How to Clean a Piano
Introduction
Learning how to clean a piano is a very important to enhance the durability and the functionality of your piano. Learning the regular piano maintenance and cleaning the piano will not only keep it clean and presentable, but it will also save you time and money spent to call on a professional for cleaning and repairs.
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Yamaha Clavinova CSP Review
The CSP (Clavinova Smart Pianist) is Yamaha’s latest Clavinova. Using the Smart Pianist App along with your CSP Clavinova the possibilities are endless. The Smart Pianist App is a combination of some of Yamaha’s already popular and useful apps (Chord Tracker, Note Star, Audio Recorder &
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Brandi Hand
Choosing a piano for you and your family is a big decision. You will not get the same experience from every piano, so it is important to do a little research before making a purchase. So, what are some things you should consider?
SPACE and DÉCOR
It may seem odd to think of a piano as a piece of furniture,
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Yamaha Clavinova CLP-635 Review
The CLP-635 is the where the new Clavinova sets a new standard. When you experience the sound of the binaurally sampled Yamaha CFX 9ft concert grand through your headphones you will feel like you are in a recording studio playing this immense piano.
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Yamaha Clavinova CLP-625
The Yamaha Clavinova CLP-625 is the best entry-level Clavinova by Yamaha so far. It features Yamaha CFX and Bösendorfer Imperial grand piano samples for a superb sound reproduction. The Graded Hammer 3X (GH3X) keyboard action with escapement feel gives it the touch of an acoustic piano.
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Antique Victorian Piano Restoration of Weber Grand from 1874
Charm, beauty and fascination of bringing a treasured piano back to life is a true rewarding experience. The craftsmanship and dedication that originally went into making this instrument is unmistakable and is what made Weber one of the world’s most superb pianos in its day.
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Seeing the woods for the trees: identify and care for your piano parts
We posted a blog earlier last year about the numerous different wood types used in various aspects and stages of piano making, including the pinblock, soundboard and action mechanism – and,
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Learning to Play the Piano is Easier than You Think,
and YOU Can Learn to Play
To begin, I’d like to give you a little background about myself. Growing up, we had a piano in the house. I had been curious enough to tinker around on the keys, but I never was too serious about it as a child.
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Out of all musical instruments, the piano is unique in that it also serves as a furniture piece for the room in which it sits. It is more than just a fine musical instrument. The piano is such a prominent feature amongst western culture specifically, that the term “piano finish” has been universall
y adopted to describe the highest quality in wood finishes.
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Music heals the mind, body and soul. In our current, broken world, the need for music may never have been so important. Scientific study after study have shown that the power of music stretches far past just generating the impulse to dance. Soothing classical music has been proven to reduce blood pressure,
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Even if you have your piano tuned regularly, you may eventually start to notice that your piano doesn’t quite feel the same as it did when it was new. 
This will be especially true if your piano receives a lot of use. This occurs for a variety of reasons,
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In the world of musical instruments, the piano is king. No instrument (with maybe the exception of the human voice) has had more impact on western music than the
piano. Invented early in the 18th century by Bartolomeo Christofori, the piano eventually worked its way into nearly every household by the late nineteenth to the early twentieth century.
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Caring for Your Piano
Do you own a piano? Are you thinking about possibly selling it? There are some things you can do to help it retain its value.
Buying an instrument is an emotional decision. In order for someone to pay a fair market price for your piano,
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Piano Care: Making Sure You Have the Right Technician
Your piano is probably one of the most mechanically complex items you own. There are over 10,000 individual parts in a piano that all need to be maintained in order for the instrument to work properly.
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About 90% of your piano is made up of two things: metal and wood. They seem like sturdy enough materials, right? Well, they are, but one of the properties of wood causes a problem. Wood swells and shrinks with changes in humidity, and presses against the metal parts.
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The Yamaha Montage: the “Mother of all Synths”
There’s been a lot of buzz surrounding the new Yamaha Montage – and for good reason. It is an absolute beast of a machine. Yamaha pushed the envelope of what synthesizers are capable of with the new Montage, prompting publications like Music Tech to call it,
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How Often Should I Have My Piano Tuned?
This is a common question. At a minimum, your piano should be tuned twice a year – once in the spring and once in the fall or summer then winter. This is not an arbitrary suggestion, but it’s based on the fact that the changes in weather,
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Brandi Hand
A piano finish is best maintained by simply keeping it clean, avoiding exposure to direct sunlight and extremes of temperature and humidity, and abrasion.
Your piano’s cabinet, like all woodwork, is subject to expansion and contraction with humidity changes. Excessive wood movement can eventually cause the finish to develop tiny cracks and even separate from the wood.
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Brandi Hand
Voicing: The felt hammers of the piano tend to harden over time, as the felt becomes compressed by repeated impact. They also form grooves at the points of contact with the strings. Harder hammers produce a brighter tone quality, which may ultimately become harsh and undesirable.
Your piano may benefit from voicing if:
A piano’s tone changes with use.
