Lamrocks Little Roses Music

Archive for the ‘Piano’ Category

Have you ever wanted to just sit down at the piano and play what you feel? Without worrying if it’s good enough or if you have enough “talent?” You can when you learn how to play piano using the amazing open position piano chord!

This chord structure allows the complete beginner to create modern sounds at the piano FASTER THAN ANY OTHER METHOD! After teaching piano for 14 years, I can safely say that I’ve never seen students progress as fast as they do when working with this chord position. Let’s examine how one can improvise right away using the open position chord.
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How do you move a piano? Very carefully.

Okay, I’m being a little sarcastic, but moving a piano is a serious endeavor.

I’m a big advocate of hiring a professional mover to move a piano. Pianos are heavy and it’s easy to damage a piano while moving it. I’m speaking from experience. I own a Kimball piano my parents bought brand new for me when I was a child. That piano was a big deal to me after having played on an old “clunker” of a piano for several years. I played that new piano every day.

When I got married it was time to move the piano to my own home. My husband and his brothers moved it themselves. It wasn’t an easy job even with the moving dolly they used (pianos weigh several hundred pounds – grand pianos can weigh 1,500 pounds). The amateur move of my piano resulted in both of the piano legs being damaged (a common occurrence when people move a piano themselves) and some unplanned internal work (some pins needed repair and a string broke). I should have hired a piano mover. Then I wouldn’t have had those problems, but my husband and I thought we would save money by doing it ourselves. It was a lesson I should have remembered, but I was foolish a second time.

A few years ago my husband and I built a new house. When it came time to move the piano again, my husband was reluctant to hire someone to move it professionally because our pocketbook was already feeling empty from the expense of building the house (he called our new house a “money-sucking black hole.”) In his mind, moving it wasn’t a big deal. Our new house was less than two miles from our old one; and he had a dolly, a trailer, and a brother who was willing to help him.

Everything went okay until my husband turned into the driveway of our new home. The sharpness of the turn strained the ropes holding the piano on the trailer and they broke. The piano tipped over and sustained a lot of damage (the entire “guts” of the piano are ruined and the case is chipped and scratched). I haven’t had it fixed yet, but I have gotten an estimate. It’s going to take a lot of time and money to fix the piano. It needs to be totally rebuilt. Because of the labor involved, it would be cheaper to buy a new piano than have it fixed, but the piano has a lot of sentimental value to me so I will have it fixed. This is why I say, “Hire a professional!”

What does a professional piano mover do to ensure a safe and successful move? With upright pianos, they almost always strap the piano on a skid called a piano board. They also cover the piano with blankets to help protect it. The entire bundle is then typically put on a dolly and taken to its destination. If steps are involved, the piano is taken off the dolly and slid up or down the steps on the piano board.

Moving a grand piano is a little more involved. The lid, lid hinges, pedal lyre, and leg on the straight side of the piano are usually all removed. The piano is then put on the piano board, on its side, with the straight side down. The other legs of the piano are then removed. The piano is then covered with blankets, strapped to the board, and put on a dolly.

Some movers don’t like to move a piano up or down stairs. If it’s feasible, they prefer to hoist it to the appropriate floor via a window that’s big enough to accommodate the piano.

So what do you do if you just want to move your piano from one part of a room to another? First, decide if it’s really important to move it because there’s always the risk of damaging a piano even with a short move. Piano legs are the most likely thing to get damaged or broken.

Be very careful to avoid putting too much weight on the legs. Get a few strong people to help if the piano is an upright; and get at least 5 people if it’s a grand piano. With an upright or spinet, tilt the piano back a little to take the pressure off the front legs, but be careful not to tip it back too far and tip it over. With a grand piano, lift the piano up enough to get the pressure off the legs before you try to move it. It’s not necessary (and not recommended) to lift the piano off the floor entirely.

If you’re going to move a piano often, consider having it fitted with special casters that will allow you to move the piano fairly easily. Or, have the piano placed on a piano truck.

How you do you find a good piano mover if you’ve decided to not try and move it yourself? My suggestion is that you call your local piano store and ask them for recommendations. They should be able to give you the name or names of reputable movers in your area.

