WE ARE  THE BEST PIANO TUNERS AND TECHNICIANS IN THE METRO ATLANTA AREA! 

ATLANTA PIANO TUNING BY EAR  

Ask For Manny

Family Owned and Operated Since 1974, 50 YEARS!
Ask For Manny
CALL US NOW!
VOYAGE ATLANTA MAGAZINE

Meet Emanuel Loiacono of Roswell Piano Tuning by Ear

Piano Tuning — Emanuel Loiacono in Roswell, GA
Today we’d like to introduce you to Emanuel Loiacono.

Emanuel, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I started at Steinway Pianos in Astoria NY when I was about 17 years old. At that time, I had an interest in classical music (opera) and also popular music (rock and roll). I was the only one of 50 applicants accepted into the tuning and tone regulating department based on the accuracy of my ear. I left Steinway in 1968 at which time I performed in nightclubs in and around New York, (the Copa Cabana and Plaza Hotel), Las Vegas, and California etc. as a vocalist singing contemporary and classical music by night, and still tuning pianos by day. In the mid 1970’s, I moved to Atlanta where I continued to perform as a vocalist and was signed (along with my wife Phyllis) to CBS international records, recording an album under the name UNIPOP, which was released worldwide. At that time, I still maintained my piano tuning career by day. Ultimately, when my singing career took a back seat to my growing family, I decided to tune pianos exclusively and started a business which blossomed into a full-time career.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
My piano tuning career has been solid from day one. My customers are my friends and their pianos are my “babies.” I have tuned for celebrities (Ray Charles, Count Basie, Mel Torme, Tony Bennett, Phyllis Diller (who was a classical pianist…most people do not know this), Arthur Rubinstein, and many others…and yet, it is the lifelong customers I have tuned for over the years that mean the most to me. It is difficult for me when they move away or pass away…or sell their pianos…but often I inherit their children’s pianos as they grow up. That continuity is very special to me. Tuning pianos has been a smooth road for me because I am doing what I love. I experience satisfaction every time a customer tells me ” I never knew my piano could sound like that.” My greatest joy has been to teach my son Manny Jr how to tune and to see him following in my footsteps.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
My company name is Roswell Piano Tuning by Ear (a division of Atlanta Piano Tuning by Ear). I emphasize BY EAR because there is a world of difference between tuning by ear (aural tuning) and tuning with a strobe (electronic tuning). There is not an electronic instrument designed that can replace the human ear. Pianos are acoustic instruments…they are imperfect…they should not match up to a perfect device. The human ear (which is imperfect) allows the tuner to make adjustments to the individuality of the instrument, taking into consideration room size, carpet vs hardwood, ceiling height, etc. Johan Sebastien Bach said that the keyboard is an imperfect instrument. Before Bach one could only play in three keys. Because of Bach, one can play equally in all twelve major and minor keys. Bach developed the “equal temperament” which is the formula I use when I begin to tune a piano. It is the building block of the tuning and has endured over the centuries. From this point, I stretch that formula throughout the keyboard, using my ear to make adjustments particular to that individual piano and room. That is why a piano tuned by ear has soul. . It is not a cookie cutter product. It should not match up to a meter an electronic meter. That is what sets me apart from most other piano tuners who have not had the factory training that I experienced at Steinway, so many years ago.

What were you like growing up?
I grew up in an Italian neighborhood in Long Island, New York. My upbringing was very family oriented and I learned to appreciate good food, good wine, and good music. I was somewhat introverted, and yet was able to perform on stage before very large audiences. And later I was able to develop lasting relationships with my piano tuning customers over the years. I was never a boastful type of person. Yet I always knew what my talents were.

I am proud to be an aural piano tuner and to make a difference in the lives of so many individuals and families who have a love of music. I still love to cook, read a good book, and delve into political conversations.

Contact Info:

Share by: