A Lifesaver For Your Piano

In the last few months I have been having a piano problem common to many of you in more humid regions, but somewhat rare here in South Texas, especially with the record drought of the last few years.  It has been raining.  Not the light drizzles that we would have relished for so much of this time, as much for the cooling effect as for the actual water, but the gully-filling downpours that, in this area at least, usually end up with major flooding.  Fortunately that has not been the case this time (so far) but, just as an example, we did gain over 10 inches of rain in one two-day period recently, and everything is sufficiently soaked that another rain of that magnitude would probably send some of the small communities in this area floating down the river.

So what, you ask, does this have to do with pianos? The piano I play at church is a medium-grade Asian-built baby grand (nice, but something less than a Baldwin) from the late ’80s or early ’90s.  Our cooling system has been working overtime for the last few months as the average temperature most days has been in excess of 100 degrees.  Then, when the rains started, the temperatures dropped, so the cooling has been running much less, allowing the humidity to build up in the sanctuary, leading to sticking keys.  Fortunately, since our piano technician came out once, only one key still sticks.  Unfortunately, that one key is used in over half of the hymns I play and our tech is currently booked solid and unable to make a return visit.

Two previous posts, Why Does My Piano Go Out of Tune? , and Care of Your Piano talk in more detail about piano humidity problems.  Here I want to tell you about one way to help combat these problems, called the Piano Life Saver, a piano humidity control system made by Dampp-Chaser Corporation of Hendersonville, North Carolina.  The system consists of three primary components, a humidifier, a dehumidifier, and a humidistat that work together to create a micro-environment around the piano.  The humidistat is the control unit that senses the humidity and turns the humidifier and dehumidifier on or off as needed to maintain an ideal level of humidity in the piano.

These systems are not cheap ($500-800) and the company does require that they be installed by a professional for warranty purposes, but if you have more than $3000 invested in a piano, it would be worth the cost to protect your investment.  Will they prevent all piano humidity problems? I don’t think so.  I was called out once to look at a piano that “needed a few strings replaced”.  When I got there, I found a baby grand, less than 10 years old, with over half of the strings rusted through and the other half looking like they would pop the next time someone tried to tune them.  Seems the client had bought the piano new and moved it to a beach house (in Hawaii, if I remember correctly).  Would this product have saved him the cost of a restringing job?  I doubt it.  However, for those of you with more conventional problems, like summer drought followed by rainy autumn, this system is the way to go.

(NOTE:  If you have any personal experience with Dampp-Chaser products, good or bad, please leave a comment and share with the rest of us.  )

Photo Credit:

You Might Also Want to Read:

• Care of Your Piano
• Things To Think About When Shopping For A Piano
• Quick Reference Guide for Piano Owners and Prospects
• Review-The Piano Shop On The Left Bank
• How Your Grand Piano Works- Part 3

Care of Your New Piano – First Part

The first 2 minutes of this video combine a very brief history of the Petrof company with some footage of piano assembly, showing how Petrof successfully combines cutting-edge manufacturing technology with old-school craftsmanship to build a fine piano. (Disclaimer: In my nearly half-century of playing piano I have not, to the best of my memory, ever played a Petrof, however, if the music on these videos is any indicator, I would love to. Anyone with personal experience with Petrof is welcome to leave a comment substantiating or debunking my opinion.) The remainder of this segment is a good PowerPoint- type presentation on climate and its effect on pianos, suitable placement of the piano, and influence of surroundings on the sound color or tone quality. For further reading see Why Does My Piano Go Out of Tune? and I Play One Note And Hear Three!.

Care of Your New Piano – Second Part

This second video is good proof that “one picture is worth a thousand words”. (I counted at least 25 images in just the first 4 minutes, so you do the math!) Many of the piano maintenance problems shown here have been mentioned in previous posts. (See Quick Check List for Piano Shopping, I Play One Note And Hear Three!, and My Piano Keys Make Noise-But My Tuner Can’t Find It! for extra reading.)

