Name: Leo Montero
Location: San Francisco, CA

Comment:
Ben Verbon is truly a modern-day renaissance man who is extremely knowledgeable, skilled and proficient in so many pursuits. He is not only a master machinist, fabricator, woodworker, building constructor, artisan & craftsman, but also a very accomplished athlete! His patience and ability to share his knowledge makes this course most enjoyable.

I purchased Dirk’s piano tuning software six months before attending Ben’s workshop. Although it is an excellent tool, I struggled with the basic mechanical aspects of piano tuning. After attending Ben’s workshop, I became significantly more accomplished and confident as a piano tuner. The hands-on training combined with Ben’s aural tuning techniques have helped me achieve fantastic results with the 6 pianos I’ve tuned in the past few weeks.

The small group size allowed for individualized learning, and also gave students a chance to share cultures, experiences, and make new friends from around the globe.

This course is set in an idyllic retreat in the French countryside that is so peaceful, picturesque and unspoiled, that I really hated to go back home! To top it all off, Inez’s daily homemade, garden-fresh meals were just fabulous! It would be well worth it to come here just to visit and get away from the daily grind. In fact, I plan to take the course again, because there are so many topics and techniques that are really worth experiencing and paying for again!

Name: Richard Sullivan

Comment:
You won’t get what you pay for from this course - you will get much more instead!
1. accommodation 3 meals a day morning and afternoon breaks. (I got vegetarian meals that made the carnivores jealous).
2. a great tuning course in a small group plus some practice replacing strings and other small repairs 3. the French countryside (and only countryside because you are miles away from the nearest village) 4. a fun time with hosts with big hearts and great sense of humour

What you are not going to get from this course: Well the truth is that piano tuning is fairly simple in theory but takes some effort in reality so don’t expect that you can tune 2 pianos per day directly after this course. Ben recommends when you go home after the course you tune 6 notes on your own piano per day (expect your arm to be aching after 6 notes until the muscles adapt). If you do this then after 2 weeks you piano will be optimally tuned and will probably sound better than you have ever imagined possible.
Ben will give you some tips for building speed but always repeats that the only way to get quick is to practice. He is incredibly patient but also has high standards so don’t expect him to use the word “perfect” from him too often!

Name: Astrid Åslin

Comment:
A wonderful week in France, with wonderful people. I didn´t think it was possible to learn this much in only 5 days. Now I will buy Dirk´s pianotuner, it is a great help in your piano-tuning. Thank you Ben and Inez!

Name: Vitaliy U.
Location: Lynnwood, WA

Comment:
I was in the ever-first piano tuning course group of this great school. I it was awesome!!! Food is better than in a restaurant, lodging is better than in a hotel, surroundings is better than in any university town (because it is nature), studying face to face in a small group (compared to private tutoring), all day in the shop filled with curious equipment, four languages to pick from... this is the place where theory immediately turns into hand-on practice. Where your dream comes true.