Piano tuning
Stairs with no lift add 20 minutes to the stop. Confirmed before I start. Pay on the day.
ABOUT TUNING
KEY & MILE
At your piano.
TODAY · SOUTHSIDE RUN · 3 STOPS · LEITH IS THURSDAY.
About Key & Mile
Key & Mile was set up in Edinburgh in 2003 by Martin Ellison, who still does every visit himself.
He trained in piano tuning and servicing in Glasgow in 1989, then spent the next decade on a hotel and theatre contract.
Concert instruments in the afternoon, lounge uprights at night and a diary that sent him across the city for a single fee. The work was regular. The days were not.
In 2003 he left the contract, kept the estate car and opened a practice that would only accept work that sat on the same day’s run.
Southside on Tuesday and Wednesday, Leith on Thursday, Houses, churches and a few teaching studios.
Tuning, pitch-raises and the small repairs that can be finished in the stop.
He does not sell pianos and he does not take a second technician.
The booking system on this site is that rule written down, If the postcode is off the day’s run, the time is not offered.
What I do
Pick a tuning row and I’ll carry it into the booking. Postcode still comes first.
Minor repairs & assessment
Sticking notes, noisy pedals, uneven touch and small action problems can often be assessed during a home visit. Tell Martin what the piano is doing when you book. If it needs parts or work beyond the visit, he will explain the next step before anything is agreed.
ABOUT REPAIRSHow a run works
Martin Ellison tunes uprights and grands across Edinburgh, organising each working day by neighbourhood rather than scattering appointments across the city.
Postcode
Put in the postcode where the piano lives.
The run
I only offer a place on that day’s neighbourhood run.
The docket
Your confirmation prints the arrival window and the time I stop waiting.
From the houses
“He came between 2 and 2:25 exactly like the screen said. Not before, not after.”
The work
Real rooms, real actions. Prices sit with the tuning service above.
Where I run
I come to the piano. There is no workshop to drop into.
Southside
Morningside, Bruntsfield, Marchmont, Newington
Tuesday and WednesdayLeith
EH6
ThursdayA job that sits outside those runs is not offered. That is the point.
Questions
Why can’t I choose any time I like?
Because then I’d spend the day crossing Edinburgh. One area a day is how the window stays honest.
What if Martin is running late?
The window already allows for traffic. If I can’t make it, you’ll hear before the window opens, not after.
How long does a tuning take?
About an hour for an upright, more for grands. A pitch raise adds an hour. Stairs count.
Do I need to be home?
Yes, or leave a responsible adult. Pianos are poor at opening doors.
What if I need to cancel?
Give me 24 hours and the place goes to the run’s waitlist.
What happens if a place opens on a full run?
It goes to the first name on that run’s waitlist. No bidding, no ringing round.
Can I bring the piano to you?
No. I come to the piano. There is no workshop.
What if I don’t know when the piano was last tuned?
That is fine. Tell me what you know and I’ll assess it when I open the piano.
Can you repair my piano?
I handle and assess minor mechanical problems at the piano. If it needs specialist workshop work, I’ll tell you before anything is agreed.
Something the form doesn’t ask?
Access, an existing visit, or a fault you want looked at. Leave me a message.