Okay, so you’ve decided you are definitely going to move your piano and you’ve decided on a method. Now you have to figure out where you’re going to put the piano. Where should it go?
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Generally speaking, when looking for a new piano, buy the best piano you can afford. The first thing is to decide how much you can afford to spend on a piano without breaking your budget. Remember, a piano is an investment. A good quality new piano will cost upwards of $2,000-$3,000 (easily several thousand dollars more if you want to spend that much), but that piano will also last you a long time. If it’s well-taken care of, a good piano will last about 50 years before needing to be rebuilt.

If your budget is tight, consider purchasing a used piano. They can be a good value. The best bet when purchasing a used piano is to buy from a reputable dealer so that you don’t end up with a piano that needs a lot of work to make it play and sound good. If you’re buying from a private party consider having a piano technician check it out before you purchase it. The small investment to have it checked out can save you serious dollars down the road. Remember that a piano may look good on the outside but need a lot of work on the inside (strings may need to be replaced, pins may need to be fixed or replaced, etc.) so it’s best to have a professional look at it before you purchase.

If you’re purchasing a piano for a child who is just learning how to play and you’re not ready to invest a lot of money into a piano, an older used piano in good condition may work just fine. When I first started playing piano I played on an older piano. My parents didn’t invest in a new piano for a few years because they wanted to first be sure I was interested in learning how to play and was going to use a piano. They didn’t want a big object sitting in their living room that was only collecting dust. But they did make sure the older piano we had was in good working order and was kept in tune.

If your budget is tight, my suggestion is that you opt for sound quality over the look of the piano – especially if the piano is going to be used by someone who is learning how to play it. A beautiful piano case can add major dollars to the cost of the piano and can have the same sound quality as a lower-cost piano that doesn’t have a case made with expensive wood.

If you find you truly can’t afford a new or good used piano right away, then consider renting rather than purchasing a poor-quality piano. An option is to see if you can arrange to use a piano at a friend or relative’s house, or possibly at school or church. But, if the piano is for a child who is taking lessons, renting may be the better choice unless the piano you’re using is easily accessible nearly every day. A child may quickly lose interest in learning how to play the piano if the piano isn’t easily accessible for him or her to practice on.
When you look at pianos, keep in mind that longer strings in a piano generally produce a better sound. If you’re looking at uprights, look for a taller one. If you’re looking at a grand piano, the strings are horizontal so a longer piano will typically produce a better sound but will also take up more space.

Some of the more expensive pianos such as Steinways, Bosendorfer, Bechstein, and Mason and Hamiln will better retain their value better than a less-expensive piano although most pianos retain their value fairly well (http://www.pianoscentral.com/brands). Some pianos, such as Steinways, typically appreciate in value over time. That’s one of the reasons to consider purchasing the best piano you can afford. You’ll also typically have less repair issues on a better quality piano.

What are some of the differences between an expensive piano and a less-expensive piano? Yes, sometimes it seems like you’re paying more because of the “name” or “brand” of the piano. While that may be true in some instances, it’s not the norm. Less expensive pianos usually have manufactured wood material underneath the veneer and the veneer itself will be of a less-expensive wood. They also may have synthetic materials in the piano action, and have high tension stringing scales, to name a few particulars. Higher quality pianos will have hardwood underneath the cabinet veneer, lower tension stringing scales, wool cloth in the piano actions, and are typically tuned and regulated before leaving the factory. But, there are instances where fancy beautiful cases are holding interior parts that are of sub-standard quality. To avoid getting “taken,” do research before you shop and use a reputable dealer.
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You own a piano you love. But, you find that you need to put it in storage for a while. How should you go about doing it?

Many experts will tell you to avoid storing a piano if at all possible. It’s suggested to do everything you can to find a relative or friend who can keep the piano in their home or apartment until you’re ready for it again.

But what if that’s not possible?

A climate controlled storage facility is the best storage choice. Then the piano won’t be subjected to big temperature swings and big humidity changes, both of which can cause a lot of damage to a piano.

Pianos are very sensitive to temperature and humidity changes. Frequent, severe swings in temperature and humidity can wreck the wood piano case; doing things to it such as drying it out to the point of cracking if it’s too dry for a long time or warping it and wrecking the wood if it’s too humid.

Frequent or severe temperature and humidity changes will also cause the piano to go out of tune sooner than it normally would. It can also cause the wool cloth in the piano actions on better quality pianos to deteriorate.
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