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Yamaha Clavinova’s are the most popular in the world
The very first Yamaha acoustic upright piano was built in 1900. Shortly thereafter, the first Yamaha grand piano was built in 1902. Over the past century, the company has built a reputation for world-class design and manufacturing, and is now among the makers of the world’s finest concert grand pianos.
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Yamaha and the Pursuit of Perfection
For nearly a century and a half, Yamaha has been perfecting their craft. Founded as a reed organ manufacturer by Torakusu Yamaha in 1887, the Yamaha Corporation quickly shifted their focus to producing pianos at the turn of the 20th century, bringing their first piano to market in the year 1900.
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Introducing a child to learning music has been shown to have a great impact on their development. Not only are they learning how to play an instrument, the act of doing so benefits them in many other ways.
Research has shown that music-learning increases brain activity, IQ, problem solving and also supports language development.
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Yamaha TransAcoustic Piano
First and foremost, all TransAcoustic pianos are acoustic pianos. TransAcoustic pianos have resonance and resounding reverberation produced by the superbly-crafted, high-quality soundboard.
By incorporating the touch and tone of a Yamaha acoustic piano with the all new TransAcoustic technology, these pianos inspires a new level of creativity and emotional expression.
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Wood quality and types used in piano manufacturing
One of the many factors in evaluating a piano and a primary one at that is the quality of the wood in which it is built. Many different types of wood are used in a piano for various parts.
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Pianist/Composer Michael Jefry Stevens (Steinway Artist)
in Concert with Billy Cardine on electric and acoustic dobro
They will perform original compositions in a duet compilation. Michael has released over 80 cds of his original music and is the author of more than 350 original compositions in a variety of musical styles.
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JUST JAZZ Piano Trio Concert Series promotes the traditional Jazz Trio! Come check out some amazing musicians in our downstairs listening room for an encounter with great music and a feeling of inspiration.
Join Us for An Evening of Jazz!
When:
Wednesday,
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JUST JAZZ Piano Trio Concert Series promotes exploration of the music and ensemble; music rooted in improvisation and enriched by deeply felt connections for both musicians and listeners. This event brings the passion of jazz to a wider audience; adding to the cultural mix in Asheville.
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Jim HarveyThe Stick
I was beginning a service call at a rather large church, with an equally large inventory of pianos. The pianos were spread all over various floors and different buildings. In earlier visits, I had found either staff or a church volunteer to provide access to some of the secured areas,
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Tonight’s Just Jazz concert will feature Justin Watt on drums, Mike Holstein on bass, Alex Taub on piano and Harvey Diamond on piano. Please come check out some great Jazz tonight at 8pm.
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Just Jazz promotes exploration of the music and ensemble;
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Save Up To $1,000 Instantly With This Special Offer!
As a Yamaha Authorized Dealer, we are pleased to announce this special rebate offer from Yamaha. You can receive an instant rebate (up to $1,000) when you purchase any qualifying Yamaha Acoustic, Disklavier, Silent, TransAcoustic, Clavinova or Hybrid piano between June 1 –
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Piano Emporium presents the Just Jazz Piano Concert Series. Every Thursday, Friday and Saturday you can enjoy the smooth sounds from some of Asheville’s finest jazz musicians.
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$12 adults/$8 students with ID
Thursday, May 14th – 8pm
Friday, May 15th – 8pm
Saturday, May 16th – 8pm
Sunday,
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Jim HarveyHarvey Chronicles: The Itinerant Tuner
Convincing piano owners of the need for regular tuning and service – whether the piano is used regularly or not –has been an ongoing problem for all piano technicians since pianos were invented. This subject may be addressed via a separate, more detailed article.
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Rare A.H. Gale Square Grand Piano, Completely Restored – A Piano Emporium Customer Review by Larry & Rebecca Brisendine
We stand by our mission and promise to provide our customers with quality pianos, service and support. Treating each customer like an exclusive endeavor with special emphasis and attention to detail is key in providing the highest level of satisfaction that will enhance every musical experience.
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“My Grandmother’s Piano” Restoration – by Kate Condon, Piano Emporium Customer
MEADOWS OF DAN, VIRGINIA:
My Grandmother, a concert pianist at 17, left me her Vintage 1901 Steinway Grand Piano over 50 years ago. Shane Owenby took perfect care of it for many years before I finally realized it needed complete restoration.
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“Yesteryear” Piano Restoration – by John Sample, Piano Emporium Customer
After shopping around and talking to various Piano Shops about restoring my 101 year old Player piano, I decided that the Piano Emporium was the right choice. Shane talked to me extensively and showed personal interest and understanding about the potential my instrument had,
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Jim HarveyHarvey Chronicles: Church in the Wildwood
Actually, not in the wildwood, but certainly off the beaten path, as many in my client list have been.
