Piano Notes » Piano History

Quick Reference Guide for Piano Owners and Prospects

David — Wed, 06 May 2009 06:05:02 +0000

I was recently reviewing some of the posts I had written over the past several months and realized that if I could organize them into a reference guide they might be of more use to you, so that is what I am attempting here. If you have questions about how I organized the posts or any questions or comments about one of the posts, please leave a comment at either the end of this post or the post to which the question applies.

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

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Making a Kawai Grand Piano

David — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 04:36:32 +0000

Continuing my research on the “old families” of the piano business I came across these videos about the Kawai brand. Kawai, while not an American brand, has had a major impact on the American market. Kudos to Worldpiano for posting these videos.

Making Of A Kawai Grand Piano Pt.1

Koichi Kawai founded a company in 1927 that has, for 3 generations, sought to combine traditional craftstmanship with the efficiencies of computer-aided manufacturing in building an excellent piano.

Making Of A Kawai Grand Piano Pt.2

A few good examples of Kawai’s quest for excellence:

In 1997, Kawai became the first company in the piano industry to receive the ISO 14001 certification for excellence in environmental management.
Kawai uses ABS Styran instead of wood for several action parts that are most susceptible to breakage or swelling due to humidity. While I have historically opposed the use of plastics in piano actions, this one (actually a polymer composite) has several decades of evidence to support that it does work.
“Circle of Refinement”- This is what sets Kawai apart for me. One of the first times I saw a Kawai was around 1980. The Baldwin dealer I was working with had just started carrying Kawai also. I was used to a Baldwin coming from the factory needing five or six tunings and a small amount of regulation to be ready for the sales floor. This first Kawai was shipped from Japan to Houston, Texas, then trucked to San Antonio before being uncrated. It was then shipped about another 100 miles to a store in Kerrville, Texas, where it only required touch-up of a few unisons to be ready for the sales floor. I have seen this a few more times, and heard of it many more times since then. The Kawai craftsmen invest the extra time and effort needed to make sure that one of their instruments is ready when it leaves the factory.

The Kawai Legacy. http://www.kawaius.com/main_links/legacy_home.html

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Memories of an Old Friend

David — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 04:55:30 +0000

Memories of An Old Friend

A few days ago I was going through some old photos of pianos that I had purchased for resale during the first years of my career as a piano technician (a great way for a young technician to build up both experience and working capital) when I stumbled across a picture I had forgotten. It was an antique upright piano that I never bought and never sold. It was in such poor shape when I got it that I was never able to return it to the quality instrument it had been . Even so, this piano was one of my best friends for nearly ten years and I would like to tell you about our time together.

Weser Brothers #13369 was built in New York City in approximately 1888. If you are familiar with the pianos of that period you will see from the picture that it was a fine specimen of cabinetry in upright pianos of the period. Little is known about the next 80 or so years, until the youth director at the small Baptist church on the south side of San Antonio, Texas, where I served as pianist, bought it, hoping to get his two children interested in piano lessons (never happened). Shortly after he got it, I played on it and promptly began trying to buy it from him. New in the piano business, I could see great profit potential from this piano, but its tone and touch so excited me as a musician, (and I am such a poor poker-face), that I could not convince the man to sell. Time passed and the piano deteriorated. And still the owner declined to sell. Then one night he came to me after church. “David, do you still want that piano?” “Sure,” I said, reaching for my wallet, “ how much?” “Just come get it” he said.

So a few days later I picked up the instrument and started working on it. The case was refinished. Flanges were re-bushed and re-pinned. Keys were re-bushed and re-covered (had to use plastic-too much ivory was gone). Springs,straps and bass strings were replaced. Tuning pin block was treated with pin tightener since I could not afford a new block. It helped, but the instrument still never held tune like it should. A fair amount of my spare time for the next year or so was spent either tweaking some aspect of the action to make it play better or touching up the tuning. It was, in many ways, a labor of love.

This piano became my friend. Over the next few years it helped me work out arrangements for a church choir I was working with. It brought a smile back to my spirit when I sat down at it looking for relief from the blues. It helped me succeed at my one attempt at performing classical music. I was to tune the piano for a classical music festival near4 Kerrville, Texas. I was on the stage on Friday afternoon preparing the grand for that night’s recital when I was approached by the promoter with the line “David, just how good a pianist are you?” (Keep in mind here that the “classics” to me were artists like Floyd Cramer and Al Stricklin – long-time piano player for Bob Wills.) As it turned out, there was one piece on the Saturday night program that had a piano part – and he had not hired a pianist. With trepidation, I looked at the music and told him that I thought I could do it. Got home that night at about 11 pm after the recital, and between then and 3 am I washed my only white shirt to wear with the orchestra and learned a piece of music. Not a great sight-reader, if I had been less comfortable with my piano I don’t believe that I could have pulled it off, but I did. The conductor was still talking about it nearly a year later.

