Voicing is an altering of the tone quality within each note throughout the piano by adjusting the tension of the hammer felt. This is achieved by using needles to make the felt more pliable or tense depending on the desired result. Other means of changing the tonal response of a hammer include adding chemicals to [...]
Author Archives: pianoemporium
How to give a preliminary check when shopping for a used piano
August 20, 2010 – 6:09 pm
1. Try all the pedals. Listen for squeaks and noises.
2. Play all notes throughout the keyboard. Make sure they sound and return correctly.
3. Look inside the piano. Look for worn or broken parts. Ask questions about the history of the piano and whether or not is has been maintained regularly.
4. Have the owner/salesman play the [...]
The piano soundboard
August 10, 2010 – 8:48 am
Piano soundboards are thin boards commonly made of spruce approximately 3/8″ thick glued together and extend from the bottom of the piano on a vertical, and tail of the piano on a grand, to the pin-block and then across the full width of the piano. The soundboard has a crown which is very important to [...]
Player pianos
July 20, 2010 – 8:22 am
A player piano is a regular upright or grand that plays itself but can also be played normally by any individual. On uprights, the case is usually larger to accommodate the player mechanism. Older player pianos are controlled by pneumatics and newer player pianos are controlled by electronics.
A reproducing piano has an additional element [...]
Piano size
July 19, 2010 – 6:57 pm
Piano size greatly influences the musical tone and potential of the piano. The larger area for soundboard and string length the better. Lengths, for grands, and heights, for uprights, in general are:
Concert grand 8′-9′
Medium grand 6′-8′
Small grand 4.5′ – 6′
Full size upright 49″ or more
Studio 45″ – 48″
Console 41″ – 44″
Spinet 36″ – 40″
Grand [...]
Antique Chickering Pianos
June 14, 2010 – 11:07 pm
The Chickering piano company was established in 1823 by Jonas Chickering and James Stewart. It was the first piano company in the United States. The factory was located on Tremont St. in Boston, MA. Chickering took painstaking care down to the smallest detail which assured the Chickering piano the place of honor in the first [...]
Antique Pianos by the Lester Piano Company
May 16, 2010 – 9:02 pm
The Lester Piano Company, an American standard, was established in 1888 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. These were well built affordable pianos and have many good qualities. Lester Piano Company was well know for their Grand pianos, full size uprights and the Betsy Ross Spinet. The company went out of business around 1960. These pianos are [...]
A Piano Bar
April 23, 2010 – 9:19 pm
An unusual encounter today, as I looked at my schedule to notice that there was a piano to tune that the customer stated was an “English piano” and that it was also a “Piano Bar”. I thought I would arrive to find something that was not even serviceable but to my surprise was quite [...]
Piano serial numbers
April 14, 2010 – 8:18 am
We are often asked to give a particular pianos age and most of the time it is based on finding a serial number so that we can cross reference with the date of manufacture. Many piano manufacturers placed serial numbers in a variety of places. Pianos also have other numbers printed on them such as [...]
How to clean piano keys
April 2, 2010 – 9:50 pm
There are many types of piano key covering materials that have been used through the years. Ivory, celluloid, plastic, walrus and even wooly mammoth to name a few. There are also many glues used in adhesion. These glues can be unpredictable when used with chemical cleaners. It is best to stay clear of using any [...]