Daily AncestorPiano tuner
A piano tuner adjusted the tension of a piano's strings so that its notes sounded in tune with each other.
The strings are wound on tuning pins, which the tuner turns to change their tension, listening to the beats between notes. Piano tuning became a profession around 1800, as the pianoforte replaced the harpsichord, which musicians had usually tuned themselves.
Early piano tuners were trained and employed in piano factories, often through an apprenticeship. Today tuning is done by independent piano technicians, rebuilders and piano store staff.
As seen in a recordOccupation and industry columns of the 1910 to 1940 census
Adolph Brennholz, 45, Piano tuner, Piano store
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Daily Ancestor. "Piano tuner." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/occupations/piano-tuner. Last checked 2026-10-12.