Resources - Alex's Piano Service

Resources

These recommendations are based on the excited reviews my customers give me. This list is under continuous construction, and please reach out to me if you would like to add your favorite resource! See my contact page.

Piano teachers 

If you’re looking for a piano teacher, check out my Piano Lessons page for a list of teachers in Maine. I do my very best to maintain a comprehensive list!

Customers regularly ask me for local piano teachers. If you are a local piano teacher, please reach out to me and I’ll be happy to talk to you. If you have an excellent piano teacher that isn’t on my list, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me.

This list can also be found at pianoteachers.me.

Piano moving

There are two well-established piano moving companies here in Southern Maine: The Piano Movers of Maine (207-939-3018) and Starbird Piano (207-775-2733), both of which are based in Portland. Both, in my experience, are willing to travel pretty far.

Pricing for piano moving is quite variable, and you should have the following information ready: The location the piano is moving from and to; The number of steps at both locations; The size of the piano (length for a grand or height for an upright).

If you need an especially long-distance move between states, reach out to Piano Movers Inc. They service all of New England, and come highly recommended as they’re the movers used by Londonderry Piano in New Hampshire.

Please see my Piano Moving FAQs for more information.

Piano age

The first place I recommend is The Bluebook of Pianos Piano Age directory. It’s free, and they have the most common makes (like Baldwin, Wurlitzer, Yamaha, and Steinway); however, many of the smaller manufacturers are missing.

I can look up the piano age in the Pierce Piano Atlas if I have the serial number and make. For that, you can contact me directly. Email me at [email protected] or use the contact page. I’m always happy to provide this service.

Piano accessories

Dampp-Chaser Pads and Treatment can be purchased on Amazon (pads and treatment), they can be purchased at Starbird Piano in Portland, or you can ask me to bring them to your next tuning! Pads are free for regular customers, and my treatment prices are lower than Amazon’s.

Looking for a piano light? There are quite a few on the market, but I have had customers repeatedly recommend the Lumiens Music Stand Light. The light clips on top of your music rack whether on a grand piano or an upright, but it’s also capable of standing upright on its own if you don’t have a suitable place to clip it.

If you are looking for resources for cleaning your piano, see my Cleaning FAQs.

Piano sales

Starbird Piano in Portland is a Yamaha dealership, and is the only piano store in Southern Maine. They sell pianos on consignment. They use their own, in-house movers

M Steinert & Sons in Boston is our nearest Steinway and Boston dealership. They also use Piano Mover’s Inc, and ship to Maine regularly. They have an outstanding reputation throughout the country.

Cunningham Piano is located in Philadelphia, but it’s home to some of the best piano rebuilders in the country, and a number of my customers have pianos purchased or rebuilt by them. They orchestrate shipping to and from Maine through a variety of movers.

Homeschooling Groups

I’ve worked with a number of members of Homeschoolers of Maine, who can help with events, group classes, curriculum, and the technical/legal aspects of homeschooling your kids.

2 thoughts on “Resources”

  1. We live in Mechanicsville MD. We have an upright piano belonging to my mother-in-law that is full of mustiness. I began wiping the exterior from the top down. The keyboard is as far as I got. I know I can’t tackle this job without professional assistance. Who could I call upon for help?

    Reply
    • Hello Debbie!

      Although I don’t personally know anybody in your area, there are several resources for finding a local competent technician. The quickest is the Piano Technician Guild’s search tool (https://portal.ptg.org/technician/find). Any technician you find here will, at least, have passed their evaluations and should be able to assist. It doesn’t look like you have many choices within a 25-mile radius: I see only Patrick Presnell (http://presnellpianoservice.com/).

      There are many excellent piano technicians who are not part of the guild. When seeking such competent but low-profile individuals, the first place to check is with local piano teachers. They often get reviews and tips from their students. You’re not far from Waldorf Music Academy (https://waldorfmusicacademy.com/), and you might ask them for a recommendation for a technician.

      Thank you!

      Reply

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