Q: Just a quick question... I found a xxxxx piano for sale online for $####. It's ## years old and apparently in very good condition. Can you tell me if this is a good deal? Thanks!
A: It might well be. What more can you tell me about the piano? Is it local or near enough to view it in person? Do you have a photo? What size (height)? What model? What cabinet style? How has the piano been used? For instance, if it has been used in a university music program as a practice piano it will have had hours and hours of playing and will be aged internally much the engine and transmission of a vehicle that has been on the road non-stop making commercial deliveries. In other words, it might be relatively new, but have a lot of "miles" on it.
The following tips should help give you a better idea; but after reading this, probably the best advice is to engage the services of a competent piano technician, someone who has the experience to recognize and evaluate the true condition of the piano, someone who does not have a conflict of interest in the sale of the instrument. One way to identify a qualified piano technician is to locate someone who has completed certification examinations for "RPT" status (i.e. is a Registered Piano Technician) with either the Canadian Association of Piano Technicians (CAPT) or the Piano Technician's Guild (PTG). The RPT exam involves a written test, a bench test and a tuning examination. Unfortunately CAPT has discontinued RPT testing and currently is not listing those who have achieved RPT status, but you can click this link to find an RPT member of the PTG at http://www.ptg.org/. For information about CAPT go to http://pianocanada.ca/.
So, to know what you are buying you really need to have a look "under the hood" at the "engine and transmission" and see what shape that is in, such as:
Some links where you can read more about it:
Q. I think I will hold off on the tuning for now. It was only a year ago I had it tuned. Thanks...
A. Sure. Let me know when you'd like to have it tuned. That said, if you live in the prairie provinces I'd like to urge you to not let your piano get dried out in the winter. What typically happens is folks let the piano either get too dry in winter, or too humid in summer, without having it retuned to relieve the stress on the instrument. Then because it sounds so bad they urgently want to get it tuned. Which is actually the worst way to go about it. Because when we tune it at its worst without moderating the extremes, it gets a "rebound" effect when the environment swings the other way. It puts incredible stress on the instrument to have it tuned at its driest, then allow it to go through a humid cycle when the string tension tonnage increases exponentially. Keep in mind that the piano structure has to bear in the neighborhood of 15 to 20 tons of compression from string tension, and 600 pounds plus downbearing pressure on the soundboard via strings crossing the bridges.
So it's not so much a question of when it was tuned last, as what was the environment when it was tuned, how has that environment changed, and what are you as a piano owner doing to moderate those extremes?
One helpful gauge is to monitor the relative humidity with a digital hygrometer so you know what action to take. When the humidity begins to soar over 50% consider running a dehumidifier. Many units offer a built-in digital hygrometer so you don't need to spend money on a separate unit. Though not as effective as a dedicated Piano Life-SaverTM system, the following suggesting can help measurably for vertical pianos: when the humidity drops to the low 40s percentage range and is headed lower, remove the "knee panel" (the panel below the keyboard) and place containers of water inside to hydrate the piano. Replace the panel. Keep the piano closed when not in use because most older pianos swing the music rest outwards when the key cover is opened, which exposes the piano interior to the dry room environment. Piano manufacturers speak of 42% as the ideal relative humidity target.
Most folks simply don't comprehend how much water is required to hydrate a piano by evaporation only and use containers that are much too small. I suggest saving some empty 4-litre milk jugs, cut the top off below the handle, and place as many as possible inside the piano, three if you can. The beauty of milk jugs is that they are made of light plastic and can easily be cut with a scissor to whatever height is needed to fit under the pedal trapwork (some pianos don't have any free space inside so you must cut shallow containers to fit beneath). If the space is too narrow for 4-litre milk jugs, then save some vinegar or canola oil jugs as they are slimmer.
For uprights I also recommend a baffle to close the gap between the keyboard underside and the knee panel. I usually install those for new customers as a bonus. I have a document available to describe the procedure if you wish to tackle it yourself.
But the most effective step you can take to to protect your instrument and extend its longevity and preserve its tuning stability is to have a Piano Life-Saver system installed. For pianos in churches and school in Canadian prairie climates we recommend a climate control cover as well, and for grands the best result can usually be realized with a combination top cover and undercover. Contact us if you wish to discuss these options.
So to recap, a humidity level between 40% and 45% is a good target. Don't count on the old analog hygrometers as I find most are grossly inaccurate; but some can be calibrated for reasonable accuracy, and I have often been able to calibrate them for clients.
If you have any questions feel free to contact me by email.
Q: What other suggestions do you have for improving "living conditions" for my piano?
A: (pending)
Q: How can I learn to play by ear?
A: This is something that traditionally almost all piano students are missing in their training. A couple of links to consider:
Gospel pianists will want to browse these links about the late Rudy Atwood:
For piano teachers, something like this material could be a means to draw in the "pop" pianists and whet their appetite. Along with that you can gradually introduce them to serious music and wean them off "music pablum".
In my opinion musicians, especially pianists, should also learn to read music by pattern. I think our music festivals should have classes for improvisation.
Some, like myself, have developed it either entirely on their own or have only had some starter ideas. That's why I've posted the links above. I wish such resources had been so readily available in my day. At the other end of the spectrum are those unfortunate individuals who somehow have picked up the idea and highly developed the ear, but have never learned to READ music. They continue through life as musically illiterate. Praised for their "miraculous" ability, and coddled because they have a special "gift", making the move into music reading "kindergarten" is too humiliating for them so they retreat into their ivory tower to bask in the glow of praise. They never learn to do the hard work. Sadly, what earns lavish praise as a child is still childish as an adult.
Kathleen Dearing of Prairie Bible Institute, Three Hills, Alta., had a book series devoted to improvisation, primarily classical in style, but the material advanced too fast and assumed substantial prior music theory knowledge at an advanced pianist level. Ideally they should go hand in hand, or the theoretical should follow hard on the heels of the improvisation, which helps make so much more sense of the theory (in much the same way that music harmony theory makes so much more sense of music history).
Children learn to talk before they read; why shouldn't musicians do something comparable?