APPALACHIAN PIANO TECH CAMP
ABOUT
This is a weekend workshop for piano technicians to learn more about the regulation and repair of pianos. We will also be offering PTG written exams toward RPT certification on site.
Registration is now closed. Please email maggie@timandmaggie.net if you would like to be put on the cancellation wait list and/or the mailing list for next year. Thank you for your interest!
Our 2024 camp will be held from May 10 through May 12. The cost is $100-$157 depending on accommodations and how you pay (there is an extra fee for paying with a card).
Dorms will be available Friday night through Sunday night for those who would rather leave Monday morning.
Tentative work stations include:
1. Install a string, hitch pin loop, string splice
2. Travel grand hammers
3. How to read a micrometer
4. How to set up a grand hammer hanging jig
5. How to use a Renner hammer-boring jig
6. Rebush keys, fix key spacing, fix key tilt
7. Repin flanges
8. Fix stripped screws
9. Fix a loose rib
10. Fix a broken upright hammer shank
11. Fix a broken upright damper spring
12. Grand damper wire bending
13. At least one 3-key upright model for practice regulating
14. At lease one single-key model to assemble from the ground up
15. Several single-key grand models for assembly and regulation
16. Broken agraffe repair
17. Remove a hammer from the shank, then glue it back
18. Install a new tuning pin on a grand using a pinblock jack and floor floor jack for support
19. Replace broken wippen cord, unpin and repin the jack, then use gram gage to verify friction
20. Bed a grand action keyframe
21. Tilt a piano with a tilter
22. Regulation troubleshooting
PLEASE read about the facilities: This is a relatively primitive campground. There is a ladies dorm, a mens dorm, and a mixed dorm with semi-private rooms. BASIC room and board is included in the price of $100. For a semi-private room, one can pay an extra $50 but availability is limited. (There is an extra fee for paying with a card.) There are 6 rooms that can house individuals, couples, or small groups in a co-ed dorm. There is one private room in the mens dorm and one private room in the ladies dorm, both with 2 beds. The mens and ladies dorms have bathrooms with 2 showers, 2 sinks, and 2 toilets with dividers. The co-ed dorm has 2 separate bathrooms with a shower, sink, and toilet in each. There are no private rooms with their own private bathroom. ALL beds are single sleeper bunk beds. You must bring your own bedding/sleeping bag, pillow, towel, etc. There is a primitive camping area for tents or campers but no power, water, or "hook ups". We will have a few tents available for loan. Please click here for more information.
Regarding food: There will be coffee and hot water available 24/7. There will be a simple dinner on Friday night, breakfast, lunch and dinner on Saturday, and breakfast and lunch on Sunday. There will also be some snacks available. More information will be posted closer to the event. For those who wish to bring their own food, there are 3 refrigerators and a pantry. The commercial kitchen (fully stocked with pots/pans, dish-ware, silverware, etc.) can accommodate some who wish to prepare their own food, although we may have to stagger a bit. Saturday evening will include an optional fire circle with marshmallows (I will try to have vegan marshmallows available) and s'mores, pending weather.
If anyone wants better accommodations, there are several locations nearby but one must cover that cost on their own. Pipestem State Park is the closest. Pipestem Place Log Cabins is the next closest. Bluestone State Park cabins and The View Bed & Breakfast are only 15 minutes away. Restaurants are available at Pipestem State Park and near the Folklife Center (including The Oak , Brandon's BBQ , Rock Ridge Grill , a small pizza place, and a "mom & pop" store).