You Might Also Want to Read:

• Lifesaver for your Piano
• Things To Think About When Shopping For A Piano
• Quick Reference Guide for Piano Owners and Prospects
• Review-The Piano Shop On The Left Bank
• How Your Grand Piano Works- Part 3

I Want to Buy A Piano - A look at several things to consider before buying a piano.

• Should You Only Buy From A Dealer - the pros and cons of buying a used piano from a dealer as opposed to a private seller.
• “Run Away Now!” Pianos - Beginning a series on specific types of used pianos to avoid.  This article covers pneumatic players.
• “Run Away Now!” Pianos  (Pt 2) - Continuing a series on specific types of used pianos to avoid.  This article covers Lester spinets from the 1940s-1950s with plastic parts.
• “Run Away Now!” Pianos  (Pt 3) - Continuing a series on specific types of used pianos to avoid.  This article covers a type of antique upright commonly referred to as “English” uprights.
• “Run Away Now!” Pianos  (Pt 4) - Continuing a series on specific types of used pianos to avoid. This article covers a type of antique upright commonly referred to as “squirrel-cage” uprights.  (Update) Since writing these articles I have learned that the Germans made pianos similar to both the “English” and “squirrel-cage” types into at least the 1880s.  Avoid them too.
• The Night The Pianos Burned -  Tells the story of the “Great Piano Fire” of 1904, when a large group of piano dealers gathered and burned a large supply of square grand pianos to (1) emphasize their obsolescence and (2) get them out of inventory.
• How Good A Deal Is A Used Piano From A School? - Addresses the hazards of buying a piano that has been used by a school.
• Quick Check List For Piano Shopping -  A step-by-step list for you to follow when evaluating a piano (new or used) with an eye toward buying it.
• Buying A Piano – Digital vs Acoustic - A pros & cons evaluation of the digital/acoustic buying decision.  A few points that might seem surprising coming from an old piano tuner.

OK I Bought the Piano – Now What?

• Why Does My Piano Go Out Of Tune? - One of the most common questions asked by new piano owners. No, it is not necessarily that there is a problem with the piano or that your tuner is a drunkard.
• My Piano Keys Make Noise But My Tuner Can’t Find It
• I Play One Note And Hear Three!
• Why Are My Piano’s Pedals Loose?
• How To Make Life Simpler For Your Piano Tuner

I Want An Easy Hymnal For My Child

• EZ-Play Hymnal For Young Players

Just For Fun

• History Of The Piano -Victor Borge

You Might Also Want to Read:

• Things To Think About When Shopping For A Piano
• Review-The Piano Shop On The Left Bank
• Lifesaver for your Piano
• Care of Your Piano
• Memories of an Old Friend

Here are a few basic rules that, if followed, will enable your piano tuner to do a better job for you and your piano:

1. Use the same tuner consistently.  If a tuner services the same piano over and over then he will become acquainted with the instrument and will be better able to alert you to potential problems that may be arising over time, but that he might not recognize the first time he services the instrument.  Many people call a large dealer when they need service, who then sends out his next available tuner.  Others lose the name of their tuner between visits then, when they get ready for a tuning, open the yellow pages and pick a name at random.  While all may be competent techs, this method eliminates the probability of a single tuner getting to know your piano and its needs.  Find a tuner you like, then when he comes out put his card somewhere so that you won’t lose it and add a note of when the piano should be tuned next.  Once you make the next appointment, put a big sign up to make sure you remember the appointment.
2. Be on time.  If you make an appointment for 10 a.m.  and go to the gym at 8 a.m., don’t  come out of the locker room at 9:15 and decide to join your workout buddy for a coffee break before going home.  Your tuner has scheduled his work day around starting on your piano at 10 a.m.  If you are late and he is booked solid, as is hopefully the case (means he is good and is in high demand), he will either have to rush somewhat to get through with your piano and get to the next client on schedule, resulting in a less-than-top-quality tuning, or your lack of punctuality may cause him to be running late for all of his other clients for the rest of the day, at the very least inconveniencing them and him, at the worst causing him to have to cancel or re-schedule a few appointments, resulting in a loss of income for him.
3. Try to give the tuner a reasonable period (1-2 hours) of relative quiet.  While it is not reasonable for a tuner to insist on absolute silence for the whole period (it won’t happen anyway), it is very reasonable to expect a client to turn off stereos and TVs in the room with, and in rooms adjoining, the piano.  It is reasonable to expect the client not to run the vacuum cleaner, lawn mower, laundry or dishwasher while the tuner is working.  It is reasonable to expect the client not to schedule the tuner on the same day as a plumber, roofer or carpet layer (as examples).  We know that emergencies happen, so if the air conditioning fails, there is a plumbing emergency, or there is a major storm and a falling tree branch leaves a major hole in the roof, let us know ASAP.  We would, in most cases, rather re-schedule in that type of situation anyway, but what is not acceptable is for you to wait until the tuner arrives at the appointed hour to let him know about the problem.  If you give him notice, he has the opportunity top try and schedule another job to fill that time slot and, if that fails, he has the opportunity to surprise his wife and take her out to breakfast.
4. Remove all pictures, knick-knacks, etc. from the piano before time for the appointment.  This is not the tuner’s job although it often gets left for him to do.  I was rarely more terrified than when I was put in the position of removing collectible porcelain from a piano.  I could always visualize myself stumbling and dropping the most expensive piece in the collection.

