About
Christopher Hacking, P.Tec, LRWCMD, B.A (hons), MSc
Fully trained and qualified as a piano technician.
“I have been playing the piano for nearly 42 years and am a graduate of the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. I studied pianoforte under world renowned concert pianists, namely Geoffrey Buckley, Julian Jacobson and Mikhail Kazakevich. I graduated from the conservatoire in 1996. I qualified as a secondary school teacher of music in 1998. I remained in education for nearly 20 years, before retraining in 2019 and returning to my passion for everything and anything to do with pianos.”
“I employ state of the art methods when tuning an instrument. A combination of traditional tuning by ear and the use of cutting edge computer software in an integrated approach to tuning allows me to deliver a pure twelfths tuning that produces the most wonderful results. A pure twelfths tuning is very difficult to achieve by using aural methods alone. Today’s professional grade software uses AI to create a bespoke tuning model for each individual piano, that never fails to please even the most exacting ear, from beginners to professional musicians alike”
“My piano servicing appointments are made up of private clients, professional venues, recording studios, schools, and restaurants and bars; I am available Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday for piano servicing appointments. Thursdays and Fridays are reserved for any piano removal or disposal services that may be required. Of course I will try to accommodate customers with appointments outside of these times if necessary ”
“Please take a look at the pre-loved pianos page if you are interested in purchasing a meticulously prepared, high quality used piano. I also renovate high end older instruments and these are available in the “Pianos of note” section on that page. My pricing is always more affordable than the glossy retail sector on the high street and I have a wide range of instruments. I offer an honest service and a retail experience in that all my pianos are delivered FREE, come with a FREE used piano stool, checked and regulated and tuned to concert pitch 440htz. Viewings at my showroom are by appointment only in Abergavenny”
Chris Hacking
Enjoy the music again.
"The only truth is music." - Jack Kerouac.
We tune for…
…events such as the Hay festival winter weekend…
Yamaha GC1
…schools and colleges such as Porthcawl School, South Wales
John Broadwood boudoir and Yamaha G3
…theatres such as The Grand Pavillion in Porthcawl…
Yamaha G1
Pianoforte Tuners' Association Training Day with Torben Garlin
On 20th November 2022, Torben Garlin, the concert & institutional service director for C. Bechstein in Berlin, delivered a fascinating workshop for PTA members on concert grand piano regulation, voicing and tuning.
What an experience…very humbling to be taught by the likes of Tobin Garlin, a lovely chap who flew over from Berlin for the event, a piano technician who is truly at the top of his game. I learned an awful lot about voicing a piano that day and am grateful to him, the Piano Tuners’ Association and the C. Bechstein centre in Manchester for their hospitality; some valuable professional development for both myself and other technicians.
I rode my motorcycle up to Manchester that day…you can see me just poking my head through at the back there in my biking kit…I didn’t take a change of clothes. My hands were so frozen after the ride home I could hardly move them…rigor mortis was setting in…but the event was worth the pain.
Chris Hacking
A good turn out for the event, organised by The Piano Tuners' Association.
Tornin Garlin, a world renowned piano technician
Torbin is the concert & institutional service director for C. Bechstein in Berlin
The event was held at the C. Bechstein centre in Manchester
The centre has a wide range of wonderful grands and uprights to choose from
The flagship centre for the company's UK presence
Keeping abreast of the latest techniques
”I firmly believe that you will never stop learning about pianos; it is an incredibly complex instrument. Continuing professional development is very important to me, especially if I can learn from the best in the piano trade. The PTA (Piano Tuners Association) invited me to attend this workshop in March 2020 with Karl Heinz Habermann, Head Technician of the Schimmel Grand Piano Department. Below is a screen shot of the PTA news from April 2020, the piano tuners association monthly publication”
Karl Heinz Habermann, Head Technician of the Schimmel Grand Piano Department and myself voicing a Schimmel K230 Grand piano.
Karl is one of the world’s authorities in piano hammer voicing. I learned a tremendous amount from him and it was a pleasure to be in the company of a gentleman.
Chris Hacking