As part of Life & Soul's occasional series of looking at unusual ways of earning a living, Judith Cameron talks to piano tuner Lucy Coad
Freshly brewed coffee, every tool in its place and a cleanly swept floor was hardly what I expected when visiting Lucy Coad's workshop just outside Bath. Before meeting her, I did wonder what sort of person becomes an antique piano restorer and how such an ambition can be achieved, but Lucy made it all sound very straightforward.
"I had always enjoyed playing the piano and knew that I didn't want to follow an academic career," says Lucy.
"It just seemed appropriate when my school careers office gave me a leaflet about an option at the London College of Furniture to repair and tune pianos. The course was on modern pianos and technology, but in my last year a man called Tim Hamilton gave a lecture about early pianos. The more he talked, the more interesting it sounded."
"For example, instead of replacing a hammer as you would in a modern piano by ordering one from a catalogue, you have to go and find the right wood, design and make the hammer - so it is really very creative as well as technical." After the lecture, Lucy persuaded Tim to employ her and hasn't looked back since.
"Three years later, Tim decided to move to the States but I carried on - initially in London and then I moved to Bath about 12 years ago."
Pianos come from all over the world for repair at the workshop.
"Fortunately, I have never had to do any advertising, which is quite unusual for a small business. It can take up a lot of money and time. We have grown through word of mouth," Lucy explains.
Clients have included the Royal College of Music and the National Trust, but most are individuals who are keen musicians or private collectors.
Lucy specialises in repairing and restoring square pianos which were made between about 1750 and 1835. This was the first mass-produced piano and the equivalent to a modern upright. In 1835, piano manufacture changed to incorporating an iron frame offering a much stronger and louder product; they started to look and sound more like the modern instrument.
"A lot of our work is in keeping the early piano sounding as it was supposed to sound. In fact, if you get a square piano and restore it using modern materials, it sounds absolutely dreadful and it's not good for its structure."
Lucy and her colleague Cal do a lot of research to make sure that that they are using the correct materials, designs and techniques in restoring the instruments. Nowadays felt is used to cover the piano hammers, but originally it would have been leather, so specialist suppliers are needed for the correct quality of hide. This is crucial to produce the characteristic quieter but brighter sound.
The early pianos were made using old-fashioned animal glues which can become unstuck, an important consideration when taking an instrument apart for restoration. These glues have been reproduced for repair work, making it easy for any repairs that have to be done in the future.
Most restorations involve working intricately with wood. It's not heavy work, but each piano is different, with problems that demand imagination and creativity. Lucy's present project is missing its whole pedal mechanism and she has had to source the right wood, find a picture of a 'sister' piano to match the design, create the shape, stain and correctly polish it. For big specialist work like gilding or a large area of French polishing, an outside craftsperson might be employed, but most of the work is done between Lucy and Cal.
"I've been really lucky in my choice of career," says Lucy. "When I started out, I simply wanted a successful business. I feel honoured to have been able to work with so many beautiful instruments and cannot imagine a future without them being an integral part of my life."
A two-year waiting list for a restoration shows that Lucy's straightforward approach has more than achieved her ambition and is well in tune with her clients and their pianos.
Lucy Coad can be contacted on 0117 937 4949 or at www.squarepiano.co.uk
© Judith Cameron
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