As stated at the beginning, if you follow this list of simple rules you will give your tuner a much better opportunity to do a good job for you.  If you think of something I left out, please leave a comment.

Photo Credit, jaegercar

You Might Also Want to Read:

• How Your Grand Piano Works- Part 3
• How Your Grand Piano Works- Part 2
• How Your Grand Piano Works- Part 1
• I Play One Note And Hear Three!
• My Piano Keys Make Noise-But My Tuner Can’t Find It!

Why Are My Piano’s Pedals Loose? Can I Do Anything About It?

“Dad, I don’t know what’s going on, but when I push down on the loud pedal, nothing happens. Can you fix it?” This conversation doesn’t happen often, but it does happen. While I was working on pianos professionally, I used to get several calls a month where this was the primary problem. I also would tune maybe 6-10 pianos per month where this was an additional service issue.

This procedure was never a big profit center for me. I would charge a small charge if the pedal was the only reason for my visit, but would sometimes throw the adjustment in for free if it was in addition to a tuning (many people had to squeeze a tuning into their tight budgets and this pedal issue would prompt them to call me sooner than otherwise). While I never declined these calls, I realized early on that I disliked doing this procedure for one reason – I am big. I am 6 feet tall, and while most people (including medical professionals) guess my weight at around 250 pounds my actual weight slightly exceeds 300 (25 years of “wrestling pianos” developed some bulk). For this reason, I was usually willing to talk a smaller adult through the procedure if the person struck me as having a basic level of mechanical aptitude. A few times I even talked a customer through this over the phone.

(Disclaimer: The procedure described here is for vertical pianos only. The procedure for grands is more complex.)

Look at the picture above. This is approximately what you would see when you open the panel under the keyboard. There will be some variations from brand to brand but I will try to cover the most common ones. Warning: As you go into this procedure., be sure you understand how things go together so that you will be able to re-assemble them when you are finished. If you encounter anything radically different from the picture above, STOP and call your technician. Your piano is beyond the scope of this post, and if you proceed you will probably end up owing your technician quite a bit more money than you would have otherwise!!!

The Steps

1. Remove the knee panel. This is the vertical panel under the keyboard. In most cases, this will be held in place by a leaf spring at the top. Press up on the spring as you swing the panel out at the top, then lift it clear of the piano. (Alternate: If there is no spring, there will probably be 1 or 2 wooden stops that might have to be unscrewed and removed.) Prior to lifting it out, study how the bottom of the panel fits in. Most likely will be either a couple of pegs with corresponding holes or a rabbet and slot. Knowing this now will make re-assembly much easier.

2. Study the pedal setup as you find it. The far right pedal will be the damper, or sustain, pedal. The far left will be the soft pedal. The center pedal, if there is one, will be what varies. It could just duplicate the soft pedal, it could lift the dampers for only the bass section, or it could be what is known as a practice pedal (lowers a felt strip between the hammers and strings, lowering volume 60-70%). The only one of those 3 that has any real value is the practice pedal, and in my opinion that only applies for apartment dwellers, families with infants where practice time and nap time might coincide, and really bad pianists who choose to be considerate of those around them. Those with differing opinions are invited to leave comments.

3. Starting with the damper pedal, examine the mechanism. Make sure that the screws that connect the pedal to the bottom panel are tight. There should be a bolt running through the pedal and the crossbeam, with a bushing, probably felt or rubber, and a nut or wing nut on top. Follow the crossbeam (could also be a metal bar) to the side. It might go to the right or left. At the wall end of the beam there should be a vertical rod or dowel, which connects the pedal mechanism to the piano’s action. Repeat the process with the soft pedal.

4. Assuming that the entire mechanism is there (if not, stop and call your technician), what you have to do now is tighten the nut on each pedal until most of the slack is removed. (You might need to hold down the crossbeam and grip the bolt with a pair of pliers as you tighten the nut.) On both pedals, tighten a little and test. For the damper pedal, you are done when all dampers seat with the pedal up but start lifting when you have pressed the pedal approximately ½ inch. If there is any ringing when the pedal is totally released (except the highest strings that have no dampers) then the nut is too tight. For the soft pedal, have all the hammers resting on the hammer rail when the pedal is up and still far enough from the strings that each note will still play when the pedal is fully depressed.

Following these instructions, unless there has been a mechanical failure, should get your two main pedals back to usable. Hope this helps. As always your comments and questions are welcomed.

Photo Credit, Kreslava

You Might Also Want to Read:

• Lifesaver for your Piano
• Care of Your Piano
• How Your Grand Piano Works- Part 3
• How Your Grand Piano Works- Part 2
• How Your Grand Piano Works- Part 1

The first possibility I would check is if the hammer is traveling correctly. If the screw that holds the hammer flange in place has worked loose, or the flange has cracked, or the glue seal at either end of the hammer shank (the stick that the hammer sits on) has broken loose, then the hammer might not be staying straight as it travels from rest position to the string, and it could easily be striking both one of the strings in its unison and one or more of the strings in the next unison. In this case it would be a matter of determining which repair was needed and making it. This type of problem tends to most commonly in older pianos and pianos that have been moved long distances.

The second possibility is based on the concept of the unison. On the piano, each note in at least the upper half of the range of the keyboard will have three strings. In most cases some notes just below the notes with three strings will have two strings. Only the lowest ranges will have only one string. (NOTE: Where each of these breaks takes place will vary somewhat from brand to brand, and is a major component of the scale design.) I said all of that just to say this – each of those groups of 1-3 strings is called a unison, and when the piano is correctly tuned all of the strings in each unison will be tuned identically, so that each unison will sound like one note. When one or more of the strings goes out of tune you will get the multiple-note sound. Fortunately, usually all that is required here is to re-tune the unison. In some cases the tuning pin might not be seating correctly because of the advanced age of the piano, and the technician will need to either drive the pin in a little bit to seat it better, or remove the pin and re-install it with a tuning pin bushing to make it tighter.

There is a third possibility. Sometimes a piano would need tuning but the owners had not noticed it because the shift in the tuning had been sufficiently gradual that their hearing had compensated for it (“I knew it wasn’t quite as good as right after it was tuned, but it still sounded okay…”) but then one or more unisons had gone far enough out that they noticed them – just not the rest of the piano. Usually in these cases the owner would not be able to remember when the piano was last tuned, but once the piano was tuned they could definitely hear the improvement. You get the oil changed in your car about every three months. Why not make a point to get your piano tuned at least every other time you change your oil?

You Might Also Want to Read:

• Lifesaver for your Piano
• Care of Your Piano
• How To Make Life Simpler For Your Piano Tuner
• How Your Grand Piano Works- Part 3
• How Your Grand Piano Works- Part 2