‘It’s a love’: Local piano expert keeps art alive with tuning practice

Now, he tunes pianos for 400 clients from San Mateo to Los Altos, a job he compares to a retired racetrack driver working on a collection of classic cars or a painter continuing to perfect his art. As Brattesani points out, his service has generated nothing but five-star reviews on Google. 

“I have a niche, and it's a dying art,” he said. “I’m dedicated to it — I take time to answer questions, and show them how to take care of the piano. They appreciate the piano being tuned so well.” 

In 2007, Brattesani was honored with a lifetime achievement award from Bösendorfer Piano Company, a Viennese piano-maker known for upscale grand pianos, including one, the Imperial, that contains a full eight-octave scale of 97 keys, rather than the traditional 88. 

During his time as a piano store owner across the Bay Area and in Sacramento, Brattesani had stores in Santa Clara, like Colton Piano Supermarts, and in Burlingame, like Colton Piano Co. There, Brattesani sold piano brands like Steinway & Sons, Schimmel, and of course, Bösendorfer — which makes around only 300 pianos a year. 

His secret to sales of some of the most high-priced pianos on the market, to some of Silicon Valley’s most famous and illustrious residents? Simple. 

“Knowledge, and that’s it,” Brattesani said. 

The location of his storefronts and the quality of the pianos also played a role, he acquiesced, but it was knowledge — which he used to help develop ideas for a more cost-effective model that could be sold to colleges — that helped him receive the lifetime achievement award.

“It was for innovation and new ideas on the piano,” Brattesani said. “Plus sales — I sold more than anybody else.” 

From his start in San Francisco’s North Beach area, where he opened a music school at the age of 18, to the Peninsula Price Club — now known as Costco — where he convinced management that temporary piano displays and performances would boost sales (they did) Brattesani has shared a true passion for the piano across all corners of the Bay Area. 

“It’s a love,” he said. “There’s just a love for that art.” 

After selling his final piano store in 2017, Brattesani retains his love for the instrument through his tuning practice, Piano Tuning Plus, where he applies the significant skills he’s acquired throughout the years to pianos in local San Mateo County homes. 

As interest in the piano has dwindled with the rise of other entertainment sources like the TV and computer, he remains — witnessing young people continue to fall in love with the art of playing and tuning pianos and retaining loyal customers who return because of his skill. 

“The good thing is, I’m for real,” Brattesani said.