My gauges for off the beaten path include: 1) getting lost both ways, coming and going [aka – you can’t get there from here];
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Jim HarveyHarvey Chronicles: The Garage Apartment
If you are familiar with garage apartments, especially those from decades ago, you know that available space is at a premium. Depending on the size, often they consist of only a stairwell, kitchenette, bath, and one larger room for any other use. The other uses can include bedroom,
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Jim HarveyHarvey Chronicles: The Yard Sale Piano
This service call happened many years ago, a guess would be around 1976. While the story is old, variations have been repeated quite often, and the implications are still viable today.
A prospective client called,
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NEWS
THE PIANO TECHNICIANS GUILD
4444 FOREST AVE.
KANSAS CITY, KS 66106
PHONE: (913) 432-9975
JULY, 2014 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
AREA REGISTERED PIANO TECHNICIAN PARTICIPATES IN INTERNATIONAL PIANO INSTITUTE
ATLANTA
Shane Owenby, RPT*, of Piano Emporium was among nearly 500 attendees,
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Wing & Son, one of our favorite and cherished antique piano manufacturers, was established in 1868. Alison Deland Scott was kind enough to give us a History of her family. Her mother was Barbara Wing, daughter of Richard Deland (not Delano) Wing, and her older brother, Laurence.
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Benefits of music participation
Always encourage and compliment music students. Expose music students to a wide variety of music.
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Hugh Hardman established the company during 1842 in New York. He later worked with his brother John and partnered with Leopold Peck to form Hardman Peck & Co. Aeolian took over the company as they did many other piano manufacturers of the time. Pianos with the Hardman name were made until 1982.
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Ricca, or Ricca & Son was established in 1891 by H.F. Ricca and E.I. Ricca, at 604 East 132 St. and 884 East 134th St., New York. By the mid 20’s the offices and factory was located at 97-99 Southern Blvd., New York. They bought the Ludwig PIano Company around 1933.
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Pneumatic player pianos are a lot of fun and operate using a vacuum for power. Pedaling with the feet creates this suction, which operates bellows in the piano. Through hoses and valves the player mechanism manipulates the action of the piano where it in turn plays the keys. Each note has an individual valve and pneumatic unit.
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One of our favorite antique pianos, Wing & Son, was founded in 1868 by Luman B. Wing in New York. Luman B. Wing was the main partner in the firm of Doane, Wing & Cushing. Luman B. Wing died in 1873 and was succeeded by his son, Frank L. Wing and then by his son R.
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The latest Clavinova digital pianos from Yamaha are able to reproduce the feeling of playing a grand piano better than ever before. Here are some of the many features offered on these fabulous instruments:
These are just a few of the many features these wonderful instruments have to offer.
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One of the first things to consider about any used piano is tuning stability. Ask these questions; Can the piano be tuned? Will the piano hold its tune?
One major factor in the answer is the Pinblock.
• A pinblock is the part of the piano that holds the tuning pins.
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Many piano technicians do more than just a tuning when servicing their clients pianos. When we are called to tune a piano it is in our best interest as well as the customer’s to evaluate the pianos condition and give the customer our professional opinion of the quality and serviceability of their piano.
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Polyester is the most recent material to be used on pianos. It is a product of modern chemical technology that provides the highest degree of beauty and protection available. Polyester is a very stable product and weather changes have no effect on its size. Therefore, applying a stable finish to a constantly changing surface invites trouble.
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We now have a piano tuning in Asheville service listing on Thumbtack. I’m always looking for ways to help market my piano moving, repair and tuning services. Thumbtack is a good way for me to help me show off my expertise in providing professional, very affordable piano moving,
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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 the felt to achieve similar effects.
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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.
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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 the tone and resonance of the piano.
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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 of being able to add musical expression to the performance.
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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′
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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 ranks at the World’s Fair in London in 1851.
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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.
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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 interesting.
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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 part numbers and many other pianos do not have a serial number at all.
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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 type of chemical cleaner to clean piano keys.
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Many potential piano buyers believe they can obtain good quality used pianos for little or nothing. Most often they are very misinformed. Be cautious of free or almost free pianos. There is almost always repair work that needs to be done. There is high demand for good used pianos and many pianos are for sale by private parties.
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It is often difficult for the average piano owner to determine what type of wood finish was originally applied to his or her own piano. Many types of varnish, lacquer & other material have been used in the past. Setting up definitive rules in cleaning and polishing of all types pianos would be difficult.
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Worked on a Grand Piano Company console today. The company was established in 1961 at Morganton, NC. The piano was a console but seemed very much like a spinet. The difference was that the action dropped below the main level of the key bed like a spinet but the keys were angled to drop below the action as well.
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The piano plate, sometimes called the frame or harp, is typically made from cast iron due to its high compression strength. The strings of the piano are attached to the plate in conjunction with the wooden frame and soundboard, and which the tension of the strings are supported. Many piano manufacturer’s use the O.S.
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It looks like we will see just about any color for a grand piano these days. Matching bright orange grand pianos being played at an Univeristy of Tennessee ballgame. WOW!
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