing Resource
You should spend a little time on our site looking at more than just the home page. This site offers helpful hints and insights about choosing a piano bench, lamp or how to keep your instrument looking beautiful. We are continuously updating and adding more information, history, facts, valuable tips, and free info on piano care and piano tuning and repair in Memphis, Tennessee, and Shelby County. Be sure to bookmark any page or pages that you are most interested in.
Changing Times in the
Piano Industry
The piano-making industry has seen drastic changes in recent years, while the instrument itself remains basically the same. Sorry to say, the piano manufacturing business in America is almost dead (2026), but the love of the instrument may be as great as ever! It's just that nowadays, while almost everyone loves a piano, very few people can afford a new one. This is just one reason sales numbers have dropped lower than ever. Read our Piano Facts page about recent prices and production numbers.
Why a Used
Piano Makes Sense
So we say, buy a used piano. There are still a lot of them out there. Find them listed in the newspaper, on the web, on the street (yes, it does happen, probably because of all those foreclosures and job losses over the past few years). That's it! Save a piano.
Caring for Pre-Owned Pianos
Beginning Lessons &
Upgrading Later
If they do well, later buy them a new one (if you can) or a newer and nicer used one. There is a chance that a few of these discarded "kings of instruments" may be of very good quality. As the economy gets better, there won't be as many free ones anymore, so typically a referral from a piano teacher, close friend, neighbor, or relative will be the best source for a good piano, new or used. And don't forget the bench!
When Older Pianos
Become a Problem
Here's an afterthought. Recently, we have realized that many of those free or cheap spinets were not all that good in the first place. Plus, the big old uprights and old grands are all getting so aged and decrepit that they no longer perform well. Not to mention, most of them will not tune up very well at all.
Now, please don't get us wrong. We're not contradicting what we said above about salvaging one of those discarded instruments. But the truth is, a badly playing and sounding piano may actually discourage your child. Or even worse, it may turn them off of music altogether!
Considering a Digital or Electronic Option
As an alternative (forgive us, God, after all, we are piano tuners and lovers), just maybe an electronic keyboard could also be a good choice. After all, they have gotten much better these days. And of course, for a real piano student, we only recommend a digital piano, not a cheap electric keyboard. "Digital" and "electric" mean the same thing, but "digital piano" and "electronic keyboard" do not always mean the same thing, even though both terms are used to describe a keyboard.
Understanding the Difference
An article at the bottom of our Digital Piano page may be helpful to understand this. We particularly enjoy the Roland RD-300GX, found on our digital piano page. It plays and sounds really good. Ah, but now we are no longer talking cheap, as in a free spinet piano sitting on the curb. Now do you see what we're talking about?
Give Your Child the Best
Chance to Succeed
We hope so, because it's all about giving your child the best chance possible to do well with their music studies. The instrument they play on must be good enough so that they will not be hampered by any possible inadequacies of the instrument. This means that if you do pick up a cheap or free spinet, you must have it tuned and adjusted to sound and play as good as possible. If this cannot be done, then you must spend $10,000 for a new Kawai studio piano or around $2,200 for a Roland RD-300GX digital keyboard and speakers!!! Just kidding, but only a little, since we love high-quality stuff. We realize, of course, that these might not be in your budget, so there is nothing wrong with dragging that free spinet into the house. Now we're sure you see where we're coming from!!
Enjoy the Journey Into Music
Have fun! The world of music is an exciting place. From John and Daisy at The Piano Tickler — your online source for piano tuning services, tools, related information and much more.
Our Legacy of Piano Care
We have tuned and repaired pianos in Memphis, Tennessee, since 1976.
We also service Germantown, Collierville, Bartlett, Arlington, and Lakeland, Tennessee. We will travel to all surrounding counties and beyond. Concert piano tuning by ear!
"DEDICATED TO QUALITY SERVICE"
For an appointment, call (901) 827-3609.
Difference Between Upright and Grand Pianos
Well, if we want to be upright or grand, we surely should know the difference — that is, between the two types of pianos. I mean, seriously now. The upright piano is also referred to as a vertical. It stands up, so to speak. A grand piano is horizontal and lies down. But it's not really lying down, since three legs (four on old square grands) are supporting it. The strings and cast iron harp or plate inside are horizontal in a grand and vertical in an upright.
Design and
Structural Differences
The cast iron plate in both types looks about the same. With grands, there is a more curved shape and closed-in design, giving them a more attractive look than uprights. Which is good, because with the top raised, we can see inside a grand. Verticals are closed up and do not allow an inside view. Now, we shouldn't misunderstand. The plate in a grand piano is not necessarily made just for looks. It is designed to give the instrument greater strength and tone, and because of the way the soundboard is shaped, a grand piano utilizes a greater portion of its sounding board than a vertical.
Sound Projection
With the lid propped open, the sound goes out into the room and carries farther than an upright.
Action and Playing Mechanics
The piano action in a grand piano is made differently than in an upright. Grand actions contain a repetition lever, which allows greater speed than an upright action, which does not contain a repetition lever. This speed is noticed mostly by concert musicians only. Let's face it — the average player (no matter how many piano lessons we have had) will hardly notice the difference.
Pedal Systems
Another important difference in a grand piano is that the dampers are able to cut off the sound of the strings closer to the striking point than in an upright. A grand piano is also more easily equipped with a working sostenuto device. The sostenuto is activated with the middle pedal. It may also be referred to as selective sustain.
The soft pedal (the one on the left) is much more useful in a grand piano than in a vertical because it softens the sound without affecting the feel of the keys.
The pedal on the right is called the sustain or damper pedal. It does the exact same thing on both types of instruments. When depressed, it lifts all of the dampers to let the sound ring on. With the damper depressed, we had better make extra sure that we play only the right notes, or it will sound terrible! But now, that's what piano lessons are for. We need to find a good teacher.
Comparing Costs
Last, but not least, another big difference is the price. Grands cost a lot more than verticals, although it does depend on the brand of the vertical, because a new or used Steinway upright will cost more than lower-priced new grands. But if we are talking about just the difference in price between lower- to average-quality instruments (Chinese instruments fall in this category), the price for an average vertical is about half of what a grand piano might cost.
The price difference may be much greater if we are talking about used instruments. In other words, a used spinet, for instance, may cost much less than a used grand piano.
Piano Benches
Well, that's about it — except for the piano bench. Quite often on newer pianos, we can't see much difference in the size or shape of the benches. With older instruments, sometimes a grand bench is longer than an upright's. Then again, we have seen some used verticals with a bench as wide as a grand piano bench.
Learn More About "The Piano"
Check back later to learn more about "The King of Instruments," as it used to be called over a hundred years ago. There is so much interesting history, facts, collectibles, trivia and technical information about "The Piano."
Scott Joplin Ragtime Piano Sheet Music
Get Your Piano Tuned — Call John at (901) 827-3609