Our parting was a time of sadness for me. Recently married, we were moving to another city and putting most of my furniture into storage. Not enough room on the truck, and not enough money for another trip, I gave the piano to the music director at the church where I had been playing. I never heard what he did with it. If you have this piano, please leave me a comment and fill in its history since I left.

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History of the Piano – Victor Borge

David — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 04:59:49 +0000

Just for fun today, let’s take a break and look at piano history through the comic genius of Victor Borge, a hilariously funny individual as well as a great musician. Who better to have fun at the piano? (Just wondering – was he as funny in his mother language? Feel free to leave a comment.)

We’ll get back to the serious stuff in a few days. Hope this brightens your day.

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Mason & Hamlin – A History

David — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 06:00:34 +0000

I recently began researching the history of some of the “old families” of piano making in America. Imagine my delight when, a few days ago, I came across 2 videos on YouTube which shared much of the story for Mason & Hamlin. Kudos to Pianojanna for posting these videos.

The Mason & Hamlin Story – Part 1

In 1854, Henry Mason, a businessman and musician, and Emmons Hamlin, the inventor of the reed organ, began business making various types of organs. They made their first pianos in 1881, quality instruments from the first . In 1895, the company acquired the services of German piano designer Richard Gertz who initiated such upgrades as improvements in scale designs and a patented tension resonator which helps hold the crown on the soundboard. By the turn of the century, the Mason & Hamlin was considered among the finest pianos of its day. (I have had the pleasure of working on, and playing, a few samples of the Mason & Hamlin from that period. Even the ones which had not been restored, and even a few that showed definite signs of neglect, still clearly demonstrated the quality that had been built into them so long ago.)

The Mason & Hamlin Story – Part 2

In the early 1930s, at least in part due to the devastating effects of the Great Depression, Mason & Hamlin merged with other piano makers to become part of the Aeolian American Corporation. Other than during World War II, when most piano factories were re-directed to the manufacture of gliders and other products necessary to the war effort. After the war, piano production resumed (although not up to classic Mason & Hamlin standards – a technician who mentored me for a time when I was first starting out said that if you bought an Aeolian piano the name on the fallboard didn’t matter, it was still just an Aeolian) and continued until 1985 when Aeolian went under, at which time Mason & Hamlin was acquired by Sohmer Company, which was later acquired by Falcone Piano Company. In 1995, Mason & Hamlin Companies (a conglomerate consisting of Mason, Knabe, Falcone, and Sohmer) filed for bankruptcy and was bought out by Kirk and Gary Burgett, the owners of PianoDisc.

I have not had the opportunity to personally play one of the new Mason & Hamlins, but if the company has succeeded, as they claim, in re-creating the classic designs and workmanship with the efficiencies of modern manufacturing, then they could not help but put out a magnificent piano. If you have any experience with these instruments I invite you to leave a comment and tell about it. Also, watch for our next post when we will have a video on the making of the Mason & Hamlin.

References:

Williams, John-Paul. The Piano: An Inspirational Guide to the Piano and Its Place in History. London, Quarto Publishing plc, 2002.

Mason & Hamlin-History. http://www.masonhamlin.com/history/

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Highlights in Piano History – December 18,2008

David — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 21:36:20 +0000

Welcome to this week’s post on highlights in piano history. This week we will look at a few of the major industry players of the 19^th century in Europe and Asia, most of whom are still represented in the business to this day. As always, if you have questions or come across something interesting that might add to this list, please leave a comment.

The 1800′s

1826 – England – Robert Wornum, of London, patented the “piccolo” upright action,which was to become the prototype for all modern upright actions.
1853 – Saxony – Julius Bluthner began his piano business in Leipzig. Although not well-educated outside the skills of the piano maker, Bluthner was able to make several major developments in stringing and action design. He published a major treatise on piano making and was appointed Privy Counselor of Commerce by the King of Saxony.
1853- Germany – Carl Bechstein, after about 10 years spent working for, and studying under, various piano makers in London and Paris, began his piano business in Berlin. One of his earliest clients was Franz Liszt.
1889- Japan – Torakusu Yamaha begins Nippon Gakki Siezo Kabushiki Kwaisha (Japanese Musical Instrument Manufacturing Company) with factories at Hamamatsu, Japan. Nippon Gakki later became Yamaha Corporation, one of the world’s largest piano manufacturers today.

Reference:

Dolge, Alfred. Pianos and their Makers: A Comprehensive History of the Development of the Piano. New York: Dover Publications, 1972. (First edition – Covina: Covina Publishing Co., 1911.)