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- Middle C
Okay, you’ve done your homework and found a piano you want to check out (new or used). Here is a quick checklist you can use to see if this piano comes close to what you want before you pay a technician to check it (in the case of a used piano) and spend time and energy negotiating that great deal. This list is by no means comprehensive, and of course if you think of other items that should be on the list we would appreciate you sharing with us. (In other words, please leave a comment.)
- Test all of the pedals, listening for squeaks, rattles, and other noises. Obviously, if you are looking at new pianos this should be a deal-breaker until the dealer’s technician resolves the problem, and even then it is a red flag that the dealer did a poor job of preparing his inventory for the sales floor. (What other problems might have been missed?)
- Hold down the right (damper/sustaining) pedal. push down each of the keys in turn and check that they return to proper level. (Holding down the pedal takes the weight of the dampers off the keys, making problems with sticking or sluggish keys easier to find.)
- Starting at the left of the keyboard, sound each of the bass notes (the wound strings) with a firm but moderate touch. This is to check for rattles or buzzes in the wound strings which can indicate either loose windings (which require string replacement) or other problems that can possibly be repaired without replacing strings. Some of this is to be expected in older used pianos that are not claimed to be either restored or reconditioned(unless you have several notes in a row buzzing – possible loose bridge or soundboard crack, either one a fairly major repair.) However, any of these problems in a new piano at a dealership reflect back to my red-flag comments in item #1. You should never see these problems in a new piano on the dealer’s sales floor because he should have them taken care of before the piano is placed there.
- This step is where, if you don’t play but are buying a piano for yourself or your child, you want to have a friend with you who does play. You want to determine if the piano is in tune, not just with itself but also with industry standard pitch. Although ideally a dealer should have a pitch standard (tuning fork or tone generator) available for you to use, to be sure I have provided mp3 files below for A-440 and C-523.3 (the A and C above middle C). (Most families now have at least one mp3 player. I use my cell phone.) In case you are not sure where middle C is located, look back at the picture at the beginning of this post. Note the alternating pattern of 2 black keys and 3 black keys. Locate the 2-group closest to the center of the keyboard. The white key to the immediate left of that 2-group is middle C. Five white keys to the right (right of the second black in the 3-group) is A-440. 2 more white keys to the right is C-523.3. The 2 mp3 files should very closely match that A and that C. Then all the A’s and C’s up and down the keyboard (just repeat the pattern in the middle C octave) should sound like higher and lower versions of the same note. Repeat that process with the other notes. With a new piano, if the tuning is more than slightly off you don’t want it. New pianos have quite a bit of stretch in the strings, and if they aren’t given enough tunings that they will stay tuned while on the show floor, then that means that the dealer is trying to cut corners and stick the customer with the extra tunings that a new piano requires. If they cut corners there, where else will they cut corners, and how much more will it end up costing you if you buy their piano? If you are looking at a used piano from a private seller, and the piano is off but not severely, then the question becomes how long has it been since the last tuning and has the piano been moved since that tuning. You might have to get your piano technician to evaluate that one for you.
- If your piano prospect has made it this far, there is a good chance that this piano might be worth buying. The next step can be the clincher. Ideally, if you don’t play, either you brought a competent pianist with you or the seller plays. You need to hear the piano played. As it is, listen (1)for any difficulties the player seems to have with the piano, and (2) how the piano’s sound makes you feel. (1) is just one last check for mechanical problems, but (2) is purely subjective. Is the sound grating or soothing? There is no right answer, and you don’t have to explain why. Just know that if you get the right instrument and take care of it, it can bring you pleasure for decades to come.
Photo Credit, keith whitfield
Reference:
Schmeckel, Carl. The Piano Owner’s Guide. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1974.
Pitch Download Files (right-click to save to computer):
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