The Butler School of Piano Technology
Piano Tuning School

Learn Piano Tuning at your own pace!

Rick Butler


Rick served as one of the Concert Artist Technicians for Steinway & Sons in Washington, D.C., for many years. His service as a concert technician includes many years with the National Symphony Orchestra, the Kennedy Center, Washington Performing Arts Society, and the White House. His piano rebuilding experience encompasses work on all components of the instrument, including re-stringing, bridge and soundboard repair/replacement, pin block replacement, keyframe, and key manufacture, as well as complete action, underlever, and trap work repair, replacement, and regulation.
Within the Piano Technicians Guild, he has served his chapter (Washington D.C.), as President, Vice President, and Secretary, as well as serving on various committees locally and nationally.
He has also lectured at local, regional, and national meetings on such subjects as tuning, voicing, regulation, and various aspects of Rebuilding. Rick is a Certified Tuning (CTE) and Technical (TEC) Examiner for the Piano Technicians Guild. As such, he participates in the administration of the Piano Technicians Guild written, tuning, and technical examinations.

Some of the Artists for whom I have worked


Andre Watts - Peter Serkin - Marvin Hamlisch - Vardan Mamikonian - Christian Zacharias - Mikhail Pletnev - Gary Graffman - Laura Mikkola - Van Cliburn - John Tess - Oscar Peterson - Daniel Barenboim - John Eaton - Horacio Gutierrez - Andre Michel Shub - Ann Scheim - Jeffery Siegel - James Tocco - Emanuel Ax - Peter Nero - Alicia de Larrocha - Mischa Dichter - Cipa Dichter - Louis Lortie - Manacham Pressler - Evgeny Kissin - Richard Goode - Murray Perahia - Victor Borge - Alfred Brendel - Roger Williams - Jonathan Biss - Michele Camillo - Billy Taylor - Jon Nakamatsu - Yo Yo Ma - Benny Green - George Shearing - Tony Bennett - Jeffery Biegel - Yefim Bronfman - Frank Sinatra - Mavah Perlman - Ruth Laredo - Joseph Kalchstein - Isaac Stern - Lambert Orkis - John Browning - Harry Connick Jr. - Leon Fleisher - Lang Lang and others.