Piano repairer of 40 years wishes he knew how to play piano

His first repair shop was located on a street near the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate. He later moved his shop to Hisarönü Caddesi. But the first time he fixed a piano was for a journalist who lived in Balat. When he brought the instrument home for repair, his family thought it was some kind of strange cupboard.

In the beginning, most of his customers were Greek or Jewish. That is because during that time mainly non-Muslims had pianos in İstanbul. But Bardakçı notes that now many families and schools have pianos. The craftsman has fixed many pianos owned by artists. Among them are jazz pianist Kerem Görsev, composer Melih Kibar, Ahmet Özhan and pianist Angelica Akbar. People from all over Turkey, not just İstanbul, send their pianos to Bardakçı for repair. Due to the delicacy of the instrument, Bardakçı personally tracks the delivery of pianos that come from Anatolia. He gives instructions to everyone from piano owners to cargo company workers. Once the piano is fixed, he shows the same utmost care in the delivery of the instrument back to its owner. He notes that both the maintenance and transportation of a piano is an art form and underlines that the slightest mistake can cause permanent damage to the piano and make it unusable.

The name of his workshop is Modern Piyano. His three sons work with him as well. Modern Piyano is the first and only family-owned repair company in Turkey. Over time Bardakçı became a highly sought-after repairer, causing his workload to multiply. He needed to hire workers, but since repairing a piano requires tremendous labor and trust he did not want to hire someone he did not know. His eldest son Ertan came to his father’s rescue. His younger sons eventually became interested in the art as well.

No work from neighbors

Bardakçı has been repairing pianos in Balat for 37 years. But no one from his neighborhood has brought him pianos for repair. In fact he says he doesn’t know of anyone in his neighborhood who owns a piano. The last time he saw anyone with a piano in the neighborhood was many years ago. Most of the people who visit his workshop are curious tourists.

Bardakçı notes that he has had many interesting experiences while fixing pianos. For example, the piano of well-known composer Melih Kibar broke down just 30 minutes before a concert. Bardakçı rushed to his rescue and fixed the piano in 15 minutes. Kibar was able to perform without any trouble. Bardakçı has seen interesting repair methods over the years. He noted that once someone brought in a piano with band-aids over the broken places. Aside from these funny incidents, his years of experience has made the talented craftsman a highly sought-after piano repairer. www.modernpiyano.com

Digital pianos don’t have emotion 

With the improvements in technology, electronic pianos were developed. Simple toys that mimic the sounds of organs, keyboard and pianos started spreading. Bardakçı notes that these devices can never play the sound of a real piano. Noting that they can be used by children for learning purposes, he says: “Have you ever seen a great pianist play with these kinds of tools? They wouldn’t even touch the best of these equipments. That is because the sound they make is not natural, it is artificial. When you touch the key on a piano, you can feel the hammer hit the strings and resonate. A pianist can express his emotions only with a real piano. A digital piano does not offer this feeling. A key always makes the same sound. But with a real piano, every key makes a different sound depending on the player’s emotion.” He also noted that while many pianos are many in China, the best pianos are made in Germany.

Sultan Abdülmecit’s hidden piano

Among the pianos Bardakçı and his sons have fixed is a very unique one. There’s a very interesting story behind that piano. Ottoman Sultan Abdülmecit had an appetite for music and one day he had an 1873-made piano brought to the Dolmabahçe Palace. During the British occupation, the piano was taken to a safe place in Anatolia to protect it from looting. It was stored in one of the caves in Sivas. The piano was severely damaged while it was being brought back to İstanbul after the end of the occupation. The bottom cover went missing and its reels and furniture broke. Many years later the piano was repaired by an amateur artisan. But during the repair, the instrument was further damaged. The National Palaces Directorate of the Turkish Parliament recently requested an expert opinion on the piano’s condition. The experts explained that the piano could not be repaired. But Şule Gürbüz, the person who is responsible for taking care of the clocks and pianos in the palace, did not give up and found Bardakçı. The piano was delivered to Bardakçı, who fixed it after working on it for almost two months. Everyone was shocked when they saw the final result. As a result of his success, the Turkish Parliament National Palaces Directorate gave Bardakçı a plaque of appreciation. The piano is still in the Dolmabahçe Palace and will be put on display at the Topkapı Palace in the near future.

No time to play piano

Even though Bardakçı has dedicated his life to fixing pianos and can recognize the slightest mistakes in the chords, he does not know how to play it. “It’s not only expensive to buy a piano these days; it’s also expensive to take piano lessons as well. Back in the day, I was trying to take care of myself and send money back to my family. I was also constantly trying to improve my skills. When I started making money, I was always busy fixing instruments. I never found the time off from repairing to learn how to play the piano,” says Bardakçı, noting that he’s always wanted to be able to play the piano as well. “When customers come and pick out a piano, I really wish I could play it for them. If I could play I would be so happy,” he says. Bardakçı’s children share the same fate as him, but his grandchildren are learning how to play the piano.