| Formation: | 1957 |
| Purpose: | Association of piano technicians. Registered Piano Technicians (RPTs) have passed standardized examinations |
| Headquarters: | Kansas City, KS |
| Leader Title: | President |
| Leader Name: | Norman Cantrell, RPT |
| Leader Title2: | Executive Director |
| Leader Name2: | Barbara Cassaday |
| Piano Technicians Guild | |
| Abbreviation: | PTG |
| Region Served: | USA |
| Website: | http://www.ptg.org |
The Piano Technicians Guild (PTG) is an International organization for Registered Piano Technicians, headquartered in Kansas City, Kansas. The PTG was formed in 1957 from the merger of the American Society of Piano Technicians and the National Association of Piano Tuners.[1]
The PTG is primarily an American professional association with open membership. It states that anyone with a professional or avocational interest in piano technology may join. The title of Registered Piano Technician (RPT) must be earned by passing a series of examinations.[2] There are three examinations: a written multiple choice test consisting of questions covering all areas of piano technology and tuning, a tuning exam, and a technical exam, where the examinee demonstrates competence in common repairs and regulation of grand and upright actions. For the tuning exam, RPTs perform a standardized piano tuning on a piano that has been master tuned. A master tuning is one that is performed by a group of technicians until they all agree no improvements on the tuning can be made. The results of this "master tuning" are then stored on an electronic tuning device. The piano is then detuned so the examinee can tune it, and the results are compared to the master tuning for scoring.[3]
Guild members improve their skills through training offered by local chapters and seminars held on the regional and national level.[4] The Piano Technicians Guild also publishes a monthly technical magazine, the Piano Technicians Journal.[5]