Your Soundboard is Cracked
Your technician has just announced he discovered a 1/4″ wide cracked soundboard. Do you panic?
A Shifty Character
“A Shift Character” likely raises a specter of juicy details of a deal gone sour. Maybe you said to yourself, “Finally, some real dirt to use!” I hate to be the proverbial stick in the mud, but this is an article about the shift pedal on a grand piano, its many uses, and how it should be maintained. On Saturday, […]
How to Buy a Piano (Part 4)
In the last article we said we would wrap this series with Part 4, and we will stop writing these articles with this edition. However, good piano research is a lifetime pursuit. It is difficult to know and understand the complicated business arrangements and backroom deals that have been made. Sometimes these transactions had an impact on the products produced. […]
How to Buy a Piano (Part 3)
In this issue of ‘How to Buy a Piano’ we describe some of the key design elements for which you should look when purchasing a piano. This will not be an exhaustive list. These elements provide here are clues as to the character and usability of an instrument. Before we begin it should be noted that these are my ideas. […]
How to Buy a Piano (Part 2)
A quick reminder that this series of articles is from my perspective and experience. There are many pianos made by numerous companies with many perspectives from qualified technicians. Your mileage may vary. Before we dive into the meat of selecting a piano, let me expound a bit upon the issue of character. There seems to be two major camps of […]
How to Buy a Piano
When I started writing this article I thought it might end up a bit lengthy. As I often do, I asked my beautiful bride to look over my work and give her thoughts. Her first words were, “How many installments is it going be?” It appears this is the first in a series of articles to appear over the next […]
Up on the Wire
Have you ever watched a high wire act with your heart in your throat? Inevitably the performer reaches a point where the wire starts to move ‘uncontrollably’ under his feet and all appears lost. At the last moment he gains control of his balance, finishes the walk, and waves to the crowd triumphantly. We started a newsletter in May and […]