Michael Ello been professionally tuning, repairing and rebuilding pianos in the Houston area since 1981.  He is a Registered Piano Technician in the Piano Technicians Guild which means he has passed  three rigorous examinations that assess the knowledge and skills required to tune, maintain, and repair pianos.  Michael carries a large number of piano parts in his service vehicle which enables him to make many onsite repairs.  He has tuned for concert artists such as Carol King, Michael W. Smith, the Vienna Boys Choir, the Houston Symphony, the Fort Bend Symphony, and Paul English.

Most manufacturers recommend that pianos be tuned twice a year.  A new piano requires a minimum of three tunings in the first year to compensate for the new piano strings stretching. Pianos that are not tuned for over a year often require a pitch adjustment before they can receive a tuning that will be stable at A440 pitch.

Piano tuning is a difficult skill to master usually only acquired after many years of experience.  A piano is an inharmonic instrument, which means that the intervals (thirds, fourths, fifths, etc.) are not tuned pure, but are tuned tempered.  The most common form of tempered piano interval tuning is known as equal temperament. 

After equal temperament is understood, a piano tuner must then acquire a physical coordination with his arm and tuning hammer, which is known as tuning hammer technique.  Becoming a professional piano technician is much like becoming a professional artist or singer.  Artists are able to use their hands to paint a masterpiece.  Singers are able to control their vocal abilities allowing a pleasant performance for their audience.  A professional piano technician is able to restore a piano to its maximum potential as a music producing